Volume 65, No. 78 FAriday, UGUST 2, 2019 50¢ Occupy NYCHA QUEENS takes root in South Jamaica By Phineas Rueckert Queens Daily Eagle TODAY Manny Martinez greeted everyone he passed with a smile and a handshake. As he walked — August 2, 2019 — through the South Jamaica Houses — a sprawl- ing NYCHA development that’s home to 3,000 A DORMANT AIRFIELD IN FLUSHING people — he spoke candidly on a number of could eventually become the site of a new topics in rapidfire style: the recent Queens Dis- school, officials from the School Construction trict Attorney race, flooding in the senior citi- Authority said at a public meeting Monday. zen house, the history of red-lining in majority The meeting at City Hall was convened by the black and African American Southeast Queens. School Siting Task Force, which was formed Martinez grew up in the South Jamaica Houses and has lived there almost his whole in September 2018 to identify potential school life. Now, he said, he’s fighting for its survival sites in publicly-owned buildings amidst a in the face of encroaching privatization. citywide space crunch. “We’re developing our strategy,” he said. “We’re gathering the troops.” Martinez is one of the organizers of the na- LIBRARIES WILL BE AN INTEGRAL scent Occupy NYCHA movement — a tenant- part of New York City’s 2020 U.S. census led initiative to push back against a federal De- plan, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on South Jamaica Houses Tenant Association President Manny Martinez stands in front of Thursday, with more than $1.4 million going Continued on page 2 toward funding library census outreach and the development’s community center. Eagle file photo by Phineas Rueckert education. “NEW YORK CITY HAS BEEN ON THE A Queens Supreme Court justice handed down one of front lines of the resistance against the Trump Administration and ensuring every New the largest motor vehicle accident verdicts in NYC history Yorker gets counted is central to our fight,” last week. The plaintiff, represented by Elefterakis, de Blasio said in a statement. “We cannot let the federal government silence our diversity of Elefterakis & Panek, received $51.8 million on July 22. voices. Our partnership with the public library system will help all New Yorkers stand up and be counted.” Read more on page 12. Queens legal community honors outgoing VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, stalking and human trafficking will now be able to shield their real addresses from their perpetrators through the Address Administrative Judge Jeremy Weinstein Confidentiality Program, which will give By Andy Katz victims substitute addresses to recieve mail. Queens Daily Eagle Read more on page 2. Dozens of Queens legal and political lead- ers joined court personnel, friends and family to honor retiring Supreme Court Civil Term A DRAGON BOAT FESTIVAL ORIGI- Administrative Judge Weinstein. nated in Ancient China, but it’s a tradition and Weinstein will retire after 25 years on has endured for centuries. The Hong Kong the bench, including a decade as Queens Dragon Boat Festival returns to Flushing Supreme’s top judge, on Aug. 30. Weinstein Meadows Park where visitors will experience formerly served in the New York State Senate a multicultural celebration, complete with before beginning his tenure as a judge. “I’m blessed by the personnel around me, races, delicious food and music performances. by the court personnel in Queens County,” Read more on page 13. Weinstein told the Eagle in 2018. “They are truly dedicated public servants. They love their jobs and they love to do them well and GOV. ANDREW CUOMO ANNOUNCED I’m very proud of them.” last month that he would agree to introduce The court personnel paid back those com- full-time service at the LIRR station in pliments on Thursday during the event in a Elmont to facilitate the development of a ceremonial in Queens Supreme Court. Wein- new hockey arena and shopping mall next stein’s wife and daughter were on hand for the to Belmont Park racetrack. Full-time service Justice Lee Mayersohn (right) applauds Queens Supreme Court Administrative Judge celebration, as were several Queens lawmak- Jeremy Weinstein at Weinstein's retirement event Thursday. Mayersohn served as Continued on page 2 master of ceremonies. Eagle photo by Andy Katz Continued on pages 18, 19 & 20 SAVE THE DATE 10.03.19 Tickets/Information: Michael Nussbaum (718) 422-7409 ‧ [email protected] PRESENTS Guardians of Justice guardians-of-justice.eventbrite.com Occupy NYCHA takes root in South Jamaica Continued from page 1 partment of Housing and Urban Development QUEENS program called Rental Assistance Demonstra- tion. RAD shifts management and operations of public housing to private companies while pub- lic housing authorities maintain