4 The QUEE NS Courier • SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com SON CUFFED FOR CUTTING MOM’S THROAT IN BAYSIDE BY SUZANE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com/@smont76 A son has been charged for allegedly slashing his mother in the throat with a knife, then turning the knife on himself in Bayside on the afternoon of Aug. 26. Michael Berger, 46, has been booked on attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon charges for attacking his 72-year-old mother in the throat within the Scheuer House of Bayside at 208-11 26th Ave., an assisted living facility, at 11:25 a.m. on Aug. 26, police said. After assaulting his mother, law enforcement sources said, Berger then cut his own throat. The incident was witnessed by a 61-year-old female health care aide, who fled the room where it happened and sought assistance from a superintendent, who notified police. Officers from the 109th Precinct and EMS units arrived at the scene. Both individuals were rushed to NewYork-Presbyterian/ Queens hospital. On Aug. 26, the 46-year-old was listed in critical condition and his mother as in stable condition. As of press time, authorities had not provided any updates regarding the condition of mother and son. There is currently no information on motive, police said, though it was said the attack was the result of a domestic incident. Photo: Suzanne Monteverdi/THE COURIER A 46-year-old man was charged with attempted murder after slashing his mother with a knife in a Bayside assisted living center. ‘Graffiti Busters’ need your help to wipe out unsightly tags across Flushing BY SUZANE MONTEVERDI smonteverdi@qns.com/@smont76 A group of “Graffiti Busters” in Flushing have begun a campaign to clean up the neighborhood, and they are asking for community’s help. The Flushing Business Improvement District has been granted a $46,000 expansion of funds by Councilman Peter Koo. The money will go toward the group’s sanitation and graffiti removal services in Council District 20 for the year, according to a release by Koo’s office on Aug. 26. The BID has already begun to put the funds to use: the Graffiti Busters recently cleaned up the Flushing- Main Street LIRR station, a frequent graffiti target, in a twoday Photo courtesy of Councilman Koo’s office Before and after shots of the group’s first cleanup campaign at the Flushing-Main Street LIRR station. project. The group also removed graffiti from a site at 41st Avenue and Main Street and the first floor of the abandoned RKO Keith’s Theater on Main Street and Northern Boulevard. Going forward with their campaign, the Flushing BID and Koo have asked the community to assist via social media. “Graffiti removal needs to be consistent if we are to discourage would-be vandals from repeating their offense, so it’s important that the community get involved,” Koo said. “Let us know where you see graffiti by tagging my office or the BID on Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #FlushingGraffitiBusters, and we’ll make sure to flag your location for removal.” Those without social media are asked to contact the Flushing BID at 718-888-1805, or Koo’s office at 718-888-8747 with info. “The Flushing BID has been working actively with Councilman Koo to combat graffiti and other quality-of-life issues in downtown Flushing and continues to do so,” said Tina Lee, co-chair of the Flushing BID. “Property owners in Flushing can contact the BID for graffiti removal service at no cost to them.” Woodside calls for justice following recent bias crime By Michael Tabrizi editorial@qns.com/@QNS A week after a transgender woman was attacked with a hammer in what’s now being investigated as a bias crime, local elected officials and Woodside residents rallied on the afternoon of Aug. 25 calling for justice. The assault occurred on the morning of Aug. 17 on 66th Street off Roosevelt Avenue, when the 28-year-old transgender woman was struck in the head. The assailant reportedly said, “This is what you get for being gay.” The victim, named Gabby, spoke at the event with the assistance of a translator, saying that she was thankful for all the support and that she had felt “a lot of fear.” According to Bianey Garcia, LGBTQ organizer at Make the Road New York, a social justice group servicing primarily Latino and working-class people throughout the city, this attack was one in “over 10 incidents against transgender individuals in Queens.” The incident was also part of a larger nationwide epidemic of transphobia, said LaLa Zannell, New York City Anti-Violence Project Lead Organizer. Many of the groups involved point out how this epidemic unequally affects transgender people of color. From 2013-2015, at least 53 transgender individuals were murdered in the United States, 90 percent of whom were transgender people of color. People in the trans community, and in particular transgender women of color, face added barriers; 41 percent of black and 27 percent of Hispanic transgender individuals have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives. During the rally at the corner of Roosevelt and Woodside avenues, the participants — including Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, Public Advocate Letitia James, City Comptroller Scott Stringer and Congressman Joe Crowley Photo via Twitter/@JimmyVanBramer Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer and other elected officials rallied in Woodside on Aug. 25 to condemn a recent bias crime in which a transgender woman was attacked with a hammer. — expressed solidarity with transgender women in the city. The rally sent a clear message that such disgusting acts of hatred will not be tolerated. “Our trans neighbors should be able to go about their daily lives without living in fear of a vicious attack like the one that happened last week,” Van Bramer said. He called upon all New Yorkers to come together and with one voice demand an end to violence for all LGBTQ people. James added that “New York City is a fabric woven of diverse communities, sexual orientations, faiths, ethnicities and genders, and we all have a moral responsibility to stand together and speak out against this bigotry.”
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