Volume 65, No. 112 Friday, SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 50¢ Middle Village group launches suit over Fresh Pond Road bus lane By Luca Powell CongratulationsCongratulations to Eagle editor Queens Daily Eagle The Fresh Pond Road Coalition of Mid- David Brand and his wife, Katie dle Village launched a lawsuit Wednesday Finkowski, on the birth of their against the city’s Department of Transporta- son, Aidan! The Eagle team wishes tion, in the wake of the agency’s push to build a bus lane through the neighborhood. them all health and happiness! Their lawsuit aims to stop the addition of express bus lanes on Fresh Pond Road, a busy commercial thoroughfare in the heart of Mid- dle Village. The new bus lanes would remove vital parking from the area, the Coalition says, which would hurt the community. “We’ve submitted a laundry list of alter- QUEENS natives,” said Geoffrey Elkind, the group’s president. “The [DOT] haven’t listened. Now we have the lawsuit.” The bus lanes were proposed back in TODAY April, as part of Mayor De Blasio’s Better A lawsuit aims to stop the addition of express bus lanes on Fresh Pond Road, a busy Continued on page 17 — September 20, 2019 — commercial thoroughfare in the heart of Middle Village. Eagle photo by Luca Powell COUNCILMEMBER RORY LANCMAN, elected officials, social justice advocates and local artists will celebrate the grand opening of the Social Justice Art Exhibit today. Artwork included in the Social Justice Art Latino Lawyers Association Exhibit will be displayed for two weeks, from Sept. 20 through Oct. 4, at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning. The Social Justice Art Exhibit will feature artwork focused on social honors Hispanic heritage justice issues and racial discrepancies in the By Andy Katz criminal justice system. More than a dozen Queens Daily Eagle local artists will have their work on display. In the place of motions and rulings, Su- preme Court Justice Carmen Velasquez’s courtroom was full of traditional Ecuadorian THE SUTPHIN BOULEVARD BUSINESS breakfast foods. The Latino Lawyers Asso- Improvement District will present the third ciation of Queens had set out to honor one Annual Sutphin BID Harvest Festival on of their own while enjoying a great breakfast Saturday. BID Executive Director Jennifer on one of the city’s less extreme late summer Furioli will be there and participating on mornings. a panel about what BIDs do, along with the “That’s how you know you’ve made real executive directors of neighboring BIDS, progress,” said Queens Borough President Glenn Greenidge from Sutphin Boulevard Melinda Katz. “When you can walk into an and Derek Irby from the 165th Street BID. event staged by an organization like this and The festival will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. see all these judges.” from Hillside to Jamaica Avenue on Sutphin “Camilla Popin put her heart and soul into Boulevard. the association,” Velasquez said, providing background on the morning’s honoree. “She was an organizer, a mentor, an inspiration. ST. JOHN’S HOSTED ITS SEASONAL She never said ‘no’ to us.” activities fair to allow students the As the awards, plaques and proclamations opportunity to get involved on campus, see piled up on behalf of the LLA First Vice over 100 organizations, and interact with President, it became increasingly clear that their peers. This event is a part of St. John’s Popin’s work ethic, values and generosity Red Carpet Welcome which spans the entire had reached far into the Queens legal com- month of September to welcome students From left: Association President Thomas Oliva, First Vice President and honoree A. munity and even beyond. Camila Popin, Hon. Carmen Velasquez, Hon. Lourdes Ventura, Board Member Ricardo Continued on page 2 See more photos on page 23 & 24 Rengifo and past President Sandra Munoz. Eagle photos by Andy Katz SAVE THE DATE 10.03.19 Tickets/Information: Michael Nussbaum (718) 422-7409 ‧ [email protected] PRESENTS Guardians of Justice guardians-of-justice.eventbrite.com Association of Assigned Counsel, Queens Family Court holds annual dinner QUEENS By Andy Katz Queens Daily Eagle The Assigned Counsel Association of Queens Family Court held its fourth annual dinner at Villa Russo’s catering hall in Rich- mond Hill on Wednesday. Lawyers and judg- TODAY es gathered to honor several of their own in a mood that was celebratory, but also evident of — September 20, 2019 — frustration as one speaker after another called on Albany to raise the rates at which counsel back to campus and allow them an opportunity are reimbursed for their efforts on behalf of to learn about student organizations that range clients deemed indigent by the court. from cultural, academic, and special interest, “Our compensation hasn’t changed in 16 to Fraternity and Sorority Life. years,” said ACAQFC President Sarah Ti- gary. “That