ownership of the land. Opponents say it is the first step toward privatization. The Mayor’s Office contends that it TODAY is not — and told the Eagle in June that “public housing will remain public, period.” — August 2, 2019 — Mayor Bill de Blasio has said that he hopes to convert about one-third of NYCHA’s properties at the now-seasonal station would address to RAD in the next decade, which he says will the traffic concerns of the communities give 140,000 NYCHA residents access to imme- surrounding the development sites, Cuomo diate repairs without them seeing a rent increase. and project advocates said. Under RAD, housing units are converted from Section 9 housing, which gives money to public housing agencies to make improvements, to Sec- "WE WILL PROVIDE MILLIONS OF tion 8 project-based vouchers, which can be doled visitors and fans a fast and affordable way to get out to private contractors. there and continue New York's nation-leading As Gothamist has reported, private investment investments in 21st-century transportation will cover more than half of the repairs proposed infrastructure," Cuomo said in a statement. in de Blasio’s 10-year plan to upgrade NYCHA Read more on page 12. facilities, which is currently in need of more than Martinez (right) shakes hands with Tony Robinson, who owns a local liquor store. $30 billion in investment. “We have an opportunity to undo decades Tenant leaders used to gather for meetings at Robinson’s shop, he said. Eagle file photo by Phineas Rueckert of neglect and mismanagement, and we have THIS WEEKEND IS FULL OF AMAZING activities, including international events such to take it,” de Blasio said in a statement in No- not the people.” of the Ocean Bay Apartments, which were dam- vember 2018. “These partnerships are one of our Occupy NYCHA, which was recently incor- aged during Hurricane Sandy, was a success. But as the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Races and a best-proven tools to deliver critical repairs.” porated, is beginning to bring tenant leaders Occupy NYCHA leaders disagree. Sarah McLachlan concert, as well as movie, Housing advocates worry, though, that these together to fight back against the mayor’s RAD “If you go to any place that they have taken dance and festival debuts. A Selfish Giant, repairs may not be evenly distributed by private plan. The organization’s three leaders — Carmen over, it is worse than a NYCHA development,” the Spirit of the Caribbean, Spider-Man, and a developers. Quiñones, Cynthia Gibbs, and Claudia Perez — Perez said of Wavecrest Management, the com- jazz jam with veritable all stars are also on tap. “No sane private sector landlord is going to are all part of their local tenant associations. Last pany that managed the repairs. Read more about what’s going on in Queens buy into a building that is going to be subject to week, they held a rally at City Hall to speak out Martinez echoed that assessment. Ocean Bay, this weekend on page 9. lead paint litigation, that is going to be subject to against RAD and demand a seat at the table. he said, has already “had some issues,” such as mold litigation,” Fight For NYCHA organizer “I am against RAD: it is called ‘real advanced rent calculations for tenants. Louis Flores told the Eagle in June. “You can al- displacement,’” said Perez, the president of the What is clear, Martinez said as he walked past ways sell the better condition buildings, and that Washington Houses in East Harlem. “We’re the the South Jamaica Houses Community Center, is Queens County means that the buildings in most need of repair ones that are in these conditions, we’re the ones that it’s time for a change. He spoke of the public in NYCHA are not going to get the funding they that know what’s going on in our apartments.” housing stock as a “time capsule.” Many of the Criminal Court need under RAD.” “We need to be at the table,” she continued. buildings had not seen repairs in decades, he said. Where de Blasio saw a quick fix through “They are switching us from one slumlord to an- But that change, he added, should be carried Calendar RAD, Martinez and the other Occupy NYCHA other.” out by the residents of public housing — not pri- activists saw a slippery slope. So far, fewer than 1,400 units in New York vate landlords. — August 2 — “They’re not improving the management, have been converted under RAD — all of them “We’re still expanding,” Martinez said of the they’re substituting the management,” Martinez in Far Rockaway. City leaders, including several Occupy NYCHA movement. “This is a revolu- RAPE SUSPECT said of RAD. “Their whole focus is the property, Queens representatives, said that the restoration tion.” RETURNS TO COURT Ryan Bayard is charged with first-degree rape for allegedly raping an elderly woman in June.