Brooklyn Law School Associate Professor Joc- Among the Staff and Children Here at St
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Volume 65, No. 198 TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020 50¢ Borough QUEENS brass Veteran cops TODAY with Queens ties January 28, 2020 rise in the ranks By David Brand Queens Daily Eagle A 6,000-SQUARE-FOOT PLAY SPACE Three veteran police officers with Queens for young children opened in Forest Hills on ties were appointed to NYPD leadership po- Friday, Time Out reports. Dream City includes sitions by Police Commissioner Dermot Shea a mural by Queens artist Rob Anderson, as Friday at 1 Police Plaza well as swings, a play food stand and a ball pit. Shea, a Sunnyside native, promoted Assis- The play space caters to children from ages tant Chief David Barrere to Chief of Housing, 1-6 and is located at 108-48 Queens Blvd. Assistant Chief Ruben Beltran to borough commander of Queens South and Assistant Chief Juanita Holmes as the Commanding “I’VE MET SO MANY GREAT PARENTS Officer of the School Safety Division. and families in the Forest Hills community “These are talented leaders and I am where my four-year-old son and two-year-old thrilled with the experience and vision each daughter have been growing up. We wanted brings to their role,” Shea said. “Together, we to create a space where children can dream, will take Neighborhood Policing to the next discover and play, while simultaneously NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea appointed three officers with Queens ties to new level, particularly as it relates to engaging our offering a place for parents to connect and leadership positions. Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office Continued on page 19 network,” Dream City Founder Corrie Hu said. FOREST HILLS BAR KEUKA KAFE Vibrant paradegoers illuminate a was included in Thrillist’s recent list of the top wine bars in New York City, according to Patch. The bar, located at 11204 Queens Blvd., offers flights that include wines from dreary start to the Year of the Rat top Finger Lakes vineyards, Thrillist said. It also has an impressive food menu. THREE PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND a fourth is in critical condition after a head- on collision on the Grand Central Parkway, the Daily News reports. The crash took place near the Cross Island Parkway exit in Little Neck, police said. Other drivers rushed to help the victims and used a case of water to keep the fire back until emergency vehicles could arrive. A PREGNANT WOMAN WAS SHOT IN both hands Saturday night while parked in her Springfield Gardens driveway, according to the Daily News. The incident took place near 145th Drive, police said. The 38-year-old victim was taken to Jamaica Hospital in stable condition. No arrests have been made. ELMHURST’S QUEENS CENTER MALL celebrated the Lunar New Year on Saturday A vibrant dragon brightens a dreary day during Flushing’s Annual Lunar New Year parade. Eagle photo by Walter Karling afternoon with activities and performances. By David Brand annual Lunar New Year parade. tapestry of Asian cultures. Festivities included a lions dance, lantern- Queens Daily Eagle Young martial artists mingled with may- Participants braved heavy rain and wind, as making and red envelope gifting. The Lunar Thousands of New Yorkers flooded the oral candidates, Mayor Bill de Blasio walked the vibrant colors of the parade goers illumi- New Year runs until Feb. 10. rainy streets of Flushing Saturday to celebrate among giant dragons, and local leaders joined nated the dreary conditions. Continued on page 2 the Year of the Rat during the neighborhood’s everyday residents to celebrate Queens’ rich Continued on page 9 Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Visit us Online @queenseagle facebook.com/queenseagle queenseagle.com Law professors condemn bail reform ‘fear-mongering’ in letter to local media QUEENS By David Brand Queens Daily Eagle Amid backlash to New York state’s recently enacted bail reform law, a group of law profes- sors have signed onto a letter to the New York TODAY Press Club calling on local news media to pro- vide “accurate and objective context” rather January 28, 2020 than play up narratives promoted by opponents of the measure. A total of 45 justice reform experts, includ- A DRIVER CRASHED INTO A LITTLE ing law professors from several New York Neck funeral home on Sunday, causing her car City area colleges, signed the letter criticizing news coverage that has “merely amplified the to burst into flames, police said. The 55-year- fear-mongering voices of police union offi- old woman struck the Doyle B. Shaffer Funeral cials, prosecutors, and politicians who have Home at Little Neck Parkway and Northern long opposed bail reform.” Boulevard. Firefighters extinguished the A state law that took effect Jan. 1 eliminates blaze and the driver was taken to Long Island cash bail on misdemeanors and nonviolent fel- Jewish Medical Center