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FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM FEBRUARY 23, 2017 • THE QUEENS COURIER 19 LIC town hall on Trump resistance Promotion for Sussex Bank offi cer Michael Serao has been named the new vice president and business developer manager of Sussex Bank’s Astoria branch, it was announced. Serao has more than 15 years of banking experience, having previously worked for Quontic Bank, Chase Bank and TD Bank, working in the Astoria area for the latter two fi nancial institutions. “Michael has an outstanding reputation within the local community and we are excited that he is now part of our team. Th e knowledge and experience he will bring will assist us in expanding our footprint in the market,” said Vito Giannola, executive vice president and chief retail offi cer. Serao serves on more than 10 diff erent boards in the Astoria market and is a very active community member. His philanthropy work includes working with children with autism, senior citizens with disabilities and has worked actively in the LGBT community. Serao has a degree in business management and marketing from Queensborough Community College and resides in Hewlett Harbor with his partner, Dr. Fidel Abreu of Fidel Abreu DDS, PLLC. Sussex Bank’s Astoria branch is located at 28-21 Astoria Blvd. BY ANTHONY GIUDICE agiudice@ridgewoodtimes.com @A_GiudiceReport Th ey will not take this quietly. Faced with an uptick in hate crimes, increased action by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to round up immigrants and the polarizing policies of President Donald Trump, hundreds gathered at a special town hall meeting in Long Island City on Feb. 15 on the “resistance” movement in Queens. Th e event at MoMA PS1 was led by Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who pledged to continue leading the fi ght against the Trump administration in Queens. “I want you to know that as long as Donald Trump is president, I will be a member of the resistance,” Van Bramer told the audience. “A lot of bad things are happening in our country, but I want everyone to know that this gathering here, the marches, the rallies, the people rushing to airports, those are very beautiful, wonderful things that are happening in this country as a result and in response to those bad things.” Th e recent deportation scare hit close to home when four fake ICE offi cers swindled a Woodside man out of $250, claiming that if he did not pay them, they would deport him. Th e victim then reached out to Van Bramer’s offi ce, who quickly held a rally outside the man’s home, denouncing the fake offi cers for trying to profi t off of fear. “I am extremely proud that someone who was terrifi ed and who was not yet been able to talk to the police, felt comfortable calling my offi ce for help,” Van Bramer said. Th e lawmaker reminded everyone in attendance that no ICE offi cer should ask for money in exchange for not being detained. Van Bramer invited Cheryl Andrada of Th e Legal Aid Society to explain what people should do if they are confronted by, or witness someone being confronted by an ICE offi cer. One of the fi rst thing Andrada said was to not spread rumors, such as the rumor that quickly spread across social media about ICE raids taking place near Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights. Th e immigrant advocacy group Make the Road New York said there was no proof that ICE agents were at that location. If you do happen to see someone being approached or arrested, “be a witness,” Andrada said. You will not be able to stop the arrest, but be aware of what is going on, take the offi cer’s badge number and car number down, just in case there are unconstitutional actions taking place. Andrada said that ICE agents are focusing on illegal immigrants who have any type of involvement with the criminal justice system, which doesn’t only mean being arrested and convicted of a crime. “What we are telling our clients and their family members is to just be prepared for that situation,” Andrada said. “Make sure that you set aside all of your important documents like your passport, and anything that might be important … have phone numbers on you of a family member or friend or attorney.” Th e fi nal thing Andrada advised was to not let anyone claiming to be police or ICE into your home without a warrant signed by a judge, and to remain silent until you have a lawyer. One audience member asked a very important question, noting that Barack Obama, as president, deported a record number of undocumented immigrants, and wanted to know what the diff erence between the former president’s policy, and Trump’s. Although it is too early to really tell with Trump’s policy, Andrada said, one diff erence is the priority of who they are focusing on. Th e Trump administration is prioritizing undocumented immigrants with any type of criminal encounter as an enforcement priority; the Obama administration focused on deporting undocumented persons who were convicted of a crime. Members from several local organizations then took to the podium to let everyone know of the many diff erent events going on across the city that people can get involved with if they want to help make a diff erence. Some of those groups include Sunnyside Woodside Action Group (SWAG), LIC Opposition, LIC Coalition, Astoria March, the organizers of a unity rally in Forest Hills later this month, Indivisible, and more. Van Bramer also noted that his offi ce is thinking about holding civil disobedience training sessions to inform people of their rights during nonviolent protest, as well as off ering translation services during rallies and meetings to reach a wider audience throughout Queens. The crowd at last week’s town hall meeting on the Trump administration


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