Volume 65, No. 139 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2019 50¢ SE Queens leaders demand community QUEENS investment after teen shot and killed By David Brand TODAY Queens Daily Eagle Dozens of votive candles arranged in a heart October 30, 2019 covered a piece of basketball court Tuesday at the Baisley Park Houses in South Jamaica, the place where 14-year-old Amir Griffin was shot MY A OR BILL DE BLASIO ANNOUNCED and killed by a seemingly stray bullet three New York City’s fourth annual Dusk and days earlier. Amir’s t-shirts, including a black Darkness campaign with a citywide “Day of tee featuring new Brooklyn Nets point guard Awareness” to draw attention to increased Kyrie Irving, hung from the chain link fence. risks to pedestrians and cyclists during the A hundred yards away — about the same fall and winter. The campaign is part of the distance police say a bullet traveled before Vision Zero initiative. striking Griffin — an NYPD observation tower rose above Foch Boulevard. The tower was placed there several weeks ago to address “F ALL AND WINTER CONTINUE TO “historic violence” in the area, said an NYPD be the most dangerous times of year for Public advocate Jumaane Williams called on the city to invest more money in jobs, officer nearby. Cops were patrolling near the court at the time of the shooting, he said. pedestrians and cyclists, but darker days don’t education and community programs in Southeast Queens at a press conference outside See more on page 16 have to be darker times on our streets,” said of the Baisley Park Houses Tuesday. A 14-year-old boy was shot and killed at a nearby de Blasio. Continued on page 2 basketball court Saturday. Eagle photo by David Brand B OROUGH PRESIDENT MELINDA Katz will host a Veteran’s Day observance ceremony at Queens Borough Hall on Nov. 7 Six Queens CMs call for Andy King’s expulsion to honor those who have served in the armed forces. By Victoria Merlino Queens Daily Eagle Six Queens councilmembers — including KT A Z WILL ALSO HOLD A PUBLIC three running for Queens borough president hearing on land use on Thursday, discussing — called for the expulsion of their Bronx a series of zoning and land use matters. The counterpart Andy King for ethics violations hearing will occur at Queens Borough Hall, and serial harassment during a contentious located at 120-55 Queens Boulevard in Kew council meeting Monday. Those six legisla- Gardens, at 10:30 a.m. tors accounted for half of the councilmem- bers who voted to expel King, who is accused of harassing staffers and misusing Council DEA LT AIRLINES UNVEILED A NEW funds. $3.9 billion terminal at LaGuardia Airport The full Council voted 44 to 1 to levy sanc- on Tuesday, part of the $8 billion renovation tions against King, including a 30-day sus- that is supposed to take the airport into the pension. Two councilmembers abstained. modern era. But sanctions were not a strong enough penalty to Councilmember Jimmy Van Bram- er, who introduced the motion to expel King “THE OPENING OF THE FIRST NEW from the Council. Van Bramer invoked the concourse at Terminal C is a major milestone experience of Chloe Rivera, a former Coun- that takes us one step closer to transforming cil staffer who accused King of harassment in LaGuardia Airport into a global gateway 2017 and detailed the harassment and abuse in an op-ed for the Daily News Monday. Rivera worthy of this state,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo, previously worked in Van Bramer’s office as who was on hand at the opening, said. “We’re an intern. building the nation’s first completely new “For me, there is no doubt in my mind that airport in 25 years and showing the nation given that this is not a first offense and giv- and the world that you can be ambitious and en the severity of everything included in this get big things done.” report, I believe that expulsion is warranted,” Van Bramer said. “I know that Chloe and hun- dreds of others who work for the City Council HURA R IC NE SANDY SLAMMED INTO are listening and watching what we do today.” the New York coast this week in 2012, causing Queens Councilmembers Costa Constan- $70 billion in damage and devastating Clockwise from top left: Councilmembers Costa Constantinides, Donovan Richards, tinides, Donovan Richards, Eric Ulrich, Rory areas of Queens. Seven years later, efforts Lancman and Antonio Reynoso also voted to Eric Ulrich, Jimmy Van Bramer, Rory Lancman and Antonio Reynoso. Each voted to expel Bronx Councilmember Andy King at a Council hearing Monday. Continued on page 2 Continued on page 7 Photos courtesy of the councilmembers Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Visit us Online @queenseagle facebook.com/queenseagle queenseagle.com SE Queens leaders demand community investment after