Newbould, Frank]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Simmons]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Terrorism--New York (State)
]]> Yemeni Americans --New York (State)--Lackawanna]]>
They had attended a al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan in the Spring of 2001, just months before the attacks on the United States.

In his State of the Union address in 2003, President George W. Bush referred to the six as being part of an “al-Qaeda cell.” He said that along with other alleged cells broken in Hamburg, Milan, Madrid, London and Paris, “We have the terrorists on the run. We’re keeping them on the run. One by one the terrorists are learning the meaning of American justice.”

The men had grown up in the second largest Yemeni community in America and were all native born or naturalized U.S. citizens. One was a soccer star in high school. Another was voted “friendliest” in his graduating class.

There was never proof that the six had been plotting terror attacks on American soil or that they were, in fact a homegrown terrorist cell.

However, in December 2003, faced with possible long prison sentences if found guilty during a trial, all pleaded guilty to “providing material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization.” They were given sentences ranging from seven to ten years.

Author Dina Temple-Raston, who wrote the book “The Jihad Next Door: The Lackawanna Six and Rough Justice in an Age of Terror,” says the men left the training camp early when they realized America would be a target.

During a 2007 interview on National Public Radio’s “Talk of the Nation,” Temple-Raston, NPR’s FBI correspondent, said the men were addressed by Osama bin Laden, who told them there were suicide bombers ready to take action against the United States and Israel.

After returning to Lackawanna, she said the men were not truthful to the FBI about their activities in Afghanistan and were later arrested.

As part of the plea bargain agreements, the defendants agreed to cooperate with federal terrorism investigators.

A seventh suspect from Lackawanna, Jaber Elbaneh, escaped from a Yemeni prison but later turned himself in to Yemen authorities in 2007. He had been placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list.

The alleged recruiter of the Lackawanna Six, Kamal Derwish, was killed by a drone in Yemen on November 3, 2002.]]> Newberg, Rich (Writer, Reporter)]]> Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)
]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> O.P. ??]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Photographic postcards.]]> Catholic churches.]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Buildings, structures, etc.]]> Religious organizations--United States.]]> Church buildings--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> H.L. Woehler, Buffalo, N.Y.]]> M. (author)]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Photographic postcards.]]> Catholic churches.]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Buildings, structures, etc.]]> Religious organizations--United States.]]> Church buildings--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> H.L. Woehler, Buffalo, N.Y.]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Presbyterian Church.]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Buildings, structures, etc.]]> Religious organizations--United States.]]> Church buildings--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> The Buffalo News Company, Buffalo N.Y. Leipzig, Dresden]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Presbyterian Church.]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Buildings, structures, etc.]]> Religious organizations--United States.]]> Church buildings--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> H.L. Woehler, Buffalo, N.Y.]]> ENG]]> Colored Musicians Club (Buffalo, N.Y.)]]> Jazz--New York (State)--Buffalo--History and criticism]]> African Americans--New York (State)--Buffalo]]> Tinney, Al.
]]> African Americans--New York (State)--Buffalo--Social conditions
]]>
The club was organized in 1918 and chartered in 1935. The building on Broadway and Michigan Avenue was purchased in 1944. It provided rehearsal space and social opportunities for Buffalo’s Black musicians who belonged to Local 533 of the American Federation of Musicians. Club members recall being denied entry into the white musicians union, Local 43. The two locals merged in 1969 but the Colored Musicians Club is still thriving. The building now features an interactive museum and is scheduled to undergo a multi-million dollar renovation and expansion.

The first video is a compilation of segments by Rich Newberg, drawn from the 2003 WIVB-TV documentary, “Buffalo Soul: The Legacy Plays On.” The second piece is a WIVB-TV report by Jordan Williams marking the 80th anniversary of the Colored Musician’s Club. It aired on July 24, 2015.]]> Newberg, Rich (Producer, Writer, Host)
]]> Vetter, Tom (Producer, Photographer, Editor)
]]> Mombrea, Mike Jr. (Photographer, Editor)]]> Buffalo & Erie County Public Library (publisher of digital)]]> Mombrea, John (Post-production Editor)]]> Baxter, Tim (Post-production Editor)]]> Dady, Kelly (Director)]]> Clemons, Michael (Tape Operator)]]> Benzel, Gary (Tape Operator)]]> Young, Matt (Audio Engineer)]]> Dawkins, Don (Researcher)]]> Newberg, Rich (Researcher)]]> Vetter, Tom (Researcher)]]> Hairston, Mylous (Researcher)]]> Musial, Chris (Researcher)]]> eng]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Botanical gardens]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Buildings, structures, etc.]]> Kearney-Lehmann Co., Inc., Buffalo, N.Y.]]> Dexter Press, Pearl River, N.Y. (artist)]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Buildings, structures, etc.]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Societies and clubs.]]> Buffalo Country Club.]]> A.C. Bosselman & Co.]]> A.C. Bosselman & Co., New York.]]> ENG]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Photographic postcards.]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Buildings, structures, etc.]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Societies and clubs.]]> Buffalo Country Club.]]> [illegible] (author)]]> ENG]]> Aircraft accidents--New York (State)--Clarence]]>
The twin-engine turboprop belonged to Colgan Air, a regional airline company serving Continental Airlines. The flight had originated in Newark, New Jersey. It crashed only a few miles from the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport.

