Empty beer bottles and cans are scattered over the front lawn of a Rosedale house where a man was shot over the weekend. Photo by Ivan Pereira

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By Ivan Pereira
Thursday, September 2, 2010

For the fourth time this summer an out-of-control party in a southeast Queens neighborhood was the site of a violent shooting early Sunday morning that took the life of a reveler and frightened nearby residents, police said.

Mazile Hellios, 26, of Vanderbeer Street in Queens Village, was gunned down in a drive-by shooting outside a house at 145th Avenue and Francis Lewis Boulevard in Rosedale, police said. A large and loud party was in full tilt on the front lawn around 2:45 a.m., police said, and the unapprehended shooter took aim at Hellios before fleeing the scene, investigators and neighbors said.

The shooting was random, according to residents, many of whom said they were afraid to leave their homes.

“It was kind of scary,” said a man who lived next to the house where the party took place and refused to give his name.

Investigators did not have any description of the shooter or the vehicle that was used in the shooting as of press time Tuesday. The investigation was ongoing.

Neighbors said the party was loud and rowdy with dozens of people from outside the neighborhood attending. Several empty beer cans, bottles and plastic red cups were still scattered on the front lawn Monday morning.

It was the fourth time in as many months that a murder had occurred at a large gathering in southeast Queens.

In July, Robinson Lajeunesse was killed by a shotgun blast at a St. Albans get-together which nearly 200 people attended. The party-goers got wind of the events through announcements on social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook, according to investigators.

In May, Dane Freeman was murdered and six others were wounded in a shooting that took place at an outdoor Springfield Gardens party. The event was supposed to be an informal reunion among some middle-school classmates, but dozens of participants came after it was posted on Facebook and Twitter, police said.

A week before Freeman’s killing, Kendrick Ali Morrow was murdered following an argument at a party in Springfield Gardens.

There have been no arrests in any of the shootings as of press time Tuesday.

In light of the surge in the unruly parties and the violence associated with them, Queens Patrol Borough South has set up a special task force aimed at cracking down on these gatherings.

Youth from southeast Queens show off their posters before they head out to a rally against violence in Manhattan. Photo by Ivan Pereira

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By Ivan Pereira
Thursday, September 2, 2010

A funeral procession that started in Jamaica and ended in City Hall last week was not meant to mourn the death of a resident — instead it was conducted to send a message to the community to end the senseless violence that has been occurring there over the last few years.

More than two dozen Queens activists followed a hearse in seven cars early in the morning Aug. 25 for the “Tsunami of Peace” rally. Groups of rally members from all five boroughs gathered at the Brooklyn Bridge and walked to the Manhattan side and to City Hall to call for an end to the violence.

Erica Ford, president of the anti-youth violence group I Love my Life, co-coordinated the Queens ride to the bridge and said it was a dramatic way to send a blunt message to the community.

“It gets the word out,” she said while waiting for the ride members to gather at the Rochdale Village shopping center.

Ford noted that several teens and children have become victims of murders this year — including 13-year-old Kevin Miller, who was shot last September when he was caught in the crossfire of an alleged gang shooting blocks from Campus Magnet High School — and more needed to be done on several fronts to curb the killings.

She said the youth and their parents could stop the rise in gang activity by engaging in more community activities and anti-violence seminars. Ford said the rally would help spread this message because of its size.

“Just the fact that we have five boroughs coming together … it shows something because it’s never been done before,” she said.

The rally also had a boost with celebrity appearances. Hip-hop mogul and Jamaica native Russell Simmons arrived at the bridge and showed his support for the organizers.

Police representatives, who escorted the activists to the destination and helped with the event, said it was a good function to help keep the streets safe.

“We all know that the adults get it, so we have to get [the message] to the kids,” said Inspector Amin Kossem, of the NYPD’s Community Affairs Department.

Thomas White

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By Ivan Pereira
Friday, August 27, 2010 3:43 PM

City Councilman Thomas White (D-South Ozone Park) died Friday morning, after a battle with cancer, city officials said. He was believed to be 71.

White’s office informed the Council and Community Board 12 Friday morning that he had died but gave no further details on the cause of his death or where he spent his final moments, according to the board’s chairwoman, Adjoa Gzifa.

“I was apprised of it yesterday that he was not doing well, and that it was a matter of days,” she said in a phone interview Friday.

The chairwoman said she believed he died of lung cancer. There was no one in White’s office available for comment Friday afternoon.

White is survived by his wife, two children and several grandchildren. Mayor Michael Bloomberg expressed his condolences in a statement released after the announcement of his death.

“He served as Chair of the Council’s economic development committee, and because of his efforts, we were able to create programs that range from providing loans to help small businesses stay afloat and grow to helping New Yorkers avoid foreclosures. Tom’s legacy will live on in the results of his work, and my thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones,” Bloomberg said.

The councilman, who was serving his second consecutive term in office after an earlier stint in the 1990s, was also the co-founder and executive director of J-CAP, a drug rehab center in southeast Queens.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) praised White’s work both in and out of City Hall.

““He searched for ways to break the cycle of poverty and violence. He fought for job training and placement programs, and investments in long-term economic growth. He had a particular soft spot for women and minority business owners, pushing for additional resources to help them stay afloat and create good jobs for their neighbors,” she said in a statement.

White served as the Council member for 10 years until he was term-limited out of office in 2001. He returned to the post after defeating incumbent Allan Jennings in the 2005 Democratic primary.

City Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton) said he was saddened by White’s death because he helped to change the political scene in southeast Queens.

“The passing of my friend and colleague Tom White is truly a changing of the guard. Tom represents one of the pioneers in southeast Queens politics and opened the door for us to come through. His sense of humor and good manners will surely be missed,” he said.

State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) also remarked on how White helped revitalize the neighborhood during his tenure.

“His support for the commercial revitalization of economically distressed areas, and expansion of opportunities for minority and women owned businesses created countless jobs and helped families struggling to get by put food on their tables and pay their bills,” he said in a statement.

Borough President Helen Marshall also offered condolences.

“Tom White was a longtime friend and colleague in government. He was also a person who cared deeply about the communities he represented during his terms in the City Council. He was a native of the area he served and understood completely the need for government to effectively be involved in youth to senior programs,” she said in a statement.

Ahmed Sharif (c.) attends a news conference at City Hall with Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Photo by Christina Santucci

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By Ivan Pereira
Thursday, August 26, 2010 5:58 PM

The governor, mayor and activist groups are calling on for an end to racially antagonizing rhetoric after a Jamaica cab driver was stabbed by a 21-year-old filmmaker while working in Manhattan early Tuesday night.

At a news conference Thursday outside City Hall shortly after he and his family met with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Ahmad H. Sharif, 43, said he still sees the knife that stabbed him in his neck, face and shoulders every time he closes his eyes. Sharif, a Bangladeshi immigrant and father of four, was driving Michael Enright through Manhattan around 6 p.m. when the School of Visual Arts student asked him about his religious beliefs and then reached through the cab’s divider to attack him, police said.

“Of course, it was for my religion — he attack me after he know I was a Muslim,” said the cab driver, who had trouble speaking because of his injuries.

Enright, who hails from Brewster, N.Y., had recently been overseas in Afghanistan filming a documentary and allegedly screamed “Assalaumu Alaikum,” an Arabic greeting and salutation that translates to “Peace be upon you,” and later “Consider this a checkpoint,” before stabbing the driver, according to investigators.

He was quickly arrested and taken to Bellevue Hospital for evaluation because of “erratic” behavior, according to Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who also attended the news conference. Kelly said Enright had been drinking since 2 p.m. that day and was still talking erratically when questioned by officers.

“He made a statement — they ‘violated my constitutional rights’ and ‘I’m Jewish,’” the commissioner said before adding that he did not believe that the suspect was Jewish.

Enright was eventually arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on several charges, including attempted murder as a hate crime, and was remanded until his next court date Monday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said.

Although Sharif said Enright never mentioned anything about the controversial plans to build an Islamic community center several blocks from the World Trade Center site, New York Taxi Workers Alliance Executive Director Bhairavi Desai said that the heated speeches by opponents of the plan is stoking prejudice against Muslims, who she said make up half of the city’s taxi workers.

“Fear-mongering leads to hate crimes. Fear-mongering is at the heart of what happened to Ahmad Sharif,” she said.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who welcomed Sharif’s family to City Hall and gave them gift bags as a sign of support, also called for more tolerance among New Yorkers.

“Whether it is related to anything or not, it is disgraceful. We should feel safe on our streets,” he said.

Gov. David Paterson, who has attempted to negotiate with the Islamic center’s developers to find a different location for the project known as Park51, shared a similar sentiment in a statement.

“The potential for this kind of violence is one of the reasons why I have called publicly for a respectful and unifying conversation about the Park51 project. I continue to offer my assistance for an open dialogue that I believe will help to bring New Yorkers together,” he said.

The commissioner said neither the Park51 issue nor anti-Muslim sentiments were involved with an arrest at the Iman mosque on Steinway Street in Astoria Wednesday night. An unidentified intoxicated man went into the house of worship during a prayer service with a beer can in his hand and urinated on the floor, Kelly said.

He was eventually subdued by the worshipers until officers arrived and he has been charged with criminal trespass, according to the commissioner.

Kelly said that his hate crime unit is currently investigating the incident.

In the meantime, Sharif said he is still shocked by the attack, but with the support of New Yorkers, he is getting better.

“The city must be safe for everyone,” he said.

Teachers hold a rally outside Merrick Academy and demand a new contract.

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By Ivan Pereira
Wednesday, August 25, 2010 3:11 PM

An Albany judge ordered a Jamaica charter school Wednesday to halt its efforts to fire a quarter of its staff.

State Supreme Court Justice Michael C. Lynch responded to a request filed by the state Public Employment Relations Board to stop the layoffs of 11 instructors at the Merrick Academy. Last month, the teachers were notified by a FedEx-mailed message that they would not be working at the elementary school, at 207-01 Jamaica Ave.

Responding to the board’s request, which was mailed last week, the judge said there needed to be a full hearing on the matter and said Merrick’s board “is hereby enjoined and restrained from implementing its decision to discontinue the employment of the teachers and teaching assistants.”

Lynch’s temporary restraining order against the terminations goes into effect Friday, when he will hold a hearing on the board’s request, according to the United Federation of Teachers, which has been fighting for the Merrick instructors who have been negotiating for a contract for two years.

UFT President Michael Mulgrew said the firings, which comprised more than a quarter of the school’s staff, were made in retaliation for months of protests against the board for the lack of a contract.

“The staff of Merrick Charter School has fought to make the school a better place for students, their families and the professionals who work there. They deserve better than to be fired for their efforts,” he said in a statement.

Gerald Karikari, the head of Merrick’s board, declined to comment about the firings.

“I think it was a wise decision to wait till Friday before putting anything into effect,” he said of the judge’s decision.

Eully Risi, 28, of Whitestone, who is one of the 11 instructors who was laid off, traveled to Albany to be at the hearing when Lynch issued the restraining order.

“It was very intense to be there, because we didn’t know what was going on, but it’s a victory,” she said.

The instructor said she and her fellow instructors will be watching the proceedings closely and hoped the courts give them a fair resolution.

“We’re thinking positive,” Risi said.

The city is in the process of obtaining some properties near this Jamaica block for future projects. Photo by Ivan Pereira

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By Ivan Pereira
Thursday, August 26, 2010

The city will be using eminent domain to acquire several buildings near two projects in Jamaica following a hearing last week, city planners said.

The city Department of Transportation is in the process of acquiring seven properties near Archer Avenue between 144th and 147th places, where the city Economic Development Corp. will have its Station Plaza project, and two properties near Atlantic Avenue near the Van Wyck Expressway, where the city plans to extend the road, according to representatives for both agencies.

The acquisition proposals were announced during a public hearing held in Jamaica Aug. 17. An EDC representative laid out the agency’s plans for all of the properties in an e-mailed statement.

“The purpose of this acquisition is to take property in order to widen and re-align Archer Avenue between 144th Place and 147th Place, to establish Public Places between 144th Place and 147th Place, and to adjust grades necessitated thereby in the Jamaica Station area in Downtown Jamaica,” the agency said of the Station Plaza project.

No properties were taken by the city as of press time Tuesday.

The initiatives are part of three ongoing projects and are aimed at bringing new amenities and public spaces to downtown Jamaica, which was rezoned by the city nearly three years ago to bring in more commercial business.

The EDC is currently working on construction on the Sutphin Underpass, which will bring a small shopping center to the area near the AirTrain and Long Island Rail Road stations in Jamaica. It is expected to be completed by spring 2011.

The Station Plaza project is still in the pre-construction phase, but administrators said it will improve safety for the pedestrians and motorists who use the streets for their commutes. Entrances to the Archer Avenue subway stations will be rearranged and the street will be expanded to accommodate for bus traffic, according to the EDC.

“The project would result in additional traffic lanes, wider sidewalks, improved bus stops, new medians and publicly accessible open space. Widening Archer Avenue would provide an additional travel lane for a total of four through lanes and a dedicated left-turn lane, improving bus operations and overall traffic conditions,” the agency said.

City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) said the road upgrades were necessary.

“The sidewalks there are very minimal. If you go there on a rainy day, you’ll see big puddles and you’ll get splashed on,” he said.

In addition to the transportation upgrades, new greenery and other beautification amenities will be added, according to the EDC.

The Atlantic Avenue project is also being done to improve safety.

The avenue will be extended one block east to the Van Wyck Expressway service road and connect it with 95th Avenue to create a new gateway into downtown Jamaica.

“The project will provide more attractive, efficient access to the Jamaica Station/Air Train terminal by decreasing traffic congestion to and from the Van Wyck Expressway,” EDC said.

The project will also include a beautification element that includes a welcome sign for visitors and a new park, according to the agency.

LIRR riders wait for announcements outside the Jamaica station following a fire that crippled most of the railroad's lines. Photo by Ivan Pereira

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By Ivan Pereira
Thursday, August 26, 2010

All it took was a fire at a switching tower just east of the Long Island Rail Road’s Jamaica station to shut down and immobilize all but one of its commuter lines Monday, but the transit agency said that an overall fix is on its way.

Roughly 40 Manhattan-bound trains that have to pass through the station were canceled during the Tuesday morning commute following the fire at 11 a.m. Monday that caused headaches for thousands of commuters, according to an LIRR spokesman. The agency said it was working fast to repair the damage that caused the delays to 10 out of the 11 lines and asked passengers to be patient.

“We are a railroad that tries to deliver safe, reliable service,” LIRR President Helena Williams said at a news conference in the station Monday.

The exact cause of the fire that affected the third rail at the switching tower near Hall station had not been determined by press time Tuesday afternoon, but Williams said the torrential rains that hit the area over the weekend were a factor. The water caused the soil around the wiring to become more saturated and could have affected the roughly 10-year-old equipment, according to the president.

Williams repeatedly said that even though the technology used to switch the trains at Jamaica dates back to the 1930s, there was nothing that could have prevented the accident or the delays. Upgrades to the system, which uses mechanical levers, have been done to other stations in Manhattan and Long Island and plans are set to bring a new system to Jamaica in October.

The switches will be replaced with microprocessors that do a better job of alerting station managers about the conditions of the trains and the tracks, according to Williams.

“With the microprocessors, we might have a better system to look for faults,” she said.

The outage at the Jamaica station affected 100,000 Queens and Long Island commuters, many of whom were stranded at Penn Station until trains went back to running around 4 p.m. Monday. The LIRR ran limited service to their destinations and skipped the Jamaica stop while crews investigated the damage. About 66 percent of the 127 trains were running by Tuesday afternoon.

The Port Washington branch was the only line that was spared in the aftermath of the fire and trains on that line were running smoothly on both days. It is the only LIRR line that does not enter Jamaica station.

When service resumed during the Monday evening commute, only 60 percent of the LIRR’s trains were running, according to the LIRR.

Long Island passengers who traveled to Jamaica station via subway said they were frustrated to find out they were better off waiting at Penn Station for their train.

“I had no idea about any of this,” said Chris Parker of Roslyn, L.I.

Carol Damas accepts a flower from Rev. Edward Davis, the pastor of the Presbyterian Church of St. Albans, during a memorial mass for her son, Leopold, who was killed while serving with the Marines overseas. Photo by Christina Santucci

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By Ivan Pereira
Thursday, August 26, 2010

A year after he was killed on duty in Afghanistan, the family and friends of Lance Cpl. Leopold F. Damas said his sacrifice still resonates in their hearts and minds and it inspires them to do good.

At a memorial mass held in honor of the slain Marine last Thursday at the Presbyterian Church of St. Albans, the 26-year-old’s loved ones shared their fondest memories and how he changed their lives. The Rev. Edward Davis led the ceremony and said that even though he did not know the soldier personally, he was touched by his heroics.

“He was not selfish with his gift. He gave his gift so that others may prosper,” he said.

Damas was stationed in Afghanistan on his third tour as a rifleman with Co. G, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 3, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade. The Hollis native was killed during a fight in the nation’s Helmand province Aug. 17, 2009.

Damas’ love for the military was well-known among his inner circle, according to his cousin, Guilene Damas. After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, he longed to be part of the armed services.

In 2006, after being rejected several times because of an asthma condition, Damas enlisted with the Marines and a year later began a tour in Iraq. After the six-month stint was over, he returned to Iraq in July 2008 for another seven-month tour of the country.

His cousin said that despite the dangerous conditions he faced, Damas never showed any sign of fear and always had a smile on is face.

“He heard danger every day, but he kept going on,” she said.

With his second tour completed, the Marine could have stayed at home, but he volunteered for his Afghanistan tour to help his family. Damas saved money for his mother, Carol, who was his world, according to friends.

His mother, a Haitian immigrant, said she still mourns the loss of her son, but the pain has eased slightly because of all of the support she has received over the last year.

“I still miss him, but at the same time I feel more courageous,” she said.

Other mourners shared Mrs. Damas’ sentiment.

City Councilman Mathieu Eugene (D-Brooklyn), a Haitian native, said the Marine’s spirit captured the essence of what it means to be an American. The elected official noted that hundreds of Haitian Americans fight in the armed services and value the code of conduct required of a soldier.

“He died to give the people the opportunity to live and vote,” he said.

Eugene invited Carol Damas to City Hall in the near future to give her a proclamation.

Two Marines also attended the mass to pay their respects to their fallen member. Although they did not serve with Damas, the soldiers said they were connected through their service for their country.

“He was a Marine and as a Marine we take care of our own,” said Staff Sgt. Justino Vasquez.

Last year crews spend hours cleaning up the mess left behind after the family day picnic in Brookville Park.

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(Related story)

By Ivan Pereira
Thursday, August 19, 2010

Last year a family day at Brookville Park turned into an out-of-control bash where liquor was sold and litter was spread all over the southeast Queens greenspace.

An advocate for the park is calling on the city to not let that happen again this year.

Fred Kress, president of the Queens Coalition for Parks, sent a letter to the city Parks Department asking it not to allow party promoter June Balloon to hold his fourth-annual family day at the park this Saturday. Last year’s celebration, which was co-hosted by state Assemblywoman Michelle Titus (D-Far Rockaway) and Jacques Leandre, who was running for City Council last year, left the park in a state of disarray with crews picking up trash for hours the day afterward.

“I expect Parks to protect our parks from animals — both two- and four-legged,” Kress wrote in his letter.

This year’s celebration, which is not sponsored by Titus and Leandre, was advertised on the social networking website Facebook and had dozens of people invited. The flier included on the Facebook page said there would be musical performances, food, games and face painting for children.

This was not the fun that took place during last year’s picnic Aug. 22.

Someone set up a table that advertised “open bar, ladies only” and sold alcohol to parkgoers. The party went on long after its 7 p.m. closing time, and when the parks manager went to the greenspace the next morning, it was filled with empty bottles, discarded food and sexually explicit pamphlets.

Kress and other advocates arrived at the park to see the damage firsthand and saw Balloon and Titus’ husband, Eric DeBerry, arguing with the parks manager, saying they did nothing wrong.

Leandre said he is not involved with this year’s picnic and will not be attending it because he will be out of town with his youth football group, the Rosedale Jets. Titus’ office did not return phone calls for comment and June Balloon could not be reached for comment.

Although the Parks Department refused to grant a permit for the party as of press time Tuesday, fliers were still going up in the neighborhood, according to Kress.

“They broke almost every rule in the book last year and they haven’t learned that they have to play by the rules,” he said.

The president suggested that Balloon move his party to another spot, such as the city Department of Transportation municipal lot at Francis Lewis and Brookville boulevards instead of park space.

State Assemblywoman Grace Meng (from l.), Toby Stavisky, Susan Baer, Frank Mirovsky and Susan Lacerte stand in front of the Emerald Green Arborvitae that was dedicated to William DeCota. Photo by Ivan Pereira

(Original Link)

By Ivan Pereira
Thursday, August 19, 2010

When two members of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey were killed during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Director of Aviation William DeCota worked hard with the Queens Botanical Garden to make sure their lives were honored by naming trees after them.

After DeCota died in September at the age of 52, the Botanical Garden’s administrators decided to return the favor by dedicating its “tree of life” to him and his work. Dozens of PA colleagues, friends and family gathered at the garden last Thursday to celebrate the renaming ceremony for the administrator.

Frank Mirovsky, chairman of the Queens Botanical Garden Society, described DeCota as a caring, methodical man who was dedicated to his job but never too busy to lend a helping hand to his friends.

“You cannot come to a memorial tree dedicated to someone you knew or loved and not think good feelings,” he said.

DeCota joined the PA in 1982 and 17 years later was named director of aviation. During his long tenure as director, he oversaw the operations at John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty International airports and helped to acquire Stewart International Airport in upstate New York.

Colleagues said DeCota was casual with his staff, telling corny jokes, giving advice about automobiles and being the “unofficial chauffeur” during events.

“Everyone had a Bill story,” Susan Baer, the current director of aviation for the PA, said.

DeCota’s dedication to his staff was most apparent after the Sept. 11 attacks, which took the lives of several PA employees, including Neil Levin, the agency’s executive director, and Richard Pearlman, a Boy Scouts member who was at the World Trade Center.

DeCota, who also served as president of the Queens Council of the Boy Scouts of America, had the Botanical Garden rename two trees after both men and set up an endowment fund for the garden in Levin’s name.

“Bill DeCota was instrumental at having these memorial trees in this garden,” Mirovsky said.

For DeCota’s memorial tree, which is next to Levin’s and Pearlman’s, the Botanical Garden chose an emerald green arborvitae, or tree of life, according to Susan Lacerte, executive director for the Botanical Garden.

Lacerte said she and her administrators chose the tree species, which was the first American tree to be introduced in Europe, because it represented the strength that the PA head showed during his life.

“I only met him a few times, but he is that rare individual that strikes you immediately,” she said.

Mirovsky said the tree would grow not only in size but also in appreciation from DeCota’s loved ones.

“I hope if Bill can observe us today … he can say, ‘Good job,’” he said.