News

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

A new report has determined that former Queens Museum director Laura Raicovich and deputy director David Strauss used poor judgement and knowingly misled the board when they cancelled a historic recreation of the 1947 vote that established the state of Israel last August.

Raicovich resigned as the museum’s director on Jan. 26 after having served in that capacity for three years. In that time, she generated some controversy by being politically outspoken.

Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Flushing) and Assemblyman Mike Simanowitz (D-Flushing) called for her resignation after the museum announced it was canceling a re-enactment of the vote to partition Palestine to form Israel on the 70th anniversary of the State of Israel.

The legislators called on the NYC Human Rights Commission to investigate Raicovich’s decision as a violation of Title 8 of the city’s Administrative Code, also known as the City Human Rights Law.

Lancman claimed that the decision by the museum, a public accommodation, had represented a discriminatory refusal to provide full and equal enjoyment of its services based on religion and national origin, both protected classes under the law, as well as an unlawful boycott.

A few hours later, Queens Museum said the event was back on and in November the museum hosted the event, which UN ambassadors, Jewish leaders and Vice President Mike Pence attended.

Law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman issued a report of its findings after a three-month investigation following the cancellation.

The report said Raicovich “showed immediate hostility to hosting the event at the museum” and felt that Vice President Mike Pence’s involvement was “problematic for the museum.”

The report also noted that Raicovich never disclosed her involvement as an editor of the 2017 book ”Assuming Boycott,” even though the book prominently identifies her as director of the museum and includes a foreword she co-wrote that states the goals discussed in the book are “complemented by programs, exhibitions and educational initiatives” at the museum. The book supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, or BDS, a controversial movement that calls for a boycott of Israel.

The report went on to say that Raicovich and Strauss “misled” the board and “otherwise failed to comport themselves with the standards consistent with their positions.”

The director and deputy director were both offered the opportunity to resign. Raicovich resigned and Strauss was terminated by the board, according to the report.

The report concluded that because the museum had inadequate written policies and procedures, the board was reliant on the information it received from Raicovich and Strauss in making its decision regarding the event.

“Based on the findings of this investigation, we have recommended that the Board review and improve its policies and procedures in an effort to avoid similar distractions in the future, so that the museum can focus on its mission and the community,” the report said.

Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmartinez@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Rory I. Lancman

TimesLedger Newspapers

There are many ways that Queens gets the short end of the stick when it comes to city funding, and the allocation of resources to the Queens District Attorney’s Office is no exception.

The Queens DA’s office is home to just over 300 assistant district attorneys, or ADAs — significantly fewer than Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx, which each employ more than 500 ADAs. In this year’s budget process, the City Council’s Committee on the Justice System, which I chair and oversees the district attorneys, will be asking the city to fairly fund the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

If the disparity was due to lower crime rates or number of cases, that would be one thing, but there is no public safety rationale to explain why Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx all have far more prosecutors than Queens. In fact, an analysis of total arrests by borough shows that in 2017 Queens had nearly as many felony arrests as Manhattan and the Bronx, and that there were more than 36,000 misdemeanor arrests in Queens alone. Prosecutors have a vital job in our community. They help keep us safe, while ensuring that the justice system is fair and equitable for all.

This discrepancy leaves Queens ADAs overstretched, overworked, and maintaining caseloads far larger than their counterparts in other DA’s offices. In 2017, the average ADA in Queens was handling 179 total cases, far exceeding the combined average caseload of 131 cases for ADAs in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx. With staff stretched so thin, it makes it more difficult to invest time in resource intensive investigations or quickly respond to emerging threats, like the opioid epidemic. An office as successful as the Queens DA’s Human Trafficking Unit should be staffed by more than one prosecutor.

Overloaded ADAs can have real consequences in the courtroom. Burdened by massive caseloads, prosecutors can struggle to put the appropriate preparation and time into each case. Simply put, there is not enough time in the day for each ADA to manage so many cases. Fewer cases could allow prosecutors more time to think creatively about the best ways to seek justice for victims and prevent defendants from reoffending. It is not about locking more people up. An overwhelmed prosecutor has less time to listen, less time to consider and less time to seek out effective alternatives.

The solution to the headcount disparity is obvious — the Queens DA needs greater city funding to close the gap and staff up appropriately. If we ask our prosecutors to do too much with too little, we may not like the result.

This guest editorial was written by Council Member Rory I. Lancman (Hillcrest)

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

Rev. Al Sharpton’s weekly rally in Harlem brought to the podium a senior at Christ the King High School in Middle Village who was told he could not put the name Malcolm X on a school sweatshirt.

