oped letters & comments 
  
  
 BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR  APR. 17-23, 2020 13  
 BY COUNCILMAN REVEREND  
 RUBÉN DÍAZ 
 You should know that at a  
 press conference in Albany  
 on Monday, April 13, 2020,  
 New York Governor Andrew  
 Cuomo boasted about the reduction  
 of coronavirus cases  
 in New York by stating: 
 “The  number  is  down  because  
 we brought the number  
 down. God did not do  
 that. Fate did not do that.  
 Destiny did not do that. A  
 lot of pain and suffering did  
 that.” 
 My dear reader, in spite of  
 the fact that houses of worship  
 are closed due to the coronavirus, 
  religious leaders and  
 people of all faiths all over the  
 world have been and are lifting  
 our voices in prayer pleading  
 for an end to the suffering  
 of this pandemic. 
 You should also know that  
 fervent prayers from this past  
 Holy Week, Passover, and Easter  
 have been said alongside  
 the prayers of Christians,  
 Jews, Muslims, Hindus and  
 people of every faith, even  
 Pope Francis was seen laid out  
 on the fl oor of the Vatican immersed  
 in  fervent prayer  this  
 past Easter. 
 It is important for you to  
 know  that  in  the  Holy  Bible,  
 Isaiah 48:11 God said: 
 “For My own sake, for  
 My own sake, I will act; For  
 how can My name be profaned? 
  And My glory I will  
 not give to another.” 
 Ladies and gentlemen,  
 Governor Cuomo’s blaspheme  
 must  not  be  tolerated.  We  
 must praise the Lord for His  
 relief  of  any  suffering.  We  
 must not profane God’s name.  
 We must not deny the truth of  
 God’s mercy and we must live  
 in gratitude to the Lord for  
 all good things. We must not  
 only credit ourselves, to do so  
 would be blasphemous. 
 We must  continue  to  pray  
 for an end to this suffering  
 and for strength and peace  
 for those who have lost loved  
 ones. Despite of the fact that  
 Governor  Andrew  Cuomo’s  
 words makes it evident that he  
 does not believe in the power  
 of prayer, we shall continue to  
 pray for God’s tender mercies. 
 I am Councilman Reverend  
 Rubén Díaz, and this is what  
 you should know. 
 By Tony Salimbene 
 Happy Easter and Passover,  
 everyone. Shout out time! 
 How ’bout those letter carriers  
 making sure I get my  
 bills; FedEx and UPS so I can  
 spend money even from home;  
 “what’s his name” the pizza  
 guy. Whomever deemed liquor  
 stores  “essential”has  my  undying  
 gratitude. 
 Know that I’m just kidding  
 here. These folks are our best!  
 Some  have  to work,  or  else.  I  
 hope our elected offi cials  can  
 correct  this  inequity  when  
 this subsides. 
 NYPD,  FDNY,  EMS,  Corrections, 
  Sanitation are superheroes  
 (and heroines).  
 Give them a wave, salute or  
 “thumbs up” as they go by.  
 And say a special prayer for  
 our  health  care  professionals  
 on the front lines — true angels  
 on earth. 
 Taking “social distancing”  
 seriously?  The  American  Legion  
 cancelled our 102nd Annual  
 National Convention and  
 it was for the last week of August  
 to  the  fi rst week  in  September! 
  So keep staying safe  
 and play by the rules. 
 Until Next Time: Been  
 watching so many police show  
 reruns we just got promoted to  
 detective. 
 By Pat McCauley-Fabrizi 
 We hope that all our members  
 and their families are  
 weathering this diffi cult situation. 
 As always, the health,  
 safety and well being of our  
 members is of paramount importance. 
  We are being asked  
 to  social  distance  ourselves  
 and not to gather in groups so  
 as expected, we are canceling  
 our April meeting at the Villa  
 Maria Academy. 
 During this time please remember  
 we are all in this together. 
  Let’s think about our  
 neighbors who may not be  
 able to shop and our local merchants  
 who can use our support. 
  Thank those on the front  
 lines in the health care, fi rst  
 responders, essential services  
 and those in our service delivery  
 system. 
 We will let you know when  
 we will be scheduling the next  
 meeting. Until then, stay safe  
 and healthy. 
 In the meantime, if you  
 have any questions or concerns, 
   call  us  at  718-823-1814,  
 email  us  at  CCCAbronx@ 
 gmail.com or reach out to our  
 Facebook  page  at  Country  
 Club Civic Association. 
 Op-Ed: The Power  
 of Prayer 
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 BRUCKNER DETOX  
 CENTER OPPOSED 
  cents 
 New owner: 
  I’m developing wellness center 
 A sense of concern and outrage  
 is brewing in Throggs  
 Neck about a possible conversion  
 of an offi ce building into  
 an unwanted use.  
 Commercial tenants at  
 2800 Bruckner Boulevard received  
 letters to vacate the  
 property, and community  
 leaders have formed a coalition  
 to fi ght a possible alcohol  
 Westchester Square reels over vagrants  
 ulder during a confrontation  
  
 Continued on Page 67 
 Continued on Page 67 
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 While Bronxites prepared  
 to take a ‘bite out of crime’  
 at the annual August 1 Night  
 Out Against Crime, one crook  
 turned that around and took  
 a bite out of a local merchant  
 who tried to interrupt his  
 thievery. 
 A.M.A.F. Fashion business  
 owner Abdul Sol felt more  
 than an impact to his quality  
 of life on the morning of Sunday, 
  July 9, when a shoplifter  
 tried to leave his store with  
 a bag of clothing and Sol sufered  
 a severe bite on his left  
 rearm and a dislocated right  
 with the man. 
 At his 25 Westchester  
 Square store, Sol recalled how  
 the shoplifter had on previous  
 customer. 
 occasions   
 been a paying “He spent money here,  
 it’s not like I never saw him  
 before,” Sol said. “He came  
 around two or three months  
 ago and bought a pair of  
 shoes.” 
 But the Sunday of the assault, 
  the suspect asked for a  
 shopping bag, grabbed stuff,  
 and tried to leave, according  
 to Sol.  
 “I told him, ‘No, you can’t  
 take my stuff.’” 
 A fi ght ensued and Sol said  
 he “went to the ground with  
 him. I hurt my shoulder. He  
 took a big bite in my arm. I was  
 at the hospital until 6 o’clock. I  
 still have pain in my shoulder.  
 I still can’t lift my left arm.” 
 Sol said he had seen the  
 shoplifter associate with patients  
 from the Bronx Psychiatric  
 Center, so he fi gured he  
 was a client. 
 As Bronx Psychiatric Center, 
  on Waters Place, continues  
 to release its patients on  
 the street during the day, they  
 interact with homeless people  
 and drug rehab program.  
 Complaints have been  
 fi led with the city about beds  
 being moved into the building  
 or illegally converting it  
 into a residential building,  
 with some folks planning to  
 take legal action against the  
 landlord because they have  
 leases, according to multiple  
 sources.  
 Homeowners and renters  
 are also circulating petitions  
 to protest what appears to be  
 “a substance-abuse rehabilitation  
 program recruiting  
 staff” to work in the building  
 and lack of community notice  
 or engagement on what  
 may be sited at 2800 Bruckner  
 Boulevard.  
  “The community is defi - 
 nitely mobilized,” said Steven  
 Kaufman, an attorney who  
 is leading the Throggs Neck  
 Strong coalition looking into  
 the matter, adding “I believe  
 with mobilization, we might  
 be able to stop what they want  
 to do.”  
 Tenants in the building  
 say they got letters over the  
 last two weeks telling them  
 to vacate the building by  
 September, said Bobby Jaen,  
 Throggs Neck Merchants Association  
 president and coalition  
 member.  
 So far, at least 20 complaints  
 have been logged with  
 the NYC Department of Buildings, 
  including those concerning  
 “commercial space that is  
 being turned into residential  
 space” and those saying tenants  
 see “beds, dressers, mirrors  
 and chairs,” being moved  
 in. 
 As of press time, a meeting  
 of the Throggs Neck Strong  
 coalition has been planned  
 for the Crosstown Diner on  
 Thursday, August 3, with Jaen  
 expecting around 125 people,  
 following a lot of community  
 organizing and petitioning  
 that led to a forceful showing  
 at an earlier impromptu meeting  
 on Friday, July 28.  
 Anthony Mameli, Charles  
 Ruttenberg Realty’s Bronx  
 commercial real estate manager, 
  said the company was  
 planning a grand opening for  
 its new offi ce at the building  
 Bronx Times Reporter 
  
  
  
  
 Name: 
  
  
  
  
  
  
 Bayside, NY  11361 
  
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