How the Broome County Jail became the face of ICE In late March 2025 ICE began to conduct raids across central and northern NY. Suddenly buses of ICE detainees began to arrive unannounced at the Broome County Jail dropping off scores of shackled persons who remained out of sight and out of communication with family, […]
ICE comes to Broome County, and the People say NO Read More »
Get ready: Governor Hochul is now building a mass surveillance system across the upstate region. And it’s coming this month to your local police department and county Sheriff. The end product? Cameras that can record and track every car entering and moving about Broome County, with results transmitted to the regional intelligence center in downtown
Hochul’s Watching You (and so is your local PD) Read More »
On April 18, 2024 Legal Services filed a lawsuit against Sheriff Frederick J. Akshar, Broome County Jail administrator Robert Charpinsky, Corrections Officer Philip Stephens, Broome County, and Trinity Services Group (the jail’s food subcontractor headquartered in Florida). It charges them with enslaving free persons, forced and unpaid labor, harmful and unlawful coercion, and violating state
Enforce the laws: slave labor, abuse and illegalities at the Broome County jail Read More »
Justice and Unity in the Southern Tier (JUST) April 18, 2024 Contacts: Andrew Pragacz, 651-747-6316, Rozann Greco 607-348-3868 Emails: ajrpragacz@gmail.com, rozanngreco@gmail.com An astonishing lawsuit was filed today by Josh Cotter of Legal Services of Central New York against the Broome County Sheriff, jail officials, and food service provider Trinity Services. The inflammatory charge? The reinstitution
JUST Press Release: Lawsuit reveals slavery in BC Jail Read More »
What would you do if someone gave you an unexpected $37 million? A once-in-a-lifetime bonanza? That was the delicious dilemma faced by the Broome County Executive and Legislators when the Federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was passed in March 2021. ARPA allocated $350 billion to municipal, county, state, and tribal governments to assist in
Broome County’s ARPA Bonanza: Who Captured the $37 million? Read More »
NYS Supreme Court Judge Blaise had a straightforward question: Where is the Sheriff? In his defense of County Sheriff David Harder, Broome County Attorney Robert Behnke had no adequate answer. Charged with contempt of court in the motion brought by Justice and the Unity for Southern Tier (JUST), Harder failed to appear. Law and Ill-Order
Where’s the Sheriff? In Contempt of the Supreme Court Read More »
by Judy Arnold, Ruth Blizard, Rozann Greco, William Martin Akshar is a committed, pro-life, anti-abortion politician. As Sheriff will he take responsibility for enforcing NY state laws affirming reproductive rights? Akshar has a long record of unethical behavior and poor judgement at the workplace. 1) As a Captain in the department, he had sexual relations
Ten Reasons Why Frederick Akshar Should Not Be a County Sheriff Read More »
Last year Broome County was the center of national attention and endless robocalls, all focused on our swing-district, congressional race between Tenney and Brindisi—an election settled by a mere 109 votes. In Broome County, even a few votes win an election. Getting out the vote under these conditions becomes a big campaign itself. So too
Voter Suppression, BC Style Read More »
On Violence in Broome County: Why is gun violence increasing? And crime not? That’s a paradox that you won’t hear from local media or elected officials. The stories they bleat at us repeat a fearful line: violent crime is escalating and threatens us all, daily. And people across the county and state clearly have a
Broome County: Fears of Crime and Reform Read More »
