Winner of Vol. 71, No. 22
What’s inside?
Thursday, July 9, 2020
Sen. Alessandra Biaggi is striking out on her own after formally leaving Ben Franklin Reform Dems Club. Page A3
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Amid protests, budget cuts, crime rises in 5-0 By KIRSTYN BRENDLEN kbrendlen@riverdalepress.com
Benjamin who?
the Pulitzer Prize
It’s usually one of the quietest precincts in the borough, to the point that even when crime rises across the city — or even across the Bronx — the 50th Precinct stays relatively immune. And then, of course, the stay-at-home orders which have plagued most of 2020 so far didn’t hurt. Still, felony assault and burglary are up locally, with grand larceny auto jumping 71 percent
in the past six months compared to the year before. Why? It’s hard to say. In April, precinct commanding officer Capt. Emilio Melendez said the coronavirus pandemic flattened crime rates as businesses shuttered across the city and people hunkered down in their homes. But things have changed dramatically — even in the last month as the city and state slowly begin to reopen. The first weekend in July was a shockingly violent one in the
city, with 11 people killed in 30 shootings. During a July 6 news conference, Jason Wilcox, the New York Police Department’s assistant chief, expressed frustration about those numbers, citing bail reform, releasing at-risk prisoners from Rikers Island at the height of the COVID pandemic, and court slowdowns for why those numbers have increased. “If these tremendous challenges were not enough, New York City had days and days of
anti-police marches that honestly crushed the morale of our cops,” Wilcox said. “And it created a large sense of animosity towards the cops. And I’m not talking about the peaceful protests.” There have been four shooting incidents in the 50th Precinct this year, a 300 percent increase over 2019. Yet, there has been only one homicide this year — and that didn’t involve a gun. Still, in light of the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last May, the NYPD
New eating out normal
has changed a bit in recent weeks, with Commissioner Dermot Shea dismantling the department’s plainclothes anti-crime units. “This is 21st century policing,” Shea said during a June 16 news conference. “Intelligence, data, ShotSpotter, video, DNA, and building prosecutable cases.” He said 600 officers would be transitioned to alternate assignments, including within the detective bureau and neighborhood policing. CRIME, page A4
SAR still in middle of fight to expand the CVA By KIRSTYN BRENDLEN kbrendlen@riverdalepress.com
3-D print master Efforts to provide homemade face shields in New Jersey has local connection. Page A8
NOAH BENUS
Customers crowd the sidewalk in front of Salvatores of Soho on Riverdale Avenue in what for many is their first chance to eat outside of their home or work in months. Although indoor dining was supposed to be part of the city’s third phase of reopening following the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has restricted it for now.
Restaurants stay outside — for now By MAYA KATZ Intern
A live stream An Beal Bocht still can’t welcome its performers, but it doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy them. Page A10
Eating outside was certainly a step up from months of only takeout and delivery. But then again, such an arrangement was expected to be just temporary as part of the second phase of New York’s coronavirus pandemic reopening. But with the third phase starting on schedule Monday, there was one element Gov. Andrew Cuomo decided to take away at the last moment — letting diners enjoy their meals inside restaurants. So that means anyone who wants to eat out, will have to literally eat outside. Restaurants, however, have adapted, taking not only to sidewalks, but even to streets. And some even have gone to some lengths to protect patrons from not only the coronavirus, but also sun and rain. And it’s hard to miss, like at Tibbett Diner in Kingsbridge. After a two-week shutdown at the peak of the pandemic, the popular Tib-
bett Avenue eatery offered deliveries and takeout during much of the stay-at-home orders. But the moment it could serve food on-site again, the diner erected large industrial tents in a lot next to the restaurant, making some wonder if a field hospital was being set up instead. Customers have figured out that it’s indeed there for a great Tibbett Diner NICK burger or omelette. Still, DIAKAKIS business at the restaurant is not like it used to be, owner Nick Diakakis said. “It is nowhere near pre-pandemic levels of business,” he said. “But our community is really passionate about helping all of the small businesses.” Outdoor dining at Tibbett consists of three tents in the parking lot, each with two tables on opposite ends of the tent. Each
table is six feet apart for social distancing purposes. Customers wear masks until they are seated, and then only when their server visits the table. “There is more than enough space for people to sit down and have comfort and privacy,” Diakakis said. But there are other changes as well. Dishes and utensils are now single use, and paper menus are a relic of a pre-pandemic age. Instead, each tent has a billboard with the menu on it. Hand sanitizer is available for customers, and the bathrooms are cleaned multiple times a day. With a hope that customers at some point can return to the restaurant itself, Diakakis has ordered high-efficiency particulate air filters — which Cuomo has promoted as a filter strong enough to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2 indoors — and currently uses air purifiers. When the time comes to let diners back inside, Diakakis says he’ll use a Plexiglas-like material to separate tables. EATING OUT, page A4
Late last summer, thousands of people across New York state were granted something they thought would never be offered: A chance for justice. The Child Victims Act aimed at expanding the number of child sexual assault victims who could seek legal redress against their abusers, whether the source of that abuse came from people or institutions. It did so by not only moving the age cap on victims from 24 to 55, but it also provided a one-year “lookback” period, where victims of any age could file suit against institutions or individuals who they say committed or facilitated sexual abuse against them, no matter how long ago the abuse took place. The lookback window opened Aug. 14, and was originally set to expire next month. However, because of the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo extended that window in May. “Because of the reduction in court services, we want to extend that window, and we will extend it an additional five months, until Jan. 14,” Cuomo said at the time. “Because people need access to the courts to make their claim, because justice too long delayed is justice denied.” For some — especially here, closer to home — that justice already had been long deferred. In late 2017, former students emailed allegations about Stanley Rosenfeld, a former teacher and assistant principal at Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy, to Rabbi Binyamin Krauss, according to a report published by the school. Those allegations prompted the school to hire an outside investigative company to VICTIMS, page A4
Key Food closes — when will it reopen? By RAPHAEL LASSAUZE rlassauze@riverdalepress.com
It’s not like it was free of issues before, but few expected the Key Food supermarket at 5661 Riverdale Ave., to be shuttered on a seemingly random morning. Yet, that’s exactly what happened to the long-embattled North Riverdale grocery store Monday morning when would-be customers were greeted with large banners declaring the store had indeed closed. The Key Food location was battered with complaints over the years, primarily from what seems to be a rapid deterioration of its decades-old strip mall space. Fixing it appeared to be a battle between the location’s owners, the Luna brothers, and
Skyview Shopping Center landlord Braun Management. In fact, Kevin Luna told The Riverdale Press in 2018 he would be interested in doing those renovations himself, if only he had a longer-term deal to stay there. “I’ve expressed an interest in extending the lease, but the landlord might have other intentions, other projects in mind with his property,” Kevin Luna said at the time. “It’s unpredictable right now.” Two years later, however, it seems the Luna brothers are out. “For Key Food, there’s no set date on when it’ll reopen as there’s new ownership,” Luna told The Press on Monday. “We aren’t sure who that might be, though. KEY FOOD, page A4
SOLD 555 Kappock Street, Apt. 21G ELLEN FELD // 917.734.9463
1085095
MICHAEL HINMAN
What’s coming next for the space that until Monday was a Key Food grocery store at Skyview Shopping Center in North Riverdale? Rumors are circulating. But it could also simply be another Key Food.