38 The QUeeNS CoUrier • APRIL 9, 2015 for brEakING NEwS vISIT www.queenscourier.com 12 times • APRIL 9, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.timesnewsweekly.com editorial letters IDENTIFY THIS PLACE Go to www.queenscourier.com and search “Identify This Place” to find out where this is THE QUEENS Victoria SchnepS-YuniS JoShua a. SchnepS BoB Brennan roBert pozarYcki amY amato-Sanchez nirmal Singh graziella zerilli Stephen reina ron torina, Jennifer Decio, cherYl gallagher liam la guerre, criStaBelle tumola, angY altamirano katrina meDoff, anthonY giuDice, angela matua cliff kaSDen, Samantha Sohmer, elizaBeth aloni criStaBelle tumola Demetra plagakiS louiSe caValiere celeSte alamin maria Valencia Victoria SchnepS-YuniS JoShua a. SchnepS Publisher & editor Co-Publisher AssoCiAte Publisher editor-in-Chief VP, eVents, Web & soCiAl MediA ESTABLISHED 1908 Art direCtor AssistAnt to Publisher AssistAnt Art direCtor VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA SCHNEPS......................Artists stAff rePorters Co-Publishers ROBERT POZARYCKI..................Contributing rePorters Editor-in-Chief NIRMAL SINGH.............................Web editor Production Manager eVents MAnAger CHERYL senior GALLAGHER ACCount exeCutiVe ................Art Director ClAssified MAnAger DEBORAH CUSICK......................Controller Classified Manager MARLENE RUIZ.............................President & Ceo Assistant Classified Manager ViCe President ANTHONY GIUDICE.....................Reporter KELLY Schneps MARIE Communications,MANCUSO........... 38-15 Contributing Bell Blvd., Bayside,Reporter NY 11361 718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441 MARCIN ZURAWICZ.....................Photographer www.queenscourier.com editorial e-mail: [email protected] for advertising e-mail: [email protected] Entire Contents Copyright 2015 by The Queens Courier All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation, indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR, AS WELL AS OP-ED PIECES IN NO WAY REFLECT THE PAPER’S POSITION. No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE QUEENS COURIER. The publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Errors must be reported to THE QUEENS COURIER within five days of publication. Ad position cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication. Schneps Communications assumes no liability for the content or reply to any ads. The advertiser assumes all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold THE QUEENS COURIER and its employees harmless from all cost, expenses, liabilities, and damages resulting from or caused by the publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement. Hey, Mr. Mayor: Hire more cops! Police Commissioner Bill Bratton denies the fact he had an argument with Deputy Mayor Anthony Shorris over hiring more police officers in the upcoming NYC budget. Well in my opinion it doesn’t matter who said what because the reality is we do need to hire another 1,000 more police officers. Mayor de Blasio needs to make room in the budget to hire more police officers and make New York City a safer place to work, to go to school and to live. City Councilman Eric Ulrich said it right when he said, “It’s time for Bill de Blasio to put his money where his mouth is.” Now finally, Mr. Mayor, the people of this great city of ours is asking, “Do we get a safer city or do we return to policies that will return us to a truly unsafe city for all concerned?” Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Glen Oaks Village Iran nuke deal not to be trusted The announcement by President Obama that a tentative agreement has been reached between Iran and the U.S. and its allies merits intense scrutinization by the Congress. What exactly is within the framework of this deal, and how well will the Iranian government be monitored to ensure strict compliance? Let’s not kid ourselves; Iran has not been trusted in the past, and cannot be trusted in the future. This agreement needs to be very strictly enforced, because if it is not, then there is going to be real negative fallout — from nuclear weapons launched by the ayatollahs. What do you say to that, Mr. President? John Amato, Fresh Meadows Too much hatred in America The world is a mess. Terrorists strike individually or in groups, killing for the satisfaction of destroying the lives of families simply because they can. Girls are kidnapped, raped and kept prisoners in the dark, forced to accept being second-rate members of their communities. Hatred is the constant byword. Extremists demand compliance to their twisted beliefs, politicians cannot accept their opponents are anything other than enemies, and judges who find for one side are condemned by the other as “activists” when in fact they are condemned for not agreeing with the party who is unsuccessful. Anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim, anti-religious, anti-gay and lesbian, antichoice, anti-compromise; anti-everything but what one side demands is the only way. To oppose positions taken by the right wing results in questions whether the opponent is a patriot, a traitor to the nation, morally corrupt, ethically questionable or could be trusted to become an elected official. Governor Mike Pence of Indiana will not answer if the Religious Freedom Bill protects acts of discrimination. Governor Christie has altered his position on abortion legislation. Ted Cruz is marshalling “true conservatives” to take control of the nation’s future. And amazingly, Trevor Noah, who can testify to the impact of discrimination, has no problem making anti-Semitic tweets. A recent remake of an “Our Gang” segment had a child appearing as Joe Biden stating he wanted to be vice president so when someone murdered the president he could move into the White House. Perhaps Americans who hate those who don’t agree with them have hopes of death for their “foes.” The political divide is a threat to democracy yet those who deem compromise a mortal sin seem