4 THE QUEENS COURIER • MARCH 21, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Rendering courtesy of NYC Offi ce of Criminal Justice
NO PRESS AT JAIL MEETS
City imposes media blackout on Kew Gdns. advisory council
BY MARK HALLUM
mhallum@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e Mayor’s Offi ce of Criminal Justice
further alienated the public in regard to
the proposal to build a 29-story jail facility
in Kew Gardens when it barred reporters
from covering a meeting Tuesday
night — a move which was quickly criticized
by the Neighborhood Advisory
Committee who already believed the de
Blasio administration was leaving the
community out of the conversation from
the start.
In a conversation with Patrick Gallahue,
press director for the Offi ce of Criminal
Justice, Th e Courier was told that the city
is under the impression that the presence
of reporters are detrimental to dialogue
with the public.
It was the second time that reporters
were prevented from their doing their
job and covering this committee meeting.
Th e Feb. 28 session of the Neighborhood
Advisory Council was also closed to
reporters, but that decision was not
announced prior to the meeting and the
fact that all reporters but one were turned
away at the door did not come to the surface
until aft er the meeting.
Patch reporter Maya Kaufman and
Queens Chronicle reporter David Russell
were told leave upon arriving at the
February meeting.
Despite what Gallahue told Th e Courier
on March 19, the public attending that
meeting disagreed with his assumption
about the press’ presence.
In a recording of the meeting provided
by an attendee to Th e Courier,
members of the Neighborhood Advisory
Committee brought up the issue of press
coverage before any other discussion took
place regarding the jail.
“I’m sorry, before we proceed, why was
the press thrown out?” an attendee asks.
To which an offi cial responds, “Th ese
are private meetings that we are – Again
we are not going to exclude members of
the public, but we need private meetings
with the group to talk about this and haven’t
invited members of the press–” a city
offi cial is heard saying before being interrupted.
“Have you read the First Amendment?”
someone said. “On what grounds are you
excluding the press on a matter great public
interest and importance? We have the
space and we have control.”
Members of the council told Th e
Courier outside the meeting space on
March 19 that they welcomed the press
and felt the administration was overstepping
a boundary by restricting coverage
in the Kew Gardens Community Center,
which they view as their turf.
Another person said she felt the de
Blasio administration is damaging morale
in the process of developing a jail facility
that is safe for the community and
one accused Gallahue of protecting himself
from criticism as opposed to protecting
the public.
“We established these meetings to have
frank conversations with the community.
Th ere are meetings that take place with
the public and then we wanted some that
were in private where people could air
opinions and ideas, and we don’t discourage
anyone from speaking to the press,
but that’s the purpose of these meetings,”
Gallahue told the council.
Members of the public were skeptical
that Gallahue was protecting their ability
to speak freely and expressed the perception
that he was only protecting himself.
Mara Einstein said a number of people
attending the meeting who were not
on the council had no knowledge of the
jail proposal until recent weeks while the
ULURP process is set to begin March 25.
“You think we’re going to be inhibited
by press?” an incredulous voice asked
Gallahue.
In a phone conversation with QNS,
Gallahue seemed surprised that reporters
regularly attend community meetings
and could not explain how he justifi
ed welcoming the public, but sorting the
press from the public.
According to Section 103, Paragraph
A of the New York State Open Meetings
Law, “Every meeting of a public body
shall be open to the general public, except
that an executive session of such body
may be called and business transacted
thereat in accordance with section one
hundred fi ve of this article.”
Raul Contreras, a spokesperson for the
Mayor’s offi ce, told Th e Courier in an
email that the meetings are informal and
are designed to inform the public even
though who attended was strictly monitored
at the door.
“As the mayor has said, we’re going
to have broader community meetings
that are open to members of the media
soon, especially when the ULURP process
begins. Neighborhood Advisory
Committee meetings are purely advisory
and don’t have a formal government
role, nor do they vote on any aspect of
the plan. Th eir purpose is to gain valuable
initial feedback before having broader
community meetings that will be open
press,” Contreras said. “Also, I do want
to note that the Neighborhood Advisory
Committee meetings are an additive to
the normal, broader community engagement
process that we’re still going to do.”
Gallahue said meetings are not recorded
in any fashion apart from providing
minutes to the public aft er the fact, and
said he would seek a legal opinion on the
legality of closing meetings to the press.
Read more at QNS.com
Robert Pozarycki contributed to this
report.
A rendering of a proposed community jail at the former Queens Detention Complex in Kew Gardens
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