QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, November 16, 2023 Page 4
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Car theft, pot shop controversy at CB 9 Residents debate legal dispensaries, call for more policing for auto crimes by Kristen Guglielmo Associate Editor
Room 213 in Queens Borough Hall was a packed house on Tuesday evening for Communtiy Board 9’s monthly meeting. Students from a Queens College urban studies class attended, accompanied by their professor, a former Bronx councilmember and Bronx CB 6 district manager, James Vacca. “This is where it all starts,” he said. “This is grassroots local government.” One of the meeting’s highlights was Paul Graziano’s presentation on City of Yes, which the city describes as “plans to modernize and update our city’s zoning regulations to support small businesses, create affordable housing and promote sustainability.” Graziano, a former City Council candidate and expert on land use and zoning, presented the board with an array of information. He criticized multiple aspects of City of Yes, including the deregulation of commercial and residential zoning and increases in density across t h e b o a r d i n l owe r- d e n s i t y neighborhoods. When he shared the proposed elimination of parking requirements, some guests audibly gasped. During the Education and Youth
Paul Graziano gave a presentation on the details of the City of Yes plan at Tuesday night’s Community Board 9 PHOTO BY KRISTEN GUGLIELMO meeting. Services Committee report, Cochair Alexandria Sumpter-Delves confirmed a new elementary school is coming to Richmond Hill, despite parents petitioning for a middle school. She said there is another potential middle school location and that she will relay information once it is concrete. Capt. Jeremy Kivlin, the commanding officer of the 102nd Precinct, said it had been a tough month since the death of school crossing guard Krystyna Naprawa and two violent hate crimes against Sikh men — sentiments that board
Chairperson Sherry Algredo shared. “There is no place for these crimes against Sikh people or any culture within the 102 Precinct,” Kivlin said. Crime is down 3 percent year-todate, Kivlin said, and down 6 percent for the 28-day period. The area is struggling with auto theft, especially in Kew Gardens and Southwest Ozone Park. He said the cars most commonly targeted are Acuras and Hondas, and residents should use steering wheel clubs to deter thieves. When a board member suggested
the need for more patrol in the areas affected, Kivlin assured there are plenty of cops out patrolling, but auto thefts can be completed in seconds, making them difficult to catch. He also mentioned most of the thieves are not from Queens, and are coming in from Long Island, upstate and New Jersey. The board brief ly addressed three cannabis dispensary applications at 120-34 Queens Blvd. in Kew Gardens, and 110-04 Jamaica Ave. and 130-04 Jamaica Ave. in Richmond Hill. Multiple members of the board,
including Algredo, said the state and the Office of Cannabis Management had not provided the board with “proper guidance” for legal weed shops. Algredo said that OCM wants the board to figure out whether the shops are close to schools or religious institutions, but she would also send them a letter with the board’s recom mendations and feedback. Resident Bruce Feinstein, who lives near the site at 110-04 Jamaica Ave., voiced his opposition during the public forum. He reminded the public of last summer’s homicide at The Plug Smoke Shop, near the prospective site. “I was home that Saturday morning at 11:30 when that homicide took place,” he said. “In fact, the getaway car was parked directly in front of my house.” He volunteered legal services to the board to fight the sites if needed. Another resident, Andrea Kelly, voiced disapproval. “There’s enough drug dealers in Richmond Hill already,” she said, encouraging neighbors to rally against the shops. One applicant, as a final effort to plead his case, pointed out the public’s concerns are regarding activities in illegal shops, not the legal Q dispensaries.
DOE, Queens CECs address hate speech
Student-organized ceasefire protests and walkouts provoke controversy by Kristen Guglielmo For the latest news visit qchron.com
Associate Editor
Eyes are on city public schools in the wake of student protests and walkouts, where city youth called for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas. Many protests, according to reports, were filled with hateful rhetoric, much of it aimed at the Jewish community. “I never thought I’d be witnessing antiSemitism like this in 2023,” an Elmhurst teacher told the Chronicle under the condition of anonymity. “My heart breaks for both Israel and Palestine, but the hate has got to stop.” On Oct. 26, Mayor Adams and Schools Chancellor David Banks released a joint statement condemning the hostile rhetoric. “To be clear, hate has no place in our schools or anywhere else in our city, and we will not tolerate this behavior,” they said. In an email sent to school faculty last Wednesday, the day before a planned student
walkout, Banks wrote, “School leaders, teachers and other school staff should not express their personal views about political matters during the school day, while on school grounds or while working at school events, and it is critical that they set aside their personal views during class discussions about current events.” The Community Education Council for District 14 in Brooklyn, along with its president, Tajh Sutton, encouraged the walkout by posting fliers on social media, much to the chagrin of parents and other faculty. A petition signed by over 1,500 people demanded that CEC 14 board members be removed. Among the critics was Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Rockaway Park), who released a statement on Nov. 9 saying CEC 14 was “fostering the opposite goal of our education system” by encouraging students to skip class for a “hate-filled” rally. continued on page 20
Mayor Eric Adams, left, and Schools Chancellor David Banks condemned hate speech in schools PHOTO COURTESY NYC MAYOR’S OFFICE / FILE in response to the Israel-Hamas war in a joint statement.
