14 FEBRUARY 21, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
R’wood activist proud to see Child Victims Act passed
BY BILL PARRY
BPARRY@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed
the Child Victims Act into New
York law on Feb. 14, ending a
decades-long quest for survivors and
advocates in the state who have long
sought the bill’s passage.
The legislation ensures those who
abuse children are held accountable
criminally and civilly and that
survivors of childhood sexual abuse
have a path to justice.
“We are here today because survivors
who endured unimaginable pain
came forward with great courage and
sacrifi ced their own privacy to make
change for others,” Cuomo said. “This
bill brings justice to people who were
abused, and rights the wrongs that
went unacknowledged and unpunished
for too long. By signing this bill, we are
saying nobody is above the law, that the
cloak of authority is not impenetrable,
and that if you violate the law, we will
fi nd out and you will be punished and
justice will be done.”
The legislation will raise the criminal
statute of limitations for child sex abuse
crimes by fi ve years and raise the civil
statute of limitations for causes of
action brought by someone seeking
redress for physical, psychological or
Governor Andrew Cuomo hands former Assemblywoman Margaret Markey
the copy of the Child Victims Act he signed into law 13 years after she
introduced it. Photo courtesy of Governor’s offi ce
other injury caused by child sexual
abuse to age 55.
Additionally, the legislation will
create a one-year window, starting six
months from the eff ective date of the
bill, for past victims of child sexual
abuse to initiate lawsuits against their
abusers and the public and private
institutions that let the abuse happen.
The bill will eliminate onerous
“notice of claim” requirements that
create hurdles for victims to sue public
institutions that negligently allowed
the abuse to occur, during the revival
window and going forward.
Cuomo blamed Senate Republicans
for blocking the legislation for the last
13 years.
“This is society’s way of saying we
are sorry,” he said. “We are sorry for
what happened to you. We are sorry it
took so long for us to recognize what
happened to you.”
Several activist groups and
survivors joined Cuomo in Manhattan
where he signed the bill including
Ridgewood activist and survivor
Connie Altamirano, a 45-year-old
single mother of two who suffers
from PTSD.
“This victory, while signifi cant for
survivors and future generations of
children, is only the beginning for New
York,” Altamirano said. “We need more
broad protections for kids, including
removing the statute of limitations
completely, and setting up mandatory
programs for education and prevention.
This battle is far from over.”
Former Queens Assemblywoman
Margaret Markey was on hand 13
years aft er she fi rst introduced the
bill and Cuomo said she would go down
in history “as a profi le in courage” for
staying the course despite intense
pushback from the Catholic church
who opposed the bill for years.
“It’s tough to take on your church,”
Cuomo said.
Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal,
who carried the bill in the lower
chamber, thanked Markey for her
leadership and the victims and
advocates for allowing her to be a “foot
soldier” in their fi ght.
Queens biz leaders lament loss of Amazon HQ2 in LIC
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
AND BILL PARRY
EDITORIAL@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@RIDGEWOODTIMES
The Valentine’s Day breakup
between Amazon and its deal
with the city and state for a
multibillion-dollar Long Island City
campus brought joy to opponents and
disappointment to supporters.
The plans to develop a new campus
on the Anable Basin waterfront in Long
Island City and bring at least 25,000
jobs to the community were ended on
Feb. 14 in a lengthy statement from
Amazon to its DayOne blog. It deprives
the city and state of an estimated $27
billion in economic revenue that the
Amazon project in Long Island City
was projected to generate over the next
25 years. Amazon had touted that the
average annual salary for the each job
would be $150,000.
“Aft er much thought and deliberation,
we’ve decided not to move forward
with our plans to build a headquarters
for Amazon in Long Island City,
Queens,” the company wrote. “For
Amazon, the commitment to build a
new headquarters requires positive,
collaborative relationships with state
and local elected offi cials who will be
supportive over the long-term. While
polls show that 70% of New Yorkers
support our plans and investment, a
number of state and local politicians
have made it clear that they oppose our
presence and will not work with us to
build the type of relationships that are
required to go forward with the project
we and many others envisioned in
Long Island City.”
Amazon reached the deal with the
city and state in November 2018 in
exchange for receive up to $3 billion
in tax incentives. Local elected offi cials
opposed the plan, citing the reported tax
breaks and Amazon’s corporate history
— and a need to use public funding
for infrastructure improvements
and housing.
Aft er The Washington Post reported
about Amazon having second thoughts
on Long Island City, critics believed it
was gamesmanship. However, the
Feb. 14 statement proved Amazon
wasn’t bluffi ng.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, however,
was apoplectic about the developments.
Referencing Queens lawmakers who
opposed the Amazon project, he said
“a small group of politicians put their
own narrow political interests above
their community — which poll aft er poll
showed overwhelmingly supported
bringing Amazon to Long Island City —
the state’s economic future and the best
interests of the people of this state.”
Thomas Grech, president and CEO
of the Queens Chamber of Commerce,
predicted that “an entire generation will
look back at these last few months and
ask us why.”
De Blasio, who along with Cuomo
gushed about the Amazon deal last
November, was angered on Feb. 14 that
Amazon seemingly spurned the city.
“You have to be tough to make it in
New York City,” de Blasio said. “Instead
of working with the community,
Amazon threw away that opportunity.
We have the best talent in the world and
every day we are growing a stronger
and fairer economy for everyone. If
Amazon can’t recognize what that’s
worth, its competitors will.”
Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz seemed to echo the
mayor’s sentiments.
“We all want jobs to come to Queens,
and Amazon used the promise of job
creation to extract major concessions for
this project. But aft er last month’s City
Council hearing, it became increasingly
clear that they had no intentions of being
good neighbors and committing to the
required negotiations,” Katz said.
File photo/Shutterstock
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