makes it difficult to attract new members, because assigned counsel attorneys THE PARKS DEPARTMENT ANNO- must be experienced in relevant areas of the unced on Thursday that there will be a $4.6 law. We can’t take recent graduates, or law- million renovation to the play area at Gorman yers who have just passed the Bar. We’re at Playground in Jackson Heights. the point now where members are required to work nights and weekends without compen- sation.” “EARLIER THIS YEAR, WE DECLARED “We’re constantly being evaluated,” said 2020 as Year of the Parks because of the ACAQFC Vice President Andrea Ogle.” And Council’s historic investment in our City’s in ways that other attorneys never would be. parks, and that extends to the playgrounds,” Queens Family Court judges assign counsel Speaker Corey Johnson said. “Playgrounds are after determining defendants are legally indi- backyards for our children and the venue for gent — unable to afford to hire attorneys of the kids and their parents to celebrate major their own. While many cases involving chil- milestones. I am proud to work with Council dren are initially referred to The Legal Aid Member Constantinides and our colleagues to Society, others start with assigned counsel. fund playgrounds in Western Queens for all “We get first bite of the apple,” Tigary families to appreciate.” said, referring to family court cases involv- ing adults, such as custody disputes, charges of neglect and willfulness. “In some of these CORRECTION: cases people can go to jail if found guilty, so In the 9/19/19 article, “Queens celebrates representation is important.” the 232nd Anniversary of the U.S. Constitu- tion at King Manor,” quotes by Simone-Ma- Continued on page 16 From left: Frank Bruno, Joel Serrano. rie Meeks, the wife of U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks, were misattributed to event honoree Andrea Ogle. “My husband is the very first in his family to have attended college.” and “Each one of them scrimped and saved to pay his way through law school. We must never lose sight that America’s strength lies in its diversity,” was said by Simone-Marie Meeks. “Public service came to me early in life,” “Support of friends, family and others in need is a key perquisite to civil society. I’m one version of the American Dream." and “We must never lose sight that Ameri- ca’s strength lies in its diversity,” was said by Ogle. Meeks was present at the event to accept an honor on behalf of her husband. Also, a man attributed to be “Malcolm Pe- rez” on page 1 was actually Nestor Diaz, Esq. The Eagle regrets these errors. Sandra Munoz, Vladimir Cadet, Helen Dua, Joel Serrano, Andrea Ogle, Sarah Tigary, Marie de la Cruz. Get 'The Best of the Nest' delivered to your inbox every week: QueensEagle.com/Subscribe PUBLISHERS: Michael Nussbaum J.D. Hasty [email protected] [email protected] MANAGING EDITOR David Brand [email protected] DIGITAL EDITOR Jonathan Sperling [email protected] ADVERTISING MANAGER Joe Dua, Helen Dua, Harriet Gerwitz. Eagle photos by Andy Katz Kat Ramus [email protected] FORMER PROSECUTORS FIGHTING FOR YOU! LEGAL ADVERTISING MANAGER Gina Ong Dominic Addabbo, Esq. | Todd Greenberg, Esq [email protected] ADDABBO & QUEENS GREENBERG LAW Experience Equals Results. To submit op-eds and letters, ‧ Criminal Cases ‧ Personal Injury ‧ Real Estate Matters Is published daily except Saturdays, Sundays and Federal Holi- days by Queens Public Media, 8900 Sutphin Blvd., Lower Suite, Addabbo & Greenberg Contact Managing LL11, Jamaica, Queens, NY 11435. Subscription price is $130 per 118-21 Queens Blvd. Suite 306, Forest Hills, N.Y. 11375 year, $65 for six months. Periodicals Postage paid at Brooklyn, Editor David Brand at NY. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Daily Eagle, Call or Click: Circulation Office, 16 Court Street, 30th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11241. 718.268.0400 ‧ www.QueensLaw.com [email protected] Telephone: 718-643-9099, ext: 103. Fax: 718-643-9485. 2 • Queens Daily Eagle • Friday, September 20, 2019 Cuomo signs bill extending statute of limitations for rape By Karen Matthews The Associated Press New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation Wednesday to make it easier to prosecute some sex crimes by extending the statute of limitations for second- and third-de- gree rape. The governor was joined by actresses Mira Sorvino and Julianne Moore as well as activ- ists from the group Time’s Up as he signed the measure at his Manhattan office. “Rape and sexual assault are much more common and frequent than we admit,” Cuomo said. “You will never solve a problem in life that you are unwilling to admit and denial is not a life strategy. We have denied this for too long.” The new law extends the statute of lim- itations from five years to 20 years for sec- ond-degree rape and from five years to 10 years for third-degree rape.