August 1Aug 1 Here is an update to a story we had on the site prior to moving to new software. David is a former Elmira resident. ITHACA, N.Y. — After years of racist threats and harassment by her former neighbor, local Black farmer and educator Amanda David was awarded a $100,000 settlement in a federal civil rights case. The neighbor, Robert Whittaker Jr., of Brooktondale, had been convicted of a slew of charges — some classified as hate crimes — in a series of separate criminal cases that ultimately led to a year-long jail sentence in 2024.Over the course of several years, video footage and other evidence reviewed by The Ithaca Voice shows Whittaker shouted racist, sexist and homophobic slurs at David, her children and visitors who came to take classes at the small farm she operated on the property. Whittaker is white, David and her children are Black.At one point, he fired a pellet gun toward David’s house, breaking a security light. David also said a vehicle on her property had been vandalized, though it’s not clear if it was Whittaker. Read the rest here
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