BRONX TIMES R 28 EPORTER, JUNE 12-18, 2020 BTR
BY LYNN GERBINO
Since it doesn’t look like
the PAUSE will be off by the
end of June, we are canceling
our June meeting. Hopefully
in September we will
once again see each other.
This has been a long, hard
trek for many of us and we
really miss seeing all of you.
We are Bronx strong and we
will get through this.
William Morris, former
captain of the 45th Precinct
passed away over the
weekend from COVID-19.
Now Chief Morris was currently
the chief of transportation
for the NYPD. He will
be truly missed. We extend
our condolences to his family
and his colleagues in the
NYPD.
Please don’t forget to patronize
our local businesses
in Throggs Neck. It is important
to their survival. Please
make an effort to do so.
Also, it is very important
to fi ll out the census form so
our community will get its
rightful share of services and
funding. It only takes a few
minutes. Community Board
10 is ready, willing and able
to fi ll out the form for you
over the phone. Give CB 10
a call at 718-892-1161. The
census response in Throggs
Neck has been below par —
we are better than that. How
will your descendants be able
to fi nd you years from now if
you don’t fi ll out the census
form? Make it easy for them!
Please visit us on our Facebook
page at Throggs Neck
Homeowners Association, for
up-to-date info on the neighborhood.
You can also call us
at 718-823-0327.
BY FRANK VERNUCCIO
The murder of George
Floyd was a horrible crime.
So is the reaction to it.
In the aftermath of Mr.
Floyd’s death, the offi cer responsible
was fi red and he is
going to be prosecuted. Other
offi cers in the vicinity may
also be subjected to legal action.
That’s precisely how justice
is supposed to work.
Peaceful demonstrations
are to be expected whenever
authority is abused. But the
riots and destruction that
have torn through the nation
are inexcusable and appear
to have little to do with the
actual underlying issue.
For far too long, the left
has sought any opportunity
to enforce their will and gain,
by physical abuse and threats,
what they cannot win at the
ballot box. They have not
helped the downtrodden or
minorities, they have merely
used them for their own political
ends. This is especially
true when it comes to minorities.
Major progressive politicians
seek to gain points
by siding with the rioters.
This is especially true in
New York, where Governor
Cuomo and NYC Mayor de
Blasio have done everything
short of actually urging violence.
They do produce occasional
calls for calm and
nonviolence, then go on to essentially
praise the rioters in
guarded terms. The NY State
Police Union has condemned
Cuomo’s lack of support.
Consider what these two
individuals actually stand
for. Cuomo has stated that individuals
who disagree with
his leftist views should leave
the state.
De Blasio is in a whole bizarre
category by himself. He
cheered on the Soviet Union
when it placed combat arms
in Latin America. His administration
is mired in fi -
nancial corruption; his wife
“lost” almost a billion dollars
meant for the mentally ill.
His daughter was arrested at
one of the disturbances rocking
the city. He has consistently
sided with criminals
over his own police force and
now tends to side ideologically
with the rioters over
those seeking to protect lives
and property.
The current riots are similar
to ANTIFA actions that
have been ongoing for some
time. They feature mindless
violence directed against innocent
bystanders. The riots
the nation is now enduring
have nothing to do with
Floyd. The terrible fate of
that man is merely an excuse.
The White House acted properly
in declaring ANTIFA a
domestic terrorist organization.
A black radio announcer
in Chicago, a city hard hit by
the riots, was furious at the
Floyd incident, but believes
that the riots have nothing
to do with that terrible incident.
Members of Project 21, an
African-American organization
dedicated to enhancing
the lives of Black Americans,
has made their opinions on
the riots very clear. Their
thoughts are mapped out in
a press release titled “The
Left Is ‘Fighting For’ Blacks
While Also Demolishing Our
Neighborhoods And Ruining
Our Lives.”
“What we are watching
unfold across the country is a
coordinated effort to destroy
the rule of law and order in
our communities and to gin
up racial tension,” said Project
21 Co-Chairman Stacy
Washington.
“Every American of good
conscience was sickened by
the death of George Floyd at
the hands of a Minneapolis
police offi cer with a troubled
past. I also believe that every
American of good conscience
is sickened and angered by rioters
and anarchists who are
taking advantage of protests
to loot and burn private and
public property,” according
to Project 21 Member Christopher
Arps.
Read more at nat
iona l c ent e r.or g /pr oj -
e c t 2 1 / 2 0 2 0 / 0 6 / 0 1 /
black-activists-condemn-nationwide
rioting.
ANTIFA’s outrages and
history of violence has fi nally
led them to be labelled as a domestic
terrorism group. The
move was long overdue.
CIVIC CENTER
COMACTA
BY GEORGE HAVRANEK
Sanitation bulk pickup
is among the many services
readily available to NYC residents.
In the mid 1960s, it was
common for Spencer Estate
residents to haul bulk items
to the dump. The Pelham Bay
landfi ll was designated by
New York City as the dumping
ground for our community.
This dump would later become
known as “Mount Trashmore”
a mountain of toxicityrelated
heartache, loss and
irreparable damages. I diverge
from the hellacious effects
of this indelible stain of
pain and suffering, for it was
atop this pile of hurt and anguish
where a valuable lesson
was learned.
Circa 1967, disposal of our
bulky, cabinet-enclosed television
radio-hi-fi required a
trip to the dump. The heavy,
cumbersome unit was precariously
transported in the
trunk of the family car. Spider
webs of rope and twine haphazardly
woven through the
open trunk held the oversized
item in place.
My role on this slow sojourn
was backseat lookout.
Vigilant eye contact through
the rear window was maintained
as the oversized load
rhythmically bounced, swayed
and shifted on bumpy roads.
We arrived at the dump, followed
protocol, drove up the
garbage-laden hilly road and
off loaded the unit in a designated
spot.
My grandmother, the supervisor
of this family operation,
looked around and put
forth a seemingly odd question.
Grandma simply asked,
“What do you see?” My simple
age-appropriate response
was, “I see a pile of garbage.”
She replied, “Yes, what can
you tell me about this pile of
garbage.” In child like fashion
I replied, “It is dirty and
smells.”
The lesson began. Grandma
explained, the garbage heap
was comprised of many different
things. Items of various
shapes, colors, sizes, and
functions created this unsightly,
smelly mountain. We
reentered the car for our trip
home. Grandma further explained
that bad and good,
throughout all walks of life,
comes in a variety of shapes,
colors, sizes, and functions.
She emphatically stressed
that we should never judge
anything or anyone solely on
appearances. This life lesson
intensely resonated as I aged
and matured.
Today, no longer typical
melting pots of the past, our
communities have stew-like
diversity. A blend of a wide
variety of quality ingredients
that when properly put
together creates something
wonderful. It is essential to remember
the key ingredients of
quality communities are quality
people. Quality, the good,
also comes in many shapes,
sizes, colors, and functions.
At its core, a good community
is a blend of quality
people with common desires
that unify. Forging a common
unity tailored to providing us
all with a fi ne quality of life is
the agenda of the Spencer Estate
Civic Association.
“If we want to keep and reap
the blessings of our fi ne quality
of life, we must undergo the
fatigue of supporting it.”
Any area homeowner or
renter interested in membership
to the inclusive Spencer
Estate Civic Association, inbox
George Havranek on Facebook
or send-email to spencerestatecivic@
gmail.com.
Remember: “Inclusion
brings solutions.”
CIVIC CENTER
Spencer Estate Civic
Association
CIVIC CENTER
Throggs Neck
Homeowners
Association
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