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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CENTER OPPOSED
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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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