FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com JULY 28, 2016 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11 Queens residents are urging the city to respect a slave burial ground in Flushing BY BRIANNA ELLIS bellis@qns.com/@briinformed For over a decade, Queens residents have been pressuring the city into maintaining a historical cemetery in Flushing where slaves were buried. The Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground, located at 45-12 165th St., served as a burial site to more than 1,000 African-American slaves and Native Americans since the late 1800s. According to the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), death records from 1881 to 1898 refl ect that 62 percent of the buried were African-American or Native American, 34 percent were unidentifi ed and over half were children younger than age 5. Residents worry that the historical site is being overlooked due to the proximity of Martin’s Field, a next-door playground equipped with a baseball fi eld, wading pool and swing sets. The playground was built in 1938 next to the site once known as “Pauper Burial Ground” or “Colored Cemetery of Flushing.” Alongside community members, state Senator Tony Avella voiced complaints that the cemetery’s memorial wall is covered by weeds and lacks the proper maintenance it deserves. “It is extremely disappointing that the DPR has treated an African-American and Native American burial site with such disrespect,” Avella told The Courier. “It is time for the city and DPR to do the right thing by the community and those The Olde Towne of Flushing Burial Ground has residents worried that the cemetery is not being respectfully maintained. that are buried here.” Meghan Lalor, a spokesperson from DPR, responded with a different perspective on the burial ground’s appearance. “The park is regularly maintained by a mobile crew, and tended by horticultural and mowing Photo courtesy of NYC Parks Department crews, as well as volunteers,” she told The Courier. “We just had a volunteer group clean up in the park last Friday.” A Courier reporter also visited the burial ground on July 22 and saw the volunteers cleaning up the area. Great rates like ours are always in season. 1.25% 18-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit To qualify you must open a Flushing Bank Complete Checking Plus account. Get the complete access and control you desire with a competitive interest rate and banking on-the-go with our Flushing Bank Mobile2 app. For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch, call 800.581.2889 or visit www.FlushingBank.com. 1 New money only. APY effective July 5, 2016. Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of $5,000 is required. Funds cannot be transferred from an existing Flushing Bank account. Premature withdrawals may be subject to bank and IRS penalties. Rates and offer are subject to change without notice. A new Complete Checking Plus account with a $5,000 minimum initial deposit is required to receive the CD with the advertised rate. Certain fees and restrictions may apply. For new IRA and rollover accounts, the minimum deposit balance is $5,000. A new checking account is not required for IRA accounts. Speak with a Flushing Bank representative for more details. 2 Flushing Bank Mobile Banking is available to all Flushing Bank online banking users. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
QC07282016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above