20 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 3, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Astorians continue fi ght to keep Key Food open
BY JACOB KAYE
jkaye@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Community leaders rallied support to
keep an Astoria Key Food grocery store
open beyond the end of its lease on Oct.
1, and to prevent a Target from settling in
its place.
Joined by a handful of elected offi cials,
about 60 Astorians came out to show
their support for the grocery store, located
at22-15 31st St., and the union jobs it
provides on Th ursday, Aug. 27.
“Our communities have been under
attack by corporations for a very long
time,” said state Senator Jessica Ramos.
“We want to protect the 150 jobs of these
essential workers who showed up to work
every day at the peak of the pandemic,
putting their lives at risk for us.”
In addition to Ramos, state Senator
Michael Gianaris and Zohran Mamdani,
who recently won the Democratic primary
Suozzi honors Bayside’s 111th Precinct police
offi cers who displayed exemplary heroism
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Congressman Tom Suozzi on Monday
recognized two Queens police offi cers for
their display of exemplary heroism in the
line of duty in service to their communities
at a ceremony held outside of the
Glen Cove Police Department.
“Every day, 24 hours a day, 7 days
a week, members of our local police
departments are protecting us, and serving
us. Some days are uneventful. Other
days are full of danger. And then there are
the days when their dedication to their
jobs leads them to perform extraordinaryacts
of heroism,” Suozzi said. “Today
we are highlighting just a few police offi -
cers that represent the good work done
members of our local police departments
every day, and we say, ‘thank you.’”
Police offi cers Michael Ippolito and
Lauren Creighton of Bayside’s NYPD
111th Precinct were honoredwith a fl ag
that was fl own over the U.S. Capitol, as
well as a Congressional citation,for saving
a 13-month-old infant’s life on Dec.
27.
Ippolito and Creighton were on patrol
duty when the mother of the infant called
to say that her son had stopped breathing,
while she was driving on the Cross
Island Parkway.
Th e offi cers conducted a canvas of a
portion of the parkway. When they found
the infant, he was unconscious, unresponsive
and not breathing.
Ippolito immediately began to administer
air to the infant via an airbag attached
to the infant’s trach-tube while Creighton
coordinated emergency personnel.Th e
infant regained consciousness and was
transported to the hospital by ambulance.
He made a full recovery.
For their eff orts, Ippolito and Creighton
were nominated by the 111th Precinct for
the NYPD Cop of the Year Award.
Suozzi also honored three other law
enforcement offi cers, one each from
Nassau County Police Department,
Suff olk County Police Department,
and the Glen Cove Police Department
describing the offi cers’ exemplifi cation
of bravery. Th e congressman was
joined by Nassau County Executive
Laura Curran, NYPD Captain John
Portalatin from Bayside’s 111thPrecinct,
NCPD Commissioner Pat Ryder, SCPD
Commissioner Geraldine Hart, Glen
Cove PD Chief William Whitton, and
Glen Cove Mayor Tim Tenke.
for Astoria’s state Assembly seat,
called for support for the Key Food on
Th ursday.
“We have a system and a society and a
government that is stripping the dignity
of its working class people to give more
and more to those who already have too
much,” Mamdani said.
Rally-goers shared concerns that without
Key Food, residents would lose access
to a vital grocery store at a time when
about 20 percent of New York City residents
are out of work.
Macaela Sears, the co-founder of the
Astoria Food Pantry, said that the food
crisis in Astoria is real. Th e night before
her pantry opens, a line begins to form
around the block, she said.
“Our neighbors are spending all night
on the sidewalk because they’re afraid
they won’t have enough food for their
families,” Sears said. “Like it or not, this
is the backdrop for this Target, which has
seen record sales during this pandemic,
bulldozing into our community and forcing
out this Key Food and 150 unionized
jobs with it.”
Key Food’s lease with Jenel Real Estate
expires on Oct. 1, 2020. Th e real estate
company, in collaboration with A&H
Acquisitions, reportedly plans to knock
down the existing two-story structure and
build a three-story structure housed by a
Target on the second and third fl oor.
Niether Jenel Real Estate nor A&H
Acquisitions could be reached for comment.
Queens lawmakers have spent the past
several months writing letters and advocating
on behalf of the local grocer.
“Key Food’s employees have gone
above and beyond through this crisis, to
make sure northern Astoria has access
to nutritious food,” Councilman Costa
Constantinides said in May. “Th e only
thanks they’ve given is a warning that
they’ll be out of a job by October, if not
sooner. Th e landlord must work on a
short-term solution to keep Key Food
serving our community, as well as truly
work with them to keep them in northern
Astoria.”
Photo by Dean Moses
Photo courtesy of Suozzi’s offi ce
Congressman Tom Suozzi (c.) honors law enforcement offi cers from Glen Clove, Nassau County, Suff olk County and Queens, who displayed exemplary
heroism in the line of duty in service to their communities.
/WWW.QNS.COM
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