Cheree Byrd gave birth to her daughter Ayanna at the Onondaga County jail after jail and healthcare employees ignored for days Cheree’s claims that she was in labor. Ayanna later died.
Policing
Posted inPolicing
Hochul proposes limited anti-ICE bill as Central New Yorkers rally for New York For All
Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed the “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act,” which would prohibit formal collaboration between local police officers and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Posted inCity of Syracuse
What could Mayor Sharon Owens’ 1st year in office have in store for Syracuse?
Housing, immigration, public safety and taxes are central for Mayor Sharon Owens, she said at her first State of the City speech.
Posted inPolicing
How Mayor Sharon Owens plans to wrangle oversight of the surveillance technology her administration inherited
Owens’ plans to check the city’s disparate surveillance technologies include new technology oversight position and greater legal analysis of contract terms.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Local advocates want to ‘melt’ Syracuse’s links to ICE. Will lawmakers listen?
A coalition of civil rights organizations is calling on common councilors to put companies facilitating deportations — like Flock Safety and Axon Enterprises — on the hot seat.
Posted inPolicing
Upstate county lawmakers are pushing legislation to enforce biometric surveillance disclosure. Will Onondaga County follow suit?
Recent downstate reporting revealed Wegmans is using biometric surveillance to scan customers’ faces. Some upstate legislators want to make businesses like Wegmans disclose surveillance tools to customers.
Posted inPolicing
A bill sponsored by a Central New York state senator could stop biometric surveillance at stores like Wegmans
State Sen. Rachel May, D-Syracuse, in 2025 sponsored a bill that could stop biometric data collection in places like grocery stores. Wegmans has began biometric surveillance of customers in New York City.
Posted inPolicing
Wegmans added facial recognition technology to NYC stores, won’t say if it plans the same for Central New York stores
Wegmans’ stores in New York City are scanning and storing customers’ faces, eyes, and voices.
Posted inPolicing
Why Flock will get to keep Syracuse drivers’ ‘anonymized’ data even if lawmakers cancel their contract
Against the advice of his own working group, Mayor Ben Walsh granted Flock the right to keep Syracuse drivers’ anonymized data.
Posted inPolicing
Former prosecutor says she was sexually assaulted, harassed by fellow Onondaga County prosecutors
Cayley Young, a former Onondaga County assistant district attorney, in a lawsuit accused Shaun Chase, also formerly of the office, of sexually assaulting her.