EDITORIAL
The tension in Glendale and its surrounding
neighborhoods is palpable since the city officially
opened the Cooper Rapid Rehousing
Center, a 200-bed single men homeless shelter
in a former factory at 78-16 Cooper Ave.
The opening comes a week after a judge dismissed
a lawsuit aimed at halting construction
at the site which was filed by a group of Glendale
residents who alleged the city had not conducted
a thorough environmental study at the location.
After their suit was tossed out, the residents
still hoped they could stop the construction
through objections filed with the Department
of Buildings alleging the shelter would
violate its current zoning requirements. When
the DOB granted a temporary certificate of occupancy,
DHS immediately moved approximately
10 men into the shelter with plans to gradually
move many more to the facility over the next few
years.
City Councilman Robert Holden condemned
DHS for “acting as a rogue agency and usurping
laws, regulations, and process.” He also declared
“this fight is not over,” and one wonders what
happens next?
The fight against the Cooper Avenue shelter
has gone on for years and who could forget the
Community Board 5 public hearing last October
at Christ the King High School where a mob mentality
and bigoted anti-homeless vitriol spread
like a contagion among the nearly 1,000 citizens
that packed the auditorium that night.
Anyone who spoke in favor of the shelter was
shouted down by their own neighbors and when a
woman from Astoria stepped to the microphone
and said “I hope somebody’s going to burn the
place down,” the crowd erupted in cheers.
The moment was caught on video that went
viral on social media that same night bringing
shame to Queens. DHS Deputy Commissioner
Matt Borden put his foot down from the stage.
“You can’t threaten to bomb a shelter where
there are people living,” he said. “I refuse to accept
a New Yorker would say that.”
But she did and one wonders what happens
next. Let’s all hope cooler heads prevail in Glendale
and its surrounding neighborhoods in the
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TIMESLEDGER | 16 QNS.COM | FEB. 21-27, 2020
The city officially opened the Glendale homeless shelter despite intense push back from the community.
Photo by Dean Moses
Remember that the flu is more
dangerous than the coronavirus
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coming weeks and months.
READERS WRITE
The coronavirus is traveling
the world, causing several
people to become ill and even
killing some, too.
This scare has led to many
people feeling the need to buy
face masks in an effort to protect
themselves from coming
down with the virus.
These masks are relatively
cheap, usually, but there are
those seeking to make a profit
off this disease at the expense
of those who are worried. Some
places are charging as much as
$120 for a box of 20 masks, when
they usually are sold for around
$15.I find this most appalling.
Added to all this is the fact
that various local American-
Asian eateries and businesses
are being avoided because of the
coronavirus scare, which I find
sad and unfounded.
Let me also add the fact that
the influenza virus is proven
to be more dangerous; news
reports say that this year, 26
million people have come down
with the flu and 14,000 have died
as a result nationwide. That
should be a far greater concern
for many.
It is not too late to get a flu
shot, which can help prevent the
spread of the illness to others.
My wife and myself are senior
citizens and got our flu
shots back in September at Walgreens
in Glen Oaks Village and
we are glad we did.
More people should get the
flu shot now; let’s use common
sense over these dangerous diseases.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr.
Glen Oaks Village
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