16 THE QUEENS COURIER • YEAR IN REVIEW • DECEMBER 30, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
year in review
Queens’ top stories from May 2021
BY JULIA MORO
Melinda Katz, on Feb. 16, Mateo began
editorial@qns.com
to argue with the 52-year-old Chinese
@QNS
woman while both were in line at the bakery
on Roosevelt Avenue. Mateo cursed at
As 2021 wraps up and we look ahead to
the woman and pushed her face. Mateo
2022, QNS takes a moment to remember
also allegedly threw a cardboard box at the
the top stories of this past year.
woman before shoving her to the ground
Below are short synopses of the top
into a metal newsstand on the sidewalk.
stories from the month of May.
Th e woman was left with a large gash
across the woman’s forehead that needed
Queens man indicted on
10 stitches, according to authorities.
hate crime charge for
allegedly attacking Asian
Vandals cause more than
woman at Flushing bakery
$10,000 in damages to
A Queens man was indicted for a hate
popular Rockaway Beach
crime and other charges Monday, May 10,
boardwalk concession area
for allegedly attacking an Asian woman
Rockaway Beach boardwalk operators
outside of a Flushing Bakery.
had to rush Memorial Day preparations
Patrick Mateo, 47, is awaiting arraignment
aft er vandals caused $10,000 worth of
and if convicted, he faces up to one year in jail.
damage before the holiday weekend.
According to Queens District Attorney
In a criminal mischief fi ling with the
NYPD on May 13, the complaint listed “damage
to several metal doors, offi ce in disarray
and food placed inside of pipes and vents.”
“We are working our tails off to be
open by Memorial Day weekend and look
forward to a fun, sunny fi rst season in
Rockaway,” co-owners Belvy Klein and
Aaron Broudo said in a statement. “We
are happy to have reached agreements
with Caracas, Rippers and the majority
of the Beach 97th food vendors. Th e incident
at Beach 97th is unfortunate and a
real bummer not only for us but our vendors
as well. We will continue to push for,
and work with, the Rockaway small business
community.”
Queens’ pandemic journey,
through the eyes of a Jackson
Heights artist and parent
Deborah Wasserman — a mother of
two teenage girls known for her vibrant
artwork — received a grant in 2020 and
was excited to start creating, but the
pandemic had diff erent plans.
Wasserman said, “Who knew then,
that so many of my plans would shut
down, change and alter direction?”
Wasserman and her family live just
a few blocks
from Elmhurst
Hospital and
were often
haunted by
the ambulance
sirens, and
even helicopters
transporting
COVID-
19 patients.
However, they
did their best to
maintain a safe
home environment.
“Our pandemic
experience as
a family was colored
by the fact that we live in the ‘epicenter
of the epicenter,’” Wasserman said.
“But the atmosphere inside our home
was that of safety and relative calm.”
Wasserman did her part to help
out by volunteering for COVID Care
Neighborhood Network where she organized
food donations and contacted
local families.
“Speaking to these families during
the lockdown — most of them without
resources, health insurance or income —
put my personal
pandemic experience
in proportion,”
she said. “I
was, and still am,
very fortunate.”
Was s e rman
found her peace
through helping
and channel
her anxieties
into new bodies
of work. A new
work grant gave
Wasserman the
opportunity to
present for the
Jackson Heights
Art Talk.
Rikers Island descends into
‘disorder and chaos’ as
Queens lawmaker discovers
troubling development
Department of Correction
Commissioner Cynthia Brann
announced that she would step down
from her post on May 31 aft er three
years at the helm of the city’s prison system.
A scathing report from a federal probe
revealed “chaos” on Rikers Island came
out just hours aft er the commissioner
stepped down. Th e report describes
“how the uniformed leadership in the
jails perpetuates a chaotic environment
plagued by operational failures that
threaten security and chronic disruptions
in basic services, such as recreation
and commissary, that cause frustration
and despair,” according to Th e
Legal Aid Society.
Assemblywoman Jessica González-
Rojas urged the Board of Correction to
end solitary confi nement in New York
City jails.
“No matter what name we give it, solitary
confi nement is torture and has
no place in our city. Th e mayor promised
to end solitary confi nement and
he must fulfi ll his promise,” González-
Rojas said. “We saw the NIC Structurally
Restrictive Housing Units that are meant
to be alternatives to solitary confi nement
under the Board of Correction’s
proposed rules. Being locked in these
cages alone for 24 hours a day is nothing
more than solitary confi nement by
another name.”
Photo courtesy of HALT Solitary
Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas is
calling on the city to end all forms of solitary
confi nement on Rikers Island.
Courtesy of Wasserman
“The Water Carrier” by Jackson Heights-based artist
Deborah Wasserman.
Auxiliary offi cer assigned
to 113th Precinct dies of
COVID-19 complications
Lynford George Chambers, 65,
auxiliary police offi cer in the 113th
Precinct, died of complications related
to COVID-19 on Th ursday, April 2, the
NYPD announced. He was 65.
New York City Police Commissioner
Dermot Shea announced that 1,200
members of the NYPD had tested positive
for COVID-19. At the time of the
announcement, fi ve members of the
department had died due to complications
from the disease.
“It is with deep regret that we announce
the passing of Auxiliary Police Offi cer
Lynford Chambers, who succumbed to
complications from #COVID19 earlier
today,” Shea tweeted. “Our prayers are
with his friends & family during this diffi
cult time.”
Th e 113th Precinct’s Twitter account
also commented on the loss.
“We are saddened to announce the
passing of Auxiliary Police Offi cer
Lynford George Chambers,” the 113th
Precinct said in a tweet. “He was an
honorable Auxiliary Police Offi cer
assigned to the 113 Precinct. Mr.
Chambers died of complications from
COVID-19.” Photo via Twitter/NYPD Queens South
QNS fi le photo
The Rockaway Beach Boardwalk.
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