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QUEENS WEEKLY, AUGUST 11, 2019
Queens demands action after massacres
Lawmakers repeat previous calls for gun control after weekend mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton
BY BILL PARRY
The presumptive
nominee for Queens district
attorney called the mass
shootings in El Paso, Texas,
and Dayton, Ohio, that
killed 29 people in less than
24 hours this past weekend
“heart-wrenching.”
Queens Borough
President Melinda Katz,
who declared victory over
Tiffany Cabán in the race
after the city Board of
Elections certified her as
the winner on July 29, said
her thoughts are with the
victims and their loved
ones and she is grateful to
the first responders whose
bravery saved lives in
both cities.
“Mass shooting like
these are sadly not new to
us, and we need to reckon
not just with the epidemic
of mass shootings and gun
violence in America, but its
causes,” Katz said on Aug. 4.
“We cannot continue to turn
a blind eye to the racism
and white supremacy that
lead to domestic terrorism
attacks like yesterday’s in
El Paso. We cannot continue
to pretend that access to
weapons of war does to
enable massacres like
yesterday’s in Dayton.”
Katz edged Cabán by
just 60 votes that was
determined by a recount last
month after she performed
solidly in southeast Queens,
where she has worked hard
to reduce gun violence
in the most vulnerable
neighborhoods in the
borough, collaborating with
organizations such as the
Kings of Kings Foundation
in Far Rockaway and LIFE
Camp in Jamaica.
“We cannot forget that
the lack of reasonable
gun control legislation
in America puts Queens
families in harm’s way
every single day,” Katz said.
“From finally passing HR8
to passing a ban on assault
weapons to implementing
‘Cure Violence’ programs
in partnership with
community groups
throughout Queens to
investing in mental health
programs citywide to
using the full power of the
law to prevent hate crimes,
we must do more to protect
our communities from
gun violence.”
Governor Andrew
Cuomo, who passed
sweeping gun control
legislation in the aftermath
of the Sandy Hook massacre
in 2013 and signed
several new gun control
measure into law just last
week, said the country
is under attack from
within from the federal
government’s inaction.
“This insanity must
stop and it must stop now.
Those who are unwilling
to do anything about it are
complicit,” Cuomo fumed.
“I am sick of excuses. I don’t
want to hear, ‘We can’t,’
because we know you can,
and you just ‘don’t.’ In New
York we are standing up
for sensible gun safety laws
to keep our families and
children safe and speaking
out against the bigotry and
hateful rhetoric fueling
many of these attacks.
Washington must do
the same.”
President Donald
Trump addressed the
nation from the White
House Monday morning
calling on Congress to pass
red flag laws to identify
those liable to commit
such crimes. He added that
Washington “must come
together” in the wake of
the shootings to “get strong
background checks” for
gun users.
State Senator Michael
Gianaris of Astoria did just
that last week when his
30-day background check
waiting period was enacted
last week when the governor
signed it into law.
Read more at QNS.com
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, who may be the borough’s next district attorney,
calls on the federal government to pass reasonable gun control measures after two mass
shootings over the weekend. Photo by Jenna Bagcal/QNS
Educators help build Richmond Hill’s newest home
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
Staff from the American
Montessori Society’s
(AMS) New York City
headquarters on Aug. 1
joined Habitat for Humanity
NYC to help build a home in
Richmond Hill.
The American
Montessori Society’s team
of volunteers completed
a variety of construction
tasks on a single-family
home being built from
the ground up at 101-64
132nd St. It is the second
Habitat NYC home to
be constructed from the
ground up in Queens and
is slated for completion by
year’s end.
“Volunteering with
Habitat NYC was an
ideal way for us to model
behavior to the 16,000
educators who are members
of our organization,”
said Dr. Tim Purnell,
the CEO of AMS. “It also
concretely exemplifies our
new organization mission:
‘Empowering humanity
to build a better world
through Montessori.’ We
are honored to support the
work that Habitat NYC is
doing throughout the five
boroughs and look forward
to future collaborations.”
The American
Montessori Society in New
York City leads, empowers
and serves the global
community of Montessori
educators as the foremost
advocate for research
and policy, ongoing
teacher education, and
standards of accreditation
through opportunities
for mentored individual
growth, collaboration, and
member engagement.
Underwriting the
event was Montessori
Outlet, a major provider
of Montessori learning
materials and furniture
and a longtime supporter
of AMS.
“We thank the staff at
AMS for their dedication
to Habitat for Humanity.
Montessori Outlet takes
community involvement
very seriously and we look
forward to continuing our
partnership with AMS on
these absolutely amazing
projects,” said Isabel
Orellana, general manager,
of Montessori Outlet, Inc.
Habitat for Humanity
NYC, founded in 1984 as
an independent affiliate
of Habitat for Humanity,
has served more than 1,200
families in the five boroughs
through home construction
and preservation.
“Habitat NYC is proud to
partner with AMS on this
build day. Partnerships
with education and
community groups is
always important to Habitat
NYC because through
intersectionality of our
missions we are able to
Staff members of the American Montessori Society and Councilwoman Adrienne Adams (c.)
take a break from swinging hammers at Habitat NYC’s home build site in Richmond Hill,
Queens. Courtesy of AMS
provide quality homes for a
future family—improving
not only their lives but also
the greater community in
NYC,” said Chap James
Day, community giving
and operations manager,
Habitat NYC. “We are
honored to have an
organization such as AMS,
that values education and
service, is with us today.”
City Councilwoman
Adrienne Adams showed
her support for the Habitat
NYC project and AMS by
visiting with the volunteers
at the site, located within
Council District 28, which
she represents.
“It is not enough to
acknowledge the need
for affordable housing
during this housing
crisis, but the issue must
be readily addressed
and the Richmond Hill,
Queens service project
implemented by the
American Montessori
Society and Habitat
NYC is doing just that,”
Adams said.
/QNS.com