This composite of stories begins the night of the crash. WIVB-TV’s Lisa Flynn was the first to report that it was a commercial airliner that crashed, not a small plane, as had been first thought. The crash sent a shock wave across Western New York. Many of the victims were from the Buffalo area.

Families and friends of those who perished in the crash remembered their loved ones during grief stricken moments, and Western New York went through a period of mourning. Many questions were raised about the cause of the crash and whether the crew had been properly trained to operate this particular aircraft. Family members began attending hearings in Washington DC and closely followed the investigation.

A year after the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that pilot error was the probable cause of the accident. Captain Marvin Renslow had failed to correctly respond to a stall, which is the sudden reduction in lift of an aircraft. The pilot had pulled back on the control column, tilting the nose of the plane up instead of lowering it and applying full power.

Families had begun questioning whether Federal Aviation Administration regulations for regional airlines were adequate. Critical safety issues raised included pilot training and fatigue. On the one year anniversary of the crash, family members and supporters walked from the accident site on Long Street in Clarence to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport to draw attention to their cause.

In a series of WIVB investigative reports, Rich Newberg revealed that internal emails from Colgan Airlines were obtained by lawyers representing the relatives of deceased passengers. They indicated that pilot Marvin Renslow had training problems and appeared not ready to handle the Bombardier Q400 aircraft. However, a month later he was flying the plane. When Newberg questioned an attorney representing Colgan Air, he maintained that Capt. Renslow was qualified to fly the plane.

Attorneys representing the crash victims determined that Colgan Air had been expanding air routes and moving to fifteen of the bigger models of the Q 400 planes. Attorney Hugh Russ said Colgan was “desperately looking for pilots to fly these planes.” Russ said, “These emails in our judgement prove that Colgan sacrificed safety for profits.”

Families charged that Colgan Air had withheld the emails during the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB then ordered Colgan Air’s parent company, Pinnacle Airlines, to produce the internal emails in question. The company said it would comply.

A former Colgan Air crew scheduler came forward and told Newberg that the airline would fly pilots who lacked sleep to cover each leg of a flight itinerary. Colgan had no comment.

Eventually, the families, after many trips to Washington, got the FAA to implement tougher regulations including more hours of flight training and a requirement that airlines keep more extensive records detailing how pilots performed during training. Measures were also implemented to cut down on pilot fatigue.

Deborah Hersman, who was chair of the NTSB, told Rich Newberg, “…the families in this accident have been simply amazing. We have seen some incredible grace come out of the people who have gone through the worst experience of their life to really come together and try to determine if there’s anything good that can come from this, to make sure that no one has to go through what they went through. They have been a strong voice. They have been aggressive. They’ve been educated on the issues, and they’ve been a great help to the safety board as we try to focus attention on the issues related to this accident.”]]> Newberg, Rich]]> Murphy, Kurt (Graphic Artist)]]> Walker, Jacquie (Anchor)]]> Postles, Don (Anchor)]]> Flynn, Lisa (Reporter) ]]> Macko, Rob (Reporter)]]> Moretti, Luke (Reporter)]]> Newberg, Rich (Reporter)]]> Shultz, Lorey (Reporter)]]> eng]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Photographic postcards.]]> Baptist churches.]]> Curt Teich & Co.]]> Buffalo (N.Y.)--Buildings, structures, etc.]]> Religious organizations--United States.]]> Church buildings--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> C.T. Photo-Platin]]> Curt Teich & Co. (artist)]]> ENG]]> Pan-American Exposition (1901 : Buffalo, N.Y.)]]> Pan-American Exposition--(1901:Buffalo, N.Y.) --Songs and music]]> Fanciulli, F.]]> Grosvenor Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Wardle, Arthur]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Twentieth Century (1900-1925)]]> Postcards--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Photographic postcards.]]> Cemeteries--New York (State)--Buffalo.]]> Catholic Church--United States.]]> Chilion Company, Phila, Pa., U.S.A.]]> ENG]]> Fables
]]> Illustrated books--Extra-illustrated ]]> Bewick, Thomas,--1753-1828]]> Aesop]]> ]]> Rare Book Room of the B&ECPL (repository)]]> eng]]> Early Nineteenth Century (1800-1850)]]>