18 Queens DA race gets two new competitors
QUEENS WEEKLY, MARCH 3, 2019
BY BILL PARRY
Two more candidates
have joined the crowded
race to replace Queens District
Attorney Richard A.
Brown: José Nieves, a longtime
Queens resident and a
career prosecutor, and attorney
Betty Lugo, another
prosecutor and founding
partner of the state’s first
Latina-owned law firm.
Nieves, a Jackson
Heights resident, emphasized
the need to change
the focus of the DA’s office
and utilize its resources in
progressive ways.
“I want to redirect the
focus of the Queens District
Attorney’s Office away from
merely charging and incarcerating
people,” Nieves
said. “Instead, I want to
use the office’s resources
to divert non-violent offenders
away from the criminal
justice system, create
meaningful alternatives to
incarceration, and keep our
community safe by prosecuting
violent crimes.”
Nieves indicated that he
will implement several new
initiatives when he is elected,
including the following:
declining to prosecute low
level offenses and diverting
those charged with non-violent
crimes into drug programs;
eliminating cash
bail; creating a Conviction
Review Unit to overturn
wrongful convictions; expunging
criminal convictions
that are solely for the
possession of marijuana;
training all legal staff on
procedural justice, implicit
bias, and racial justice; considering
the collateral consequences
for immigrants
in charging decisions, plea
negotiations, and sentencing
recommendations; hiring
immigration attorneys
to advise prosecutors, witnesses
and victims regarding
immigration matters;
and conducting quarterly
town hall meetings.
A graduate of the St.
John’s University School
of Law, Nieves is an Army
combat veteran who serve
in the state’s Attorney General’s
office as a Deputy
Chief in the Special Investigations
and Prosecutions
Unit before resigning this
year to campaign for DA.
“I have the life experience
to know that the criminal
justice system has been
fundamentally unfair to
people of color and the poor,
and the professional experience
and expertise to allow
me to change it”, Nieves
said. “My goal is to create a
more fair and equal criminal
justice system while also
maintaining public safety in
our communities.”
Meanwhile, Lugo
launched her campaign
with a rally at Borough Hall
on Feb. 21.
Born and raised in
Elmhurst, the Maspeth resident
was the first Hispanic
woman to work as an assistant
district attorney in the
Nassau County DA’s office
in the mid-80s, before cofounding
Pacheco & Lugo
in 1992.
“Queens needs true justice
for all, a well-rounded
professional with prosecutorial
background
who cares about victims,
families, and society
as a whole,” Lugo said.
“Queens needs outreach,
education, help with mental
issues, veterans court,
criminal justice reform
and mediation of non low
level offenses.”
Lugo added that the safety
of the people of Queens
is her priority and she will
firm and fair.
“The District Attorney
is entrusted with representing
all of the people of the
State of New York County of
Queens. Everyone deserves
to be treated equally and
with respect.”
Lugo and Nieves join
Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz, Councilman
Rory Lancman, former
Queens Supreme Court
Justice Greg Lasak, public
defender Tiffany Caban
and former Queens prosecutor
and Civilian Complaint
Review Board chair
Mina Malik in the race for
Queens DA. The Democratic
primary is June 25.
BY BILL PARRY
Knowing that fresh produce
can be hard to find in
many underserved neighborhoods,
City Council
Speaker Corey Johnson, the
acting public advocate, created
an interactive Farm-
To-City Food map of the
five boroughs, highlighting
the importance of access to
fresh and healthy food for all
New Yorkers.
In Queens, the map
shows 17 Community Supported
Agriculture (CSAs),
20 farmers markets, two
food boxes and four fresh
pantry projects.
CSAs are partnerships
between a farm and a community
that allow neighbors
to invest in the farm at
the beginning of the growing
season when farms
need support the most, in
exchange for weekly distribution
of the farms’ produce
from June to November.
Food Box programs
aggregate produce from
participating farms and
enable under-served communities
to purchase a box
of fresh, healthy, primarily
regionally-grown produce.
Food pantries shown
on the map are part of
GrowNYC’s Fresh Pantry
Project. These pantries
accept donations of fresh
local produce from New
York area growers. Farmers’
markets are diverse
and may be run by a large,
centrally-managed network
or by a single community
organization, garden group,
or impassioned neighbors
running their own
community-run market.
“Access to fresh, healthy
food should be a human
right for everyone living in
New York City,” Johnson
said. “Many New Yorkers
don’t know where to find
fresh food options even if
they are nearby, but the
good news is that there are
several community-based
programs that make fresh
food affordable. With this
map, we are highlighting
the work of amazing organizations
like GrowNYC,
Just Food, and Harvest
Home, promoting healthy
lifestyles for all New Yorkers,
and highlighting the
need to continue fighting
until fresh, healthy food is
affordable and accessible
for everyone.”
The new interactive map
allows viewers to find and
learn more about all 307
locations, including payment
programs that help
make fruits and vegetables
and other healthy options
more affordable, making
it a valuable resource for
anyone in search of fresh,
healthy food in New York
City. The map is available
on the acting public
advocate’s website.
“The New York City
Council’s Farm-to-City
Food Map is an empowering
tool that will help
people throughout the City
eat fresh, healthy, and local.”
GrowNYC President,
Marcel Van Ooyen said.
“GrowNYC’s mission is to
build linkages between local
farms and New York
City communities. This online
tool will make it easier
for New Yorkers to take full
advantage of resources such
as Greenmarket, Youthmarket,
and Fresh Food Box
that support regional farm
economies, provide access
to delicious and healthy
foods, and fully utilize nutrition
assistance programs
such as SNAP and FMNP.”
Jose Nieves gives the thumbs up sign as he launches his campaign for Queens district
attorney in front of Queens Supreme Court. Courtesy of Nieves’ campaign
New map shows where to fi nd fresh produce in borough
Council Speaker Corey Johnson created an interactive map
showing where fresh produce can be found in underserved
areas of the five boroughs. Courtesy of Johnson’s office