16 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 16, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Parkland shooting victims visit Queens
BY RYAN KELLEY
rkelley@qns.com
Twitter @R_Kelley6
Survivors of the mass shooting
in Parkland, Florida, in
February were in Queens last
weekend while touring the
country to advocate for gun
control legislation.
More than 20 students from
Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School — where a gunman
opened fire and killed 17
students and staff members
— made the long trip to the
“World’s Borough” on Aug.
11 as part of the “March For
Our Lives: Road To Change”
tour. The students have spent
their summer touring the
nation in an effort to motivate
young people to register
and vote in the upcoming
elections.
While in Queens, the students
stopped by LIFE Camp
Inc. as well as Borough Hall
and had the opportunity to
meet with Borough President
Melinda Katz, who is a strong
advocate for stricter gun laws
and participated in the national
school walkout one month aft er
the shooting.
At the Borough Hall event,
members of several other activist
groups shared ideas and
experiences about gun violence
and reform while enjoying live
artwork, music, dancing and
more.
Explore Eastern Queens by bike in the
the second annual Tour de Flushing
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_
bagcal
Th e Tour de Flushing is back
for its second year.
On Sunday, Aug. 19, cyclists
of all ages are invited to this
free, family-friendly event that
takes participants on a scenic
ride through Queens’ Greenbelt
in Flushing. Th e 11-mile ride
begins on the Western End of
Kissena Corridor Park at the
intersection of Main Street and
Elder Avenue and will be broken
up into two legs with an
optional third leg.
Transportation Alternatives
Eastern Queens Committee,
Th e Greater Flushing Chamber
of Commerce and Eastern
Queens Greenway are the
co-hosts for Sunday’s event.
Th e fi rst leg of the ride is fi ve
miles long, starting at Kissena
Corridor Park and going
through the Queens’ Greenbelt
to Cunningham Park.
Following that leg, the second
leg starts at the Vanderbilt
Motor Parkway Greenway and
fi nishes at Flushing Quaker
Meeting Houses.
Th ose who are up for the
challenge can participate in the
optional third leg, which takes
riders an extra three miles on
the Vanderbilt Motor Parkway.
Free valet bicycle parking
will be available at the Flushing
Quaker Meeting House in
Downtown Flushing and hosts
will direct participants to a
variety of eateries to try.
In addition to the ride, participants
are also invited to
learn and support several petitions
related to the Tour de
Flushing and expanding safe
cycling in eastern Queens. Th e
fi rst petition requests a family
safe path through Kissena
Corridor Park, with connections
to Kissena Park and
Flushing Meadows-Corona
Park.
Another petition proposes to
create a connector between the
Motor Parkway bike and pedestrian
trail in Queens and the
planned 14-mile long Motor
Parkway bike and pedestrian
trail in Nassau County.
A third campaign proposes
a redesign of Utopia Parkway,
which includes reducing the
speed limit, curb extensions at
intersections, protected bike
lanes and upgraded bus stops
with shelters.
Th e Tour de Flushing takes
place on Sunday, Aug. 19,
beginning at 9 a.m. For more
information on this free event,
to make a donation or to RSVP,
visit transalt.org.
Photo courtesy of Jessica Ramos
Mayor Bill de Blasio endorsed Jessica Ramos on Aug. 12.
De Blasio backs Ramos over
Peralta in Queens Senate race
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_
bagcal
Mayor Bill de Blasio
announced his endorsement of
state Senate candidate and former
aide Jessica Ramos over
the incumbent state Senator
Jose Peralta.
The mayor’s Aug. 12
endorsement is the latest
in Ramos’ growing list
of supporters, including
Congresswoman Carolyn
Maloney, Assemblywoman
Aravella Simotas, New York
City Comptroller Scott Stringer
and Gubernatorial Candidate
Cynthia Nixon.
Before running for offi ce,
the Senate candidate worked
as de Blasio’s director of Latina
media in City Hall from April
2016 to December 2017. Her
job was to keep nearly 2 million
Spanish-speaking New Yorkers
informed about government
services and initiatives.
“Jessica Ramos is a tireless
advocate for her community
and a progressive champion for
working families — and I’m
proud to endorse her for state
Senate,” de Blasio said. “Jessica
will help give New York a true
Democratic majority in the
Senate and ensure vital progress
in Albany — from real
rent reform to public school
funding to the DREAM Act.
As a public school parent, a
Queens native and a daily subway
rider, Jessica knows fi rsthand
the challenges her neighbors
face and will stand up
for working people in Albany.
In City Hall, Jessica worked
with me to expand access to
resources for Latino communities,
and I know in Albany
she’ll be a strong partner that
advocates for our city’s diverse
communities.”
Ramos announced her run
against Peralta in January
2018, citing the need for a “real
Democrat” in the race. Since
the beginning of her campaign,
she has been a tough
critic of Peralta’s former IDC
(Independent Democratic
Conference) membership, a
stance that the senator has consistently
defended. In addition
to a Democratic state Senate,
her platform has been focused
on issues including the rights of
women and immigrants, transportation
and rent reform.
“Mayor de Blasio has fought
to make this city fairer for working
families, and I’m honored
to receive his endorsement,”
Ramos said. “Under the mayor’s
leadership, New York City
has become a national leader
in early childhood education
and invested deeply in public
school students across all fi ve
boroughs. During my time in
City Hall, I saw fi rsthand how
many progressive policies were
blocked by Republican leadership
in Albany. I’m proud to
have the mayor’s support as
we campaign to build a true
Democratic majority in the
state Senate, and I look forward
to partnering with his administration
to deliver for working
families in Queens and across
the state.”
Sunday, Aug. 19, is the last
day to register for voting in
state and local primaries. For
voter resources, including how
to register, downloading forms
in diff erent languages and
checking your voter status, visit
the nyc.gov website and under
the “NYC Resources” tab, click
“Elections.”
Th e primary between Ramos
and Peralta is Th ursday, Sept.
13. Whoever wins the primary
will go on to the general election
on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Photo via Twitter @QueensBPKatz
From left to right: Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, shooting survivor
David Hogg, LIFE Camp, Inc. founder Erica Ford and shooting survivor Emma
Gonzalez in Queens on Aug. 11.
Photo via easternqueensgreenway.com
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