QUEENS teen shot and killed Continued from page 1 The evident police presence punctuated a point made by community leaders, activists TODAY and elected officials who addressed the media outside the Baisley Park Houses on Tuesday: October 30, 2019 Policing, they said, is not the solution to stop- ping gun violence. The mission requires jobs, education, extracurricular activities and com- to rebuild are ongoing. The Department of munity funding — a reversal from the decades Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman (left) and Councilmembers I. Daneek Miller (center) Transportation has nearly restored nine of of local disinvestment by city, state and federal and Adrienne Adams demanded more city and state investments in Southeast Queens. 12 movable bridges damaged by Sandy, and governments. “Police have a role to play, but if police could all but a handful of homeowners assisted by solve this problem, it would have been solved a the city’s home construction program have long time ago,” said Public Advocate Jumaane returned home, according to the 2019 Mayor’s Williams. “An overreliance on police is not Management Report. helping. We need them to do their jobs and we need to invest in communities so they can do their jobs.” ST . JOHN’S UNIVERSITY WILL HOST A Williams and other leaders called on the city “Salute to Italian Heritage” tonight at 7 p.m. in to implement a universal youth job program and Marillac Hall Terrace, located at 8000 Utopia immediately re-open a community center at the Pkwy., Jamaica. Anna Maria Villa, a jazz and Baisley Park Houses that has been closed since Italian vocalist will entertain. 2008. “I applaud the mayor’s investment in Brownsville. We need the same investment in IN PARTNERSHIP WITH QUEENS Southeast Queens,” Williams said, referring to Library, the Newtown Literary Alliance, a a $9 million investment that the city made in nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Brownsville following a July mass shooting. prose and poetry in Queens, is offering free “Find the money.” creative writing classes. The next class will be Williams referenced the recent City Council led by Lisa Ko on Nov. 2nd from 1 p.m. – 3 vote to build four new jails, including one in p.m. at Queens Library in Flushing at 41-17 Kew Gardens, as part of an effort to close Rik- Votive candles arranged in a heart covered a piece of the basketball court where 14-year- Main Street. ers Island. The Lippman Commission, a task old Amir Griffin was shot and killed on Saturday. Eagle photos by David Brand force that recommended closing Rikers jails also called for major investments in low-income address disinvestment in Southeast Queens, an “The administration finds money for things that TEHE QUE NS MUSEUM, THE ORGA- communities of color disproportionately im- issue that surfaced for many New Yorkers after are important to them. Well this is important to nization Immigrant Movement International pacted by over-policing and mass incarceration. an investigative report by The Trace and THE Southeast Queens.” and residents of Corona celebrated the Day “We keep talking about the $9 billion for the CITY detailed the fatal consequences associ- Even as gun violence has increased in South- of the Dead yesterday with food, dancing jails. The same commission said we need $10 ated with the area’s dearth of trauma centers. east Queens in recent months, the state has di- and singing at Corona Plaza. This year, there billion of other investments to make [the plan] Gunshot victims are more likely to die in South- rected money to other high-profile endeavors, was an altar built by Corona residents and work,” he said. east Queens than any other part of the city, the including $600 million for 500 additional MTA The press conference featured emotional report revealed. police officers in the subway system to address artist Daniel del Valle honoring the lives of testimony from Griffin’s aunt and local com- Adams said Mayor Bill de Blasio seemed to fare evasion and crack down on homelessness. those who fought for educational justice in the munity activists, like 100 Suits founder Kevin lack the will to direct more money to the dis- Southeast Queens demands the same resources, Global South. Livingston, who said that after he learned of trict. said State Sen. Leroy Comrie. Amir’s death, he re-read a letter Griffin had “Mr. Mayor, we have got to put our resourc- “The mayor [and] the governor can find re- written him in June. “I will keep his legacy es into our programs. Why do you consistently sources for their pet projects,” Comrie said. alive,” Livingston said. want to cut our jobs programs, our after school “Southeast Queens needs to be their pet proj- The press conference was the latest effort to programs, our beacon programs?” she said.