From a campus-wide walkout protesting Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination to the story of a former Syracuse Dunkin’ Donuts employee who dumped water on a homeless man, here is the biggest local news from this past weekend.

Students protest Kavanaugh during walkout, demand SU end rape culture

More than 100 members of the SU community rallied Thursday on the Quad in a walkout protesting Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination and sexual assault on campus.

At the the second protest of its kind in the last two weeks, students said they stand in solidarity with Christine Blasey Ford, the first of the three women to come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh.

Ford alleges that Kavanaugh assaulted her at a high school house party in 1982. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations of all three women.

“The abuser does not become the abuser overnight,” said Mariah Bermeo, a senior social studies education major at the protest. “As for the people who have been abused: I see you, I hear you, I believe you.”

The Senate voted to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on Saturday, three days after the FBI submitted a confidential report on allegations of sexual misconduct made by three women.

Fired Syracuse Dunkin’ Donuts worker ordered to community service

The Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office ordered the fired Dunkin’ Donuts worker who dumped water on a homeless man to do 75 hours of community service for homeless people in Syracuse, according to Syracuse.com.

The DA’s office announced that Shakeen Robbins, the former employee, will not face criminal charges on Friday morning after discussion with Jeremy Dufresne, the homeless man that Robbins dumped water on last week, per Syracuse.com.

Cuomo undecided on Working Families endorsement

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said he’s undecided whether to accept the endorsement from the Working Families Party for the upcoming gubernatorial election after it previously backed Cynthia Nixon, per WRVO.

According to WRVO, Cuomo said he thinks the party’s members subscribed to a “theory” that voters wanted new, more progressive candidates.

“They’re facing reality,” Cuomo said, “which differs from their theory.”

Nixon said she did not want to remain on the Working Families ballot after losing the September Democratic primary to Cuomo, and the party rejected a request to endorse Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins, according to WRVO.

Vacant building owned by Greater Syracuse Land Bank catches on fire

After receiving a call at about 8:50 p.m., firefighters put out a fire in the back of a vacant building at 103 Onondaga Ave. on Saturday night, WRVO reported.

The building was owned by the Greater Syracuse Land Bank, which renovates vacant and tax-delinquent properties to productive use.

WRVO reported that no one was in the building at the time, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to First Deputy Fire Chief Elton Davis.

Published on October 7, 2018 at 10:09 pm

Contact Mary: mdcatalf@syr.edu | @mrycatalfamo