for treatment of minor onies, as well as certain robbery offenses con- injuries. The funeral home’s building has sidered violent felonies. Sponsors of the mea- been determined stable by the Department of sure say the cash bail system has led to deep Buildings, Patch reports. disparities in the criminal justice system, con- demning low-income defendants, particularly people of color, to pre-trial detention while FDNY FIREFIGHTERS INVESTIGATED enabling wealthier people who can afford their smoke at LIC’s Vernon Boulevard-Jackson bail to go free after arraignment. Criminal justice reform advocates rallied outside the Queens Criminal Courthouse in Avenue Station on Friday afternoon, halting 7 Conservative lawmakers have opposed the January 2019. Eagle file photo by David Brand train service. The incident stopped the line for measure, as have police unions and many lo- about half an hour, according to Patch. cal prosecutors, including former executives in convicted murderer, escaped a Massachusetts of a Queens case involving a man who spit at the Queens DA’s Office. Queens prosecutors, prison during a release program and proceeded an officer at LaGuardia Airport. A CBS News for example, spoke out against the bail law on to rape a woman and attack her boyfriend. The story implied that the man, who was HIV posi- THE SISTER OF LATE NYPD DEPUTY various occasions in the months leading up to case provided the basis for a notorious ad cam- tive, could spread his illness through his saliva. Chief Steven J. Silks has donated $10,000 to its enactment because they said it would allow paign against 1988 Democratic Presidential The defendant was released on bail, prompting St. Mary’s Hospital in Bayside in Silks’ honor, dangerous people to be set free. nominee Michael Dukakis, then governor of outrage from law enforcement unions quoted QNS.com reports. Cindy Dumais presented the Judges set bail to ensure defendants have fi- Massachusetts. “Willie Horton” TV commer- in the story headline. check in December. Silks was known to visit nancial incentive to return to their next court cials developed by the campaign for Republi- The letter also condemned articles that the hospital often in order to spend time with date. The city, state and nonprofits have ex- can nominee George H.W. Bush have become “weaponize fear” of anti-Semitism and have its children. panded or plan to expand programs such as political shorthand for dog-whistle racism and linked the nascent bail reform measure with supervised release that ensure people on bail for stoking fears about criminal justice reform. increased hate crimes. return to court. “Within days of the law taking effect, many “This is not a new phenomenon,” said “OFFICER SILKS WAS BELOVED Media outlets have trumpeted many of the local outlets began a barrage of cherry-picked Brooklyn Law School Associate Professor Joc- among the staff and children here at St. Mary’s denunciations, fueling coverage marked by stories designed to stoke panic,” the letter elyn Simonson, who signed the letter.. “It hap- one-sided narratives or inaccuracies, the crim- states. “The danger of fear-driven news cover- pens when there’s backlash to a new law that and we miss his cheerful and warm spirit,” Vice inal justice experts write in the letter. age cannot be overstated. These reforms are a changes the calculus of who is incarcerated. President of Development, Strategic Planning They said some coverage has verged on critical first step towards a fairer criminal legal But it’s the media’s responsibility to make sure and External Affairs Sean Lally said. “These “Willie Horton-like claims” of people released system and a stronger and safer New York.” that the reporting is accurate and not coming funds will directly benefit the children and care on bail committing heinous acts. Horton, a The authors specifically criticized coverage from a place of fear-mongering.” programs that he supported and cherished.” What's on the docket for the Queens legal community PUBLISHERS: Michael Nussbaum J.D. Hasty [email protected] [email protected] UNDERSTANDING DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN OUR EVERYDAY WORLD MANAGING EDITOR Thursday, Jan. 30 · 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. David Brand 1.0 CLE credits in Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias [email protected] Hanover Bank, Big Apple Abstract Corp., Real Estate Committee of Asian American Bar Association of New York, Diversity and Inclusion Committee of Queens County Bar Association, KALAGNY and Littler DIGITAL EDITOR Guest speakers: Jonathan Sperling [email protected] William H. Ng, Esq., Shareholder - Littler Shirley W. Bi, Esq., Associate - Littler ADVERTISING MANAGER Margaret T. Ling, Esq., Senior Counsel - Big Apple Abstract Corp. Kat Ramus Flushing Commons, 138-29 39th Ave., Flushing [email protected] LEGAL ADVERTISING MANAGER Gina Ong [email protected] FORMER PROSECUTORS FIGHTING FOR YOU! Duffy & Posillico Agency Inc. Dominic Addabbo, Esq.