Forum set for Thursday

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » A second community forum has been scheduled after a couple of incidents where a white man hurled racial slurs toward city residents.

The forum will take place at Presbyterian New England Congregational Church at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The first forum, which took place in early August, centered on stories by two black women, Carol Daggs and Henrietta Jackson, about an unidentified white male allegedly using the N-word at the women on separate occasions. The incident with Daggs happened at the corner of Lincoln and Vanderbilt avenues. The incident with Jackson happened on Doten Street.

Police Lt. Sean Briscoe and Department of Public Safety Commissioner Peter Martin attended the first meeting, explaining to attendees what could be done in that situation.

Briscoe urged the public to call the police as soon as an event similar to the one Daggs and Jackson occurred.

About 40 citizens, including elected officials and religious leaders attended the meeting.

Kathy Johnson, Daggs’s neighbor and friend, organized the first forum. Johnson and Daggs have organized the second one, too. Johnson said the yet to be named committee’s community wide meeting will be at 7 p.m. at the church’s sanctuary.

The public will be updated by the committee on race issues, as will get an update from the Saratoga Springs Police Department.