Malcolm Xavier Combs said he was told by a staff member he should not be “associated with that name” when he ordered the shirt through the school to have his first name and middle initial printed on the back because of the perception that the civil rights leader endorsed terrorism.

“I was in AP English when I was called down to the office,” Combs said of his interaction with Assistant Principal Veronica Arbitello “They told me to wait in the office. Once she got there, she told me she could not put my name on the sweater. She said I did not want to be associated with that name. She asked me if that was my real name and I said yes… Her husband walked into the office and she said, ‘This is the new Malcolm X,’ and she laughed at me… I was silent the whole time because I was in shock that in this year that she would say something like that.’”

But Christ the King’s chairman of the board, Serphin Maltese, who once served as state senator in the district now represented by Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach), claimed the order form for sweaters only allowed for first and last names, and sometimes nicknames. He said this had been misconstrued by the family and in media reports.

“The recent articles about one of our students and Malcolm X has, unfortunately, been taken out of context and has been misconstrued,” Maltese said. “When this student’s family raised the issue about the name he wished on the sweatshirt, the school readily agreed to meet and discuss the matter. Unfortunately, before that meeting took place, this became a media issue.”

He also said the school places a high priority on educating its students on Malcolm X as well as other African-American leaders.

Combs stood on stage at the National Action Network on 145th Street with his parents and Ilyasah Shabazz, the daughter of Malcolm X, where they confronted the perception that the civil rights leader was a terrorist.

The notion of Malcolm X as a terrorist stemmed from a fiery speech given days before his Feb. 21, 1965 assassination in Washington Heights in which he condoned black retribution against hate groups and bigots such as the Ku Klux Klan, according to news reports at the time.

“A teacher said, ‘You cannot use that name. Why would you use a role model like Malcolm X?’” Sharpton said. “First of all, before you can get to the insult, Malcolm is his name. So the first violation is you’re asking him to deny his name. Secondly, his mama and daddy gave him that name, and no school has the right to disregard or disrespect the decision of parents. You wouldn’t do that to other parents and you’re not going to do that to black parents in our communities… It’s about respecting the identity of this child and it’s about respecting his parents.”

Sharpton said he had sent one of the ministers from his network to speak to the school, which had not been receptive to discussing the matter and refuted the perception Malcolm X was a terrorist.

“Malcolm represented the ability to redeem and build and we found our pride and manhood in him, because he proved we can be broken and put back together again,” Sharpton said.

The mother of the 17-year-old, Mychelle Combs, said the school made no attempt to involve the parents and when Combs’ father went to the school to speak to the assistant principal, he was told she was out to lunch and he would need an appointment.

“No school should do anything to a child and the parent can’t address it that day,” Mychelle Combs said. “Christ the King, you made it a media issue when you messed with our son… Malcolm X is not controversial, but Christ the King, your administration is.”

Shabazz told the story about how her father was gunned down in front of his wife and children in 1965.

“My mother made certain she kept my father’s humanity, his love, compassion and impeccable integrity very integral in our household,” Shabazz, who was born in Queens, said. “Less than 55 years ago, mass lynchings in our communities across the nation were rampant. Men, women and children were strung up and hung on tree limbs… My young father came along and said, just in his 20s, we demand our human rights as your brother, we demand our human rights ordained by God for all people. He was fearless because he loved us and our humanity… We must come together and ensure our educational curriculum is inclusive of historical facts.”

Shabazz said teachers need cultural sensitivity training in a city school system heavily populated with children from different ethnicities and praised Combs for speaking out.

Rev. Kevin McCall, the crisis director of National Action Network, said he attended a meeting at the school following the incident where he claimed to be unwelcome during an attempt to allegedly “sweep this under the rug.”

Sharpton pointed out that February is Black History Month and that the incident indicated educators needed a better understanding of African-American leaders and that Malcolm X himself was victim of terrorism.

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Travelers heading to LaGuardia Airport can ride the Q70 bus for free until Thursday, Feb. 20, the Port Authority announced.

The free service is being offered in partnership with the MTA to alleviate roadway congestion during the President’s Day weekend.

The LaGuardia Link provides non-stop service linking the main terminals of the airport with subway and Long Island Rail Road hubs in Jackson Heights and Woodside. The Port Authority is expecting more than 370,000 passengers between now and Monday and is encouraging travelers who arrive by car to park in the new Terminal B Garage, which contains more than 2,400 parking spots.

All travelers are advised to check with their carriers in advance to ensure flights are departing on schedule, and allow an extra 90 minutes to get to the airport.

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

One Queens lawmaker and a group of straphangers are urging the MTA to perform an immediate survey and review of the 7 train viaduct in Sunnyside after a chunk of concrete loosened and fell to the ground at 41st Street and Queens Boulevard last Friday.

