22 THE QUEENS COURIER • SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Holden to Hochul: Call National Guard to off set Rikers chaos
BY JULIA MORO
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Queens elected offi cials have been adamant
SE Queens leaders come out against proposed busways in Jamaica
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e city is moving forward with its plans
to bring two new busways through downtown
Jamaica despite objections from
southeast Queens elected offi cials.
Th e opposition to the pilot projects
on Archer Avenue and Jamaica Avenue
comes aft er months of conversation with
the Department of Transportation on the
nearby Merrick Boulevard bus lane that
leaders rallied against for the accelerated
implementation timeline, a lack of
safeguards against derelict vehicles stored
along the corridor, and the 24-hour lane
enforcement, asking instead for rush-hour
only within the low-density, transit desert
residential community.
Councilman I. Daneek Miller said the
community has waited “a long time” for
transit investment in southeast Queens,
and that the “lack of engagement and outreach”
by the DOT has been “disappointing.”
“Given the poor track record of implementation
with the nearby Merrick
Boulevard Bus Lane, this is something
I cannot in good conscience support.
Th ese two projects, if done incorrectly,
threaten the progress we’ve been able
to achieve in revitalizing the heart of our
commercial district in downtown Jamaica
these past several years,” Miller said. “We
are unequivocally saying that we have
lost confi dence in DOT under the current
administration, and we are calling
on them to postpone any further projects
in southeast Queens until they can
truly address the transit and transportation
needs of this community, which we
suspect won’t be until the next administration.”
State Senator James Sanders and
Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman objected
to the busway pilots on Jamaica and
Archer Avenues, saying the DOT should
“slow down and do it right” instead of
starting the implementation during the
same week that public schools return to
in-person learning.
“DOT has also failed to address many
outstanding issues such as poor street
lighting, ill-fi tted two-way streets in dire
need of one-way conversion and washed
out or missing street signs throughout our
districts,” said Councilwoman Adrienne
Adams, adding that they will stand against
the “ill-advised” program until the DOT
addresses the community’s concerns.
Th e leaders said DOT had reluctantly
agreed to modify the 24/7 enforcement
along the Merrick Avenue busway, proposing
a 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. enforcement
period instead.
“DOT has done little to resolve persistent
quality-of-life issues on that corridor,
and have ignored our request for
rush-hour only enforcement even as small
businesses and local residents suff er,” state
Senator Leroy Comrie said. “Southeast
Queens needs transit improvements but
it cannot be done without the confi dence
and support of local residents.”
Th e DOT said it is moving forward with
the busways following extensive outreach
in response to the elected offi cials and
community stakeholders.
“Keeping New Yorkers moving is essential
to getting our friends and neighbors
back to work as New York City’s recovery
continues,” DOT spokesman Brian
Zumhagen said. “Th e Archer Avenue
busway and Jamaica Avenue busway will
speed the commutes of 250,000 daily bus
riders through downtown Jamaica. Faster
buses increase ridership, reduce congestion
and help us cut the emissions driving
climate change.”
As far as the Merrick Boulevard busway,
DOT has worked with the 103rd and 113th
precincts and DSNY to address derelict
vehicles and drivers parking and idling in
the new bus lanes. At Miller’s request, the
agency installed bus lane camera infrastructure
and as of early September substantially
completed the project.
about the reform needed at Rikers
Island aft er 12 inmates have died just
this year — among them is Councilman
Robert Holden, who is calling on Gov.
Kathy Hochul to activate the National
Guard in order to alleviate the dangerous
conditions brought on by a “lack of
leadership and poor policies.”
Th is past week, another inmate,
Isaabdul Karim, died just aft er the governor
announced nearly 200 detainees at
Rikers on minor parole violations would
be released. Th e order stipulated that
technical violators could go home if they
had been incarcerated for 30 days —
Karim, who would have otherwise qualifi
ed, was at Rikers for 29 days.
On Sunday, Sept. 19, Karim died aft er
a medical emergency, which has been
credited to a lack of medical or mental
health services for weeks. Hochul
had just signed the Less is More Act,
which would result in the issuance of a
written notice of violation and a court
date as opposed to someone being
automatically incarcerated.
Even before Karim’s death, Holden
encouraged the governor to call upon
the National Guard to provide more
security at Rikers.
“Th e mayor has already checked
out, abandoned our hardworking
Department of Correction Offi cers
and broken his promises,”
Holden said.“Th ey’re still
being forced to work triple
shift s, making their jobs
even more dangerous.
A lack of leadership
and poor
policies have made
the Rikers Island
facility dangerous,
not the location.”
Holden said that
inmates and offi -
cers are in danger
of being hurt or
killed with the current
conditions at Rikers.
Last week, elected offi cials, including
Assembly member Jessica González-
Rojas and state Senator Jessica Ramos,
visited Rikers Island, where they say
they witnessed an inmate’s attempted
suicide.
González-Rokas said she wonders how
many lives it will take before decisive
and eff ective action is taken.
“Since visiting Rikers
Island a week ago, two
more deaths have happened
on our watch
and it’s exactly what we
said would occur without
necessary action.
Rikers is beyond
reform and
several legislators
who
have visited the
island now know it,”
González-Rojas said. “Th e people who
are incarcerated and the staff who work
there are no longer safe from the severe
neglect and violence that have been
escalating. We need the mayor and district
attorneys to act if we are going to
prevent more death.”
Twelve detainees have died at Rikers
this year, several from suicide. The
jail’s reputation for violence and
chaos has been exacerbated by the
COVID-19 pandemic, which infected
more than 2,200 employees. With
staff out sick in record numbers, the
conditions at Rikers began to get even
more dire.
But while some elected officials in
Queens are calling for people in Rikers
to be released, Holden criticized the
state’s decision to release nearly 1,500
people to curb the spread of COVID.
“Releasing more dangerous
criminals onto our streets is
not the answer and will make
more New Yorkers the victims
of crime,” Holden said. “Inmates
slated for release include career criminals
with multiple prior sentences.
Seventy percent of inmates at Rikers
are recidivists.”
Holden said he is disappointed that
he has yet to get a response from the
governor about his suggestion to bring
in the National Guard.
“Other cities have pulled the
National Guard into their jailsduring
the pandemic, so it’s not unheard
of,” Holden said.“Pulling NYPD officers
off the streets to work at Rikers
is not theanswer, nor is emptying out
the jail and putting more criminals on
the street.”
Photo by Todd Maisel
Southeast Queens elected offi cials are imploring
the DOT to get the Merrick Boulevard busway
right before moving forward on two more
busways through downtown Jamaica.
QNS fi le photo
Councilman Robert Holden
/WWW.QNS.COM
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