22 THE QUEENS COURIER • JULY 16, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
editorial
Stop division and embrace change
Here are two opinions that we
believe every New Yorker should
embrace.
First, we need reform at the
NYPD and other police departments
THE QUEENS
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PRESIDENT & CEO
VICE PRESIDENT
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
BOB BRENNAN
ZACHARY GEWELB
NIRMAL SINGH
JACOB KAYE
ANGELICA ACEVEDO, JENNA BAGCAL, KATRINA MEDOFF,
CARLOTTA MOHAMED, MAX PARROTT, BILL PARRY
CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI
DEBORAH CUSICK
CELESTE ALAMIN
MARIA VALENCIA
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
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Story: East Elmhurst journalism student receives
fi rst-ever Héctor Figueroa Scholarship award
Summary: East Elmhurst resident Christopher
Alvarez, 22, a survivor of a rare disability and a
graduate of Adelphi University, where he was his
class valedictorian, will attend Columbia University
in the fall to pursue a master’s degree in journalism
with the help of the fi rst-ever Hector Figueroa
scholarship.
Reach: 6,089 (as of 7/13/20)
across the country to end
inequality and police brutality.
Second, we need to support
the men and women at the
NYPD who bear the responsibility
of keeping us safe.
Th ese are not contradictory
thoughts, nor are they mutually
exclusive. In fact, one can’t
work without the other in order
to establish a safer, more just
New York.
And yet, that seemed to be
completely lost upon demonstrators
who took to the streets this
weekend in Queens.
Th e “Back the Blue” movement
claimed that they marched in
support of the NYPD. Th ey were
met by counter-protesters from
the Black Lives Matter movement,
and that’s when the ugliness
surfaced.
Peaceful protest devolved into
a childish spectacle fi lled with
protesters trying to shout each
other down, with some on the
“Back the Blue” side resorting
to racist epithets to make their
point. Ironically, the cops present
at the protests did their best
to keep the aff airs from turning
into something worse.
And what was gained from
this nonsense? Did either side
really advance their respective
cause? No. If anything, there
was just more bad blood, more
embitterment, more entrenchment
— none of the things this
city can aff ord at the moment.
Aft er weeks of protests across
New York, the Black Lives Matter
movement has made clear just
how many New Yorkers are hurting
from decades of injustice and
police brutality. Th ey want a better
city, and we can’t ignore that.
While the Back the Blue movement
wants the city to support
those who risk their lives to protect
others every day, they seem
more keen on asserting their
opinion rather than acknowledging
the grim reality of police
brutality and racial injustice in
the city and country.
We should support the NYPD.
And because we should support
the NYPD, we should also want
them to be the best they can be.
Th at means embracing the call
for reform that puts an end to
injustice, improves law enforcement
eff orts, keeps our city safe
and avoids the wanton brutality
that has gone on for decades.
New Yorkers should put aside
their diff erences and rally behind
a cause for peace, justice and
equality — and in support of an
NYPD that better serves this city
“with liberty and justice for all.”
Photo by Dean Moses
The scene in Bayside, where Black Lives Matter protesters clashed with pro-police demonstrators.
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