Although no one was hurt, state Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Long Island City) fired off a letter to MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota, calling the incident an alarming situation as many residents of her community walk and drive near the vicinity of the viaduct.

“This structure was rebuilt in the early 1990s using capital funds; our community has been repeatedly assured that the structure would last over 50 years,” Nolan wrote. “This failure, after only a few decades, is shocking.”

Access Queens, a coalition of infrastructure advocates and riders of the beleaguered No. 7 subway line, released a statement saying this could have been a tragic event.

“Incidents like this are unacceptable,” they wrote. “We are calling on the MTA to determine the structural integrity along the entirety of the viaduct to ensure the public’s safety and provide the public with a thorough and transparent report that outlines what occurred and any safety measures that will be put into place. The MTA must ensure that an incident like this does not happen again.”

The MTA explained that water caused a one-foot-square section of concrete to dislodge from the underside of the steel-reinforced viaduct and the material serves as protection for the steel having no structural impact if lost. The agency declared the 7 train viaduct is structurally sound and that New York City Transit personnel responded to the scene immediately to check the structure.

“Safety is our number one priority — the area of the incident was tested immediately and the viaduct is safe,” MTA Spokesman Shams Tarek said. “We’re also conducting a comprehensive inspection of the viaduct this year.”

New York City Transit personnel conducted an annual visual inspection of the structure last month.

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

Mayor Bill de Blasio outlined his goals for New York City at his fifth State of the City address Tuesday.

The mayor unveiled his 12-point plan to improving the city, which included the expansion of affordable housing, early childhood education programs and better policing.

The address began with de Blasio counting down the three years, 10 months and 15 days left in his term, remarking that it’s the amount of time he has to ensure that New York City becomes the “Fairest Big City in America.” Without mentioning the Trump administration by name, de Blasio said that New York has to be the “antidote to the sickness that is gripping our nation” and promised to keep New York City a sanctuary city for all.

“We do this to preserve the social fabric of the most diverse place on earth,” he said. “We do this to ensure that we’re always a place for everyone, that magical openness that has made New York City great is always protected. But we also do this to guard against the threats to our democracy that are growing across this nation.”

De Blasio attributed better relationships between the community and police as the reason for the decline in crime in the city over the last few years.

“Nothing defines the relationship between a society and its people more than how they are policed,” he said. “If policing is fair it makes fairness possible in all aspects of life, and that’s what we have to insure.”

The city will extend and deepen neighborhood policing, which he says keeps crime low while also keeping arrests low. Police will be held accountable and increase trust in the community by having body cameras on all patrol officers by the end of this year, according to de Blasio.

“The beauty of this approach is it keeps getting better year by year,” he said. “The more we heal the wounds of the past, the deeper the bonds become between police and community and the further we go.”

After the success of pre-K for all, de Blasio said he has his eye on a 3k for All program that will give all 3-year-olds free education. He added that extending early childhood education programs to all neighborhoods will shorten the achievement gaps that affect the city’s poorest neighborhoods, which are usually made up of minority children.

“We know exactly where the problem comes from, but to defeat structural racism and to overcome this achievement gap, we have to flip the script,” he said. “We have to do something different when it comes to education because, in truth, we started educating children too late in their development and that exacerbate equalities already baked into their lives at an early age.” De Blasio said by 2021 all 3-year-olds will have access to childhood education.

The mayor then moved on to affordable housing. Last week, he unveiled his new plan for affordable housing in Willets Point that ensured at least 1,100 units in the new development will be affordable.

“In the last few months, the biggest affordable housing plan in the history of New York City got even bigger,” he said. “When it comes to fighting income and inequality and creating fairness in our everyday lives, nothing is more important than affordable housing. It’s not just that this is the number one expense for every family and that the costs of housing defines whether you can live a decent life or not in this city. It’s also about a basic question of fairness. Will the people who built this city, the people who were here in good times and bad, will they get to stay in the city they love?”

He said he will continue to fight so that families are protected from illegal evictions as well as building more building with affordable units.

De Blasio ended his address by encouraging New Yorkers to vote in the November elections.

“This November you will get a chance to vote for reforms that get big money out and grassroots democracy in,” he said. “It will help to make sure that we can get you involved in so many ways that will strengthen the democracy of our city and the involvement of our people.”

Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmartinez@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

The leader of the 5Pointz artists is hailing the federal judge in Brooklyn who ruled in their favor Monday, forcing developer Jerry Wolkoff to pay $6.7 million in compensation for ordering the whitewashing of the world famous graffiti mecca in November 2013.

In his 100-page decision, Judge Frederick Block awarded the maximum of $150,000 for each of 45 murals that were destroyed in the dark of night without warning at the Long Island City warehouse complex that was torn down a year later to make way for two residential towers.

“The legacy of 5Pointz may be this ruling and the clear statement that aerosol art and public art are not disposable. The 21 plaintiffs, including myself, believed in the law and stood up for our rights, we believed in the value of our art and we were heard,” 5Pointz Founder and Curator Jonathan “Meres” Cohen said. “The art adorning 5Pointz is gone and can never be replaced, the 7 train commute will never be the same, but Honorable Judge Block’s judgement is historical for generations of artists all around the country. 5Pointz art was a true form of free speech, and this ruling honors this great American tradition of standing up for our rights.”

The ruling followed a three-week trial at Federal District Court in November with a jury finding Wolkoff had violated the federal Visual Artists Rights Act which was enacted in 1990, granting artists the rights to prevent intentional modification of their visual artworks and the destruction or mutilation of artworks “of a recognized stature.” It is the first time VARA has been used to protect aerosol artwork.

In his decision, Judge Block wrote, “If not for Wolkoff’s insolence, these damages would not have been assessed. If he did not destroy 5Pointz until he received his permits and demolished it 10 months later, the Court would not have found that he had acted willfully.”

Wolkoff was stunned by the judge’s ruling.

“What permits?” he asked. “Have you ever had to deal with the City of New York? I could have waited years for those permits. It’s an insane decision and I’m going to go through the appeal process. Why would he think any differently if it was two days or six months? I’ll appeal it and we’ll go from there.”

Court documents labeled Wolkoff a “difficult witness” who was argumentative and prone to tangents and non-responsive answers.

“I was going insane, I couldn’t believe I was there, in a courtroom being sued by people I allowed to paint on my building,” Wolkoff said. “I had no idea why I was being sued in the first place.”

Block, meanwhile, praised the artists who “have conducted themselves with dignity, maturity, respect, and at all times within the law” adding their behavior contributed to his decision to award them significant damages.

“This legal process was trying and difficult on all of us but in the end to see the rights of art prevail in New York City is extremely rewarding and emotional,” Cohen said. “As a curator seeing over 10 years of my work recognized and valued, and knowing that justice sided with the artists who selflessly painted at 5Pointz, is the biggest victory.”

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz recommended approving last week the rezoning and site selection of the NYPD’s new 116th Precinct station house.

The new precinct will be located at 242-20 North Conduit Ave. in Rosedale, according to the borough president’s office.

“The need for this new 116th Precinct was first identified generations ago by the families of Laurelton, Rosedale, Brookville and Springfield Gardens,” said Katz. “The plans are moving forward expeditiously toward fruition.”

The borough president’s approval came after the NYPD presented its application two weeks ago at her Land Use Public Hearing at Borough Hall in Kew Gardens.

The proposal would rezone a parking lot within Community Board 13 into a two-story building that would be 45,000 square feet.

“Once built, the creation of the new NYPD 116th Precinct station house will help fulfill that need by improving response times and having a more proactive presence closer to the neighborhoods it protects and serves,” said Katz.

The project was funded in full by the mayor’s office with a commitment of $70 million in capital for the new precinct and station house.

With Katz’s affirmative recommendation, the project can now move forward to the City Planning Commission and the City Council for review.

Another purpose of the new precinct is to provide relief for the 105th Precinct, which is one of the largest in the city. The precinct, which is fifth in precinct population and fifth in geographic size out of 77 precincts, covers nearly 13 square miles in southeast Queens and parts of Nassau County from Glen Oaks to Rosedale.

The 105th Precinct’s geographical challenges made it difficult for it to fully serve that large swath of southeast Queens, which also includes Queens Village, Cambria Heights, Bellaire, Hollis, New Hyde Park and Floral Park.

According to Inspector Jeffrey Schiff in an August 2017 meeting, the 105th Precinct has a 6 minute and 58 seconds response time.

By relinquishing the eastern most parts of its coverage area (Rosedale, Springfield Gardens, Brookville and Laurelton) to the 116th Precinct, the 105th Precinct could possibly reduce its response time in the future.

Renderings for precinct depict as stretching from 242nd to 245th streets on North Conduit Ave., and will run parallel to the Rosedale LIRR train station.

The creation of the precinct was first included in the borough president’s 2014 Strategic Policy Statement.

The new station house will have a staff of 400 who will report to work on three eight-hour shifts, will include a community space on the first floor and have 163 parking spaces, according to the ULURP application from the NYPD.

The station house will have a green efficient design.

Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger