State Assemblyman Ron Kim and advocates from Voices For
Seniors are demanding that Gov. Andrew Cuomo sign a bill into
law repealing the corporate immunity shield.
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.2 COM | APRIL 9-APRIL 15, 2021
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
The commander of a central
Queens police precinct
apparently took his own life
on Monday, April 5, near a
public park inside a department
issued vehicle, according
to published reports.
Deputy Inspector Denis
Mullaney, 44, headed up the
107th Precinct, which covers
parts of Flushing, Fresh
Meadows, Pomonok, Hillcrest
and Jamaica.
On Monday, Mullaney was
reportedly found with a selfinflicted
gunshot wound inside
a vehicle at the corner of
Underhill Avenue and 164th
Street, near Kissena Park,
in Flushing at about 5:10 p.m.
The location is within the
confines of the neighboring
109th Precinct.
Several publications reported
that Mullaney had
called relatives as well as the
107th Precinct’s executive officer
earlier on Monday, making
statements that he had
intended to kill himself.
EMS units rushed Mullaney
to a local hospital, but
he was pronounced dead a
short time later.
Mullaney was appointed to
head the 107th Precinct back
in September after serving
a stint at the NYPD Transit
Bureau.
A candlelight vigil will be
held in Mullaney’s honor, a
on Wednesday, April 7, at 7:30
p.m., in front of the 107th Precinct,
located at 71-01 Parsons
Blvd.
“Devastated to learn of the
tragic loss of Deputy Inspector
Denis Mullaney who was
just welcomed as Commanding
Officer of the 107th Precinct
not long ago,” Assemblywoman
Nily Rozic wrote
on Twitter.
Councilman James
Gennaro, whose district
covers parts of Briarwood,
Electchester, Fresh Meadows,
Hillcrest, Jamaica, Jamaica
Hills, Jamaica Estates,
Kew Gardens Hills, Parkway
Village and Pomonok, took to
Facebook to ask for “prayers
for this officer and his family.”
“May this officer Rest in
Peace, and may his family be
comforted,” Gennaro added.
Rory Lancman, the former
City Councilman in the district
where Mullaney worked,
shared his condolences.
“So sorry about this, I
only had a very short time
working with him, really
just an introductory meeting/
briefing, but it was clear
to me that he loved the job
and helping people,” Lancman
said. “I certainly felt
the community was in good
hands with his leadership.
Rest in peace.”
Mullaney’s death is believed
to be the first activeduty
suicide of an NYPD
member this year. The department
saw 10 suicides
within its ranks in 2019, and
was racked by the COVID-19
pandemic — with more than
four dozen civilian and uniformed
members losing their
lives to the virus.
Reach reporter Robert
Pozarycki by e-mail at
rpozarycki@qns.com or by
phone at (718) 260-4549.
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
As the spotlight has shifted
to an ongoing investigation
of alleged sexual harassment
claims against Gov. Andrew
Cuomo, Queens Assemblyman
Ron Kim is continuing to
push for accountability in the
administration’s handling of
COVID-19 in nursing homes in
New York state.
“Every time we get close
to the truth, it seems like the
governor is untouchable. How
many more scandals? How
many more women? How
many more nursing homerelated
lies and frauds need to
be exposed before we can hold
him accountable?” Kim said
during a virtual rally with advocates
on Thursday, April 1.
Kim and advocates from
Voices For Seniors, a nonprofit
organization that improves
the quality-of-life for elderly
communities through grassroots
initiatives and advocacy
for protective legislation and
reform, are demanding that
Cuomo sign a bill into law
repealing the corporate immunity
shield that protected
nursing home executives from
liability during the pandemic.
It would be fully repealed by
the bill, which passed by a vote
of 149-1 in the Assembly and
63-0 in the Senate. The bill will
now head to the governor to be
signed into law.
“We did our part and now
it needs to be sent to the governor,”
Kim said. “He has 10
days to decide, so let’s get it
done so we can once and for all
go back and give retroactive
justice that many of our families
have been neglected in the
past months.”
Advocates are also demanding
that New York State Comptroller,
Tom DiNapoli, issue a
referral to New York State Attorney
General, Letitia James,
to launch a joint investigation
into the nursing home scandal.
In January, an eye-opening
report released by the state
Attorney General’s Office revealed
nursing home deaths
may have been undercounted
by as much as 50 percent.
Since March 2020, James’ office
has been investigating
nursing homes throughout
New York state based on allegations
of patient neglect
and other concerning conduct
that may have jeopardized the
health and safety of residents
and employees.
The state comptroller is
one of two statewide elected
officials who can issue such a
referral — the other being the
governor.
“He is the chief auditor
monitoring any kind of misuses
of public resources, staffing
and misuse of state paper
— the simplest things that we
cannot do for personal profits
or personal use, which the governor
clearly did,” Kim said.
“We want the comptroller to
act now and not wait on our
request anymore.”
As new details emerged on
Wednesday, March 31, about
Cuomo’s pandemic memoir,
“American Crisis: Leadership
Lessons from the COVID-19
Pandemic,” that came with an
offer of $4 million, advocates
criticized his leadership.
“Cuomo created an American
crisis as a nursing home
super spreader and he got paid
well doing it earning $4 million
dollars for his book,” said
Tracy Alvino, whose 76-yearold
father died of COVID in a
nursing home in Long Island.
“Was my father’s life worth $4
million? In my family, my father
was priceless.”
Tracy Alvino, who lost her
father, Daniel Alvino, 76, to
COVID in a nursing home in
Long Island. (Screenshot)
For Alvino, April 16 will
mark one year since the last
time she saw her father, Daniel
Alvino, who died at a nursing
home in Long Island.
“He was only supposed to be
in rehab for neck surgery for a
couple of weeks, and sadly, my
story is one of thousands,” Alvino
said.
After losing their 78-yearold
mother to COVID in a Long
Island nursing home, Vivian
Zayas and her sister Alexa Rivera
started Voices For Seniors
to pursue real change,
so that “no senior citizen or
family will have to endure the
pain they did.”
Zayas said they are still
fighting to get answers for the
mass deaths of senior citizens
in nursing facilities.
“Comptroller DiNapoli has
the duty to over 15,000 families
and the citizens of New York
to investigate the relationship
between Gov. Cuomo and the
greater New York Hospital Association,
who bragged about
the unity provision as the gold
standard in legal immunity,”
Zayas said. “This ‘gold standard’
has led to the deaths of
countless seniors, not just of
COVID, but of neglect. As far
as the gold standard, I would
go as far as saying it is the evil
standard.”
While the advocacy group
has requested that the U.S.
attorney and FBI investigate
the governor’s office, Kim says
there is still a lot that can be
done at the state level.
Deputy Inspector Denis Mullaney. Photo courtesy of NYPD
NYPD offi cial takes own
life near Kissena Park
Advocates rally for nursing homes
investigation and immunity repeal
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