June 17, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Council Member Donovan Richards, a borough president candidate, has called on the city to remove NYPD officers from school security duties. Richards wants the Department of Education to take back the role of school safety following widespread demands for police reform. Donovan, in a joint statement released with Brooklyn… Read more »
June 16, 2020 By Michael Dorgan The US Tennis Open will go ahead in Queens this summer without spectators, Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced. The competition will be held on its originally scheduled dates of Aug. 31 through to Sept. 13. “It will be held without fans but we can watch it on TV and… Read more »
June 15, 2020 By Michael Dorgan The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is donating thousands of bags of pet food to Queens-based organizations that will then distribute them to pet owners in need. The ASPCA is partnering with the Queens Borough President’s office to provide more than 2,500 bags of dog… Read more »
June 12, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a package of police reform bills into law Friday that seeks to improve relations between cops and the general public. The legislation, which was hurried through the state legislature earlier this week, will make police disciplinary records public, ban cops from using chokeholds on civilians… Read more »
June 10, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Homeless New Yorkers have been dying at a higher rate from COVID-19 than the general public, according to a new report. Homeless people “living in shelters” died at a 61 percent higher rate from COVID-19 than the city average from March 1 through May 31. For the three-month period,… Read more »
June 9, 2020 By Michael Dorgan State senator Jessica Ramos has introduced a bill this week that would prevent the police from using military-style weapons on civilians. Bill S.8516 bans law enforcement from using rubber bullets and tear gas on demonstrators. It also calls on law enforcement to destroy any chemical weapons in their possession. Ramos wants aggressive… Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Michel Dorgan A ‘vigilante’ who was suspicious of two black men who were driving through his Jamaica neighborhood allegedly pursued them in his car, pulled out a gun and fired shots. Yosef Aranbayev, 41, has been charged with attempted murder as a hate crime, after following the black men in his… Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Building permits have been filed for a 14-story commercial building on Union Street in Flushing. The plans call for a 189-foot-tall structure on a vacant lot at 37-16 Union Street, according to documents filed with the Department of Buildings on June 5. The building will include ground floor retail;… Read more »
June 8, 2020 By Michael Dorgan Mayor Bill de Blasio has vowed to slash funding to the NYPD and implement a series of reforms within the department. The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis cop last month coupled with a series of recent NYPD beatings at protests has led to calls to defund the… Read more »
June 6, 2020 Staff Report Large protests against racial injustice went off peacefully across Queens on Friday and Saturday. Thousands of protesters took to the streets at various locations throughout the World’s Borough – replicating the mass protests seen throughout the country since the killing of George Floyd on May 25. Hundreds of people marched… Read more »