28 The QUEE NS Courier • april 4, 2013 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com editorial letters THE GOOD . . . Ya Gotta Believe. As the Mets kicked off the 2013 season, it seems they’ve restored fans’ faith. With Johan Santana likely out for the year and what General Manager Sandy Alderson called a relatively shaky starting rotation, fans were cautiously But the Amazins, despite poor expectations, wound up beating the San Diego Padres 11-2, upping the team’s opening day record to 34-18. With baseball our national pastime – and as American as apple pie – we’re glad that the Mets started off their season with a win so that fans can chant “take me out to the ballgame.” THE BAD . . . Taking advantage of tenants. Landlord Segundo Chimbay, 48, has been charged with endangering the lives of 46 residents, including 12 children, by renting them illegally converted one-and two-family houses and garages in Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, charging tenants from $850 to $1,4000 a month. We find his actions reprehensible. He put the “almighty dollar” above people’s lives. Chimbay is presently awaiting arraignment in Queens Criminal Court on charges including first-degree scheme to defraud, second-degree reckless endangerment and violation of the New York City Administrative VISIT QueensCourier.com TELL US WHAT YOU THINK... optimistic on Opening Day. Code for failing to comply with an order to vacate. If convicted, he faces up to seven years in prison. In addition to the criminal charges, Chimbay has been named as a respondent in a $1.6 million civil asset forfeiture action for allegedly failing to comply with prior vacate orders and building code violations. We can only hope the tenants he endangered find new, safe homes in which to live as he is brought to justice. THE UGLY . . . Danger in the park. Over the weekend a female jogger was tasered and her assailant attempted to rape her as she jogged in Forest Park. The victim, 23, was running on the horse trail of the park around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 29 when police say the suspect came out of the woods, tasered her and pulled her into the brush. Thankfully she was able to break free, police said, and later taken to the hospital for head and neck injuries. But it’s scary to think that something like that can happen in our backyard. We have every faith in the NYPD and the 102nd Precinct – which has already begun “increasing patrols inside and outside the park in addition to further crime prevention efforts” – that they will find the perp and restore peace of mind to residents. Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Bob Brennan Tonia N. Cimino Amy Amato-Sanchez Nirmal Singh Wayne Robins Graziella Zerilli Stephen Reina Ron Torina, Jennifer Decio, Cheryl Gallagher Melisa Chan, Terence Cullen, Cristabelle Tumola Maggie Hayes, Angy Altamirano Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni Cristabelle Tumola Bill Krese Jan DiGeronimo Maria Romero Louise Cavaliere Celeste Alamin Maria Valencia Daphne Fortunate Victoria Schneps-Yunis Joshua A. Schneps Publisher & E ditor Co-Publisher Associate Publisher Editor-In-Chief VP, Events, Web & Social Media Art Director Copy Editor Assistant to Publisher Assistant Art Director Artists Staff Reporters Contributing Reporters Web Editor Editorial Cartoonist Director, Business Developm ent Events Manager Senior Acc ount Executive Classified Manager Controller Office Manager President & CEO Vice President Schneps Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 website: www.queenscourier.com e-mail:editorial@queenscourier.com ads@queenscourier.com queenscourier@queenscourier.com Entire Contents Copyright 2013 by The Queens Courier All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE QUEENS COURIER. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to THE QUEENS COURIER within five days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. Schneps Communications assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold The Quens Courier and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement. Carousel deterrent The Forest Park Carousel is open for the 2013 season. My daughter enjoyed riding it and it was inexpensive. The operators of the carousel were very friendly. The only problem I had there was there were no public restrooms to use. I had taken my daughter to Dry Harbor Playground on Myrtle Avenue earlier. When we had to go to the bathroom both public restrooms located in the building that used to house the play school were locked so we decided to walk down to the part of Forest Park where the carousel is located. I said to myself, ‘the bathrooms have to be open since this opening day for the carousel.’ Well I was wrong -- both the men’s room and the ladies’ rooms were locked and so was the park ranger’s office. After we rode the carousel the operators told me the Parks Department knew they were opening today so he doesn’t understand why the restrooms were not open. Ed Wendell of the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association and others fought so hard to reopen the carousel and urged people to bring their children there. Without public restrooms available I don’t know many parents who would want to go there. Small children and adults need to use the bathroom when they are out in the park for the day. It can’t be standard for all public parks because the restrooms are open year-round in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. If my daughter wants to ride a carousel I will take her there. I won›t be going back to Forest Park again. What a shame after the fight to get it back in business. Charlene L. Stubbs Maspeth Help heroes The veterans who have and are returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq should not have to wait for any extended period to receive their well-earned and much-deserved benefits. These brave men and women have risked their lives to defend our country and our government needs to make sure that they receive every single benefit they are entitled to. Why is there such a backlog for veterans to receive their money and other benefits? There is way too much bureaucracy involved, and that needs to be eliminated in order for these benefits to be given to the veterans and their families. This was the major problem that caused benefits to be unjustly delayed for thousands of Vietnam War veterans when they came home. Congress and the VA need to get moving on reducing the enormous, unnecessary amount of paperwork that causes all of these critical benefits to be unjustly delayed. Our veterans are true heroes and heroines; we must treat them with the utmost respect and honor. John Amato Fresh Meadows A heinous act The recent news story about two middle school students who put hand sanitizer in their teacher’s tea to poison her is just reprehensible. These two boys should be expelled from school and should be given a good old fashioned paddling on their backsides for what they did-they will never do it again after that well-deserved punishment. What could possess these boys to do such a terrible and potentially fatal thing? It seems that teachers have no respect given to them and they are such hard-working, dedicated professionals who always go the extra mile to help motivate their students to work to their full potential. Those boys need help as well as punishment for what they did. Their parents need to seek that help for them immediately. Hopefully, that teacher will recover from her experience and not let it deter her from continuing to teach and help her students. John Amato Fresh Meadows THE QUEENS
QC04042013
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