8 The QUENS Courier • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com storm photos File photo Rick Perro, executive vice president; Joseph Gueli, assistant branch manager; Michael Vittorio, president/CEO; Joanne Bosco, vice president and branch manager; Senator Avella; Sally Ballweg, senior executive vice president; Cathy O’Malley, district manager; and Chris Becker, chief risk officer. There have been several violent incidents at the former Verve Hotel, which was turned into a homeless shelter in October. New bank open for Justis Bosco, son; Joanne Bosco, mom. ONSITE DOCTORS • EYE EXAMS • CONTACTS • 1 HOUR SERVICE • VISION PLANS ACCEPTED • SUNGLASSES • LOWEST PRICES st of the 2013 THE QUEENS QueensCourier.com Place WE ARE A GVS & DAVIS VISION PROVIDER Amazing Savings! • Love Your Eyes BAY TERRACE SHOPPING CENTER 211-51 26 AVENUE • BAYSIDE, NY 11360 718.631.3699 *FREE Eye Exam with the purchase of glasses. 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Must present prior to purchase. Offer valid at this location only. Some restrictions apply, see store for details Expires 3/27/16 $100 OFF Buy 1 Pair of Prescription Glasses and GET 2nd Pair FREE Includes: EYE EXAM. (From select group) Some restrictions apply. See Store for details. In stock items only. Expires 3/27/16 Varilux Progressive Lenses Includes: EYE EXAM (no-line Bifocals) w/metal frames $16599 Select frames with clear plastic no line lenses +/-4 sph., 2 cyl. Not valid with any other offers, sales, vision plans or packages. Must present prior to purchase. Offer valid at this location only. Some restrictions apply, see store for details. Expires 3/27/16 Violence at LIC women’s homeless shelter left cops and residents injured By Angela Matua amatua@queenscourier.com/@AngelaMatua Two violent incidents at the Pam’s Settlement women’s homeless shelter in Long Island City left several shelter residents and police officers injured, according to the commanding officer of the 114th Precinct. Captain Peter Fortune spoke about the incidents at a Community Board 1 (CB 1) meeting on Tuesday and requested that the board reach out to the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to better coordinate with police to increase security at the shelter, which opened in October at the former Verve Hotel at 40-03 29th St. On Feb. 11, police responded to a call of a dispute among shelter roommates. A woman struck her roommate with a metal object and was placed under arrest, Fortune said. Officers brought her to Weill Cornell Medical Center, the medical school at Cornell University, to be treated. While police were escorting the woman out of the ambulance, Fortune said, she became “very aggressive” and headbutted an officer, who sustained minor injuries. Because the woman was arrested, police were responsible for watching her until she was released, he said. The next day, the patient became aggressive again and hit an officer with a metal IV pole and kicked him several times. Police were called to the shelter again on Feb. 12 when a resident who refused to go through the metal detector broke the device. She then proceeded to throw chairs and soda bottles in the lobby. The woman was arrested and transported to Weill Cornell Medicine for a psychiatric evaluation. Fortune also added that police have had to respond to calls of patients trying to hurt themselves and a chronic 911 call from someone who has repeatedly reported that a woman was stabbed inside the shelter. The precinct has also received complaints of women harassing store owners in the area. “It’s always been a quality-of-life issue down there and were doing our best to improve that,” Fortune said. “It’s definitely been a challenge with the 114th, where sometimes we would like to do some other things … and we have to focus more resources down at The Verve.” District Manager Florence Koulouris, who attends monthly community advisory meetings with staff at the shelter, said there have also been issues with “aggressive panhandling.” Women at the shelter frequently steal from a local pharmacy and businesses in the area. Acacia Network, the service providers for the shelter, said its security staff would do roving car patrols to monitor the women when they are out of the shelter but have not been doing an adequate job, she said. Fortune said he has been in contact with Acacia Network to discuss the two recent violent incidents, which they were unaware of. “They should know what’s going on over there,” Fortune said. “When I told them some of these incidents, they had no idea that this was even happening. In fact, they asked me for names of who was involved.” CB 1 members voted to draft a letter to both the DHS and Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office to request that more coordination take place between the city agencies and police to increase security and safety. “Our number one priority is ensuring the safety of our residents in shelters, as well as the surrounding communities,” a spokesperson for DHS said. “We currently have 24/7 security at this specific facility with four to six security guards on duty throughout the day. As part of our 90-day review of homeless services, we are continuing to review security needs and will continue to work with community leaders as we do so.” business in Whitestone PHOTOS BY ALEN NGAI The First National Bank of Long Island opened its newest branch in Whitestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 11. Michael Vittorio, president and CEO of the bank, joined state Senator Tony Avella, other First National Bank officials and customers at the ceremony. Founded in the 1920s as the First National Bank of Glen Head, the bank has grown throughout the past century across Nassau and Suffolk counties. It recently opened a branch in Howard Beach. State Senator Tony Avella; Nicholas Ulrich, vice president and senior commercial banker; Kiran Mandrekar, managing partner of Growth Capital International; Michael Vittorio, First National Bank of Long Island president/CEO; and Dr. Bhat of Atlantic Dialysis.
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