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March 25, 2022 • Schneps Media
TVG
LOCAL NEWS
Chinatown: Keep the Tombs shut
Hundreds march against new jail plan, hoping to avoid ‘mistakes of the past’
BY DEAN MOSES
Hundreds came together on
March 20 in massive numbers
to rebuke the new Chinatown
jail set to be erected in
their neighborhood.
Locals charged that the proposed
community-based jail would cast a
looming shadow over the historically
rich Lower Manhattan district.
Detractors of the new jail fixed
to be established on the bones of
the Manhattan Detention Complex,
also known colloquially as
the Tombs located on 125 White
St., believe that following talk of
inclusion amidst Asian hate crime,
the primarily AAPI community is
being saddled with the short end of
the crime-ridden stick.
Well over 500 demonstrators
marched through the Chinatown
streets on March 20 in an effort
to showcase their displeasure. Led
by Councilman Christopher Marte
and Jan Lee, founder of Neighbors
United Below Canal, the
large group called out the mayor
in hopes of persuading him to halt
the construction.
“We don’t want to repeat the
mistakes of the past. We are here
to try to not make those mistakes.
But it is the people united that will
make the change that will force our
elected officials to listen to us, to
work with us, and to do right by
us,” Marte said.
Not everyone is against the new
jail, however. Many of those advocating
for the reconstructed
complex believe that a larger,
more modernized facility will
provide safer conditions for those
housed within.
On March 18, NYC DOC announced
another death of an individual
detained on Rikers Island,
making it the third person to perish
this year, and the 19th person
since 2021. The federal monitor
has reported numerous humanitarian
issues within city jails, and for
decades, advocates have called for
the end to Rikers Island.
In response to this, former Mayor
Bill de Blasio announced in 2019
the Borough-based jails plan —
passed by New York City Council
— which they believe will help fully
close Rikers Island by transferring
incarcerated individuals into what
has been said to be a fairer and
safer jail system in each borough.
The Manhattan Detention Center
is set to be demolished and
replaced with a larger facility that
will be more modernized in how
it secures individuals. Rather
than increasing the number of
incarcerated persons held in the
planned jail, the larger facility is
said to offer more space and safer
living conditions.
“As the partner of someone incarcerated
at Rikers right now, I
can say that although he is not deceased,
due to the hurdles it takes
to visit him there and keep him as
an active father, many days it does
feel like it. Borough-based facilities
can keep families closer both by
shortening the travel distance and
creating better spaces for visiting. I
urge the Mayor to expedite the plan
to close Rikers, including putting in
place programs in the community
that can help people and reduce
incarceration,” said Crystal Gooding,
a member of Freedom Agenda,
one of the organizations leading the
Campaign to Close Rikers, and a
resident of Lower Manhattan.
Marte disputed this, telling
this reporter that he does not
believe the new jail will make a
meaningful difference.
“If you look at the details of the
plan, the new jail will only add 30
additional beds to the site. Why are
we gonna invest $2 billion in sevenyear
construction to build a massive
mega jail that’s gonna honor
incarceration?” Marte asked.
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
A Long Island woman reportedly
turned herself in for
allegedly pushing a woman
to her death in Chelsea nearly two
weeks ago.
Laura Pazienza, 26, of Port Jefferson,
was booked on March 22
for causing the death of 87-yearold
Barbara Gustern — a beloved
Broadway voice coach.
The motive for the deadly attack
remains unknown. Pazienza was
silent, her hair covering her face, as
detectives from the 10th Precinct
escorted her out of their stationhouse
Tuesday, after surrendering
there earlier that morning.
According to police, at 8:25
p.m. on March 10, Gustern was
in the vicinity of West 28th Street
and 8th Avenue when she was allegedly
approached by Pazienza
from behind.
Pazienza then allegedly pushed
Gustern, causing Gustern to fall
and hit her head, before fleeing
the scene.
Gustern was rushed to a local
hospital, where she succumbed to
injuries including brain trauma on
March 15. The NYPD announced
that Gustern’s death was ruled a
homicide on March 21.
A source close to the investigation
told amNewYork Metro that
Pazienza turned herself in to police
custody on March 22 with her
attorney present. She was later
arraigned in New York County
Criminal Court on one count
of manslaughter.
With reporting by Dean Moses
and Robert Pozarycki
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
New York City Council Member Christopher Marte helped lead the massive rally on March 20.
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
Long Island resident Laura Pazienza was arrested on March 22 for
allegedly pushing 87-year-old Barbara Gustern to her death.
L.I. woman cuffed for allegedly
shoving woman to death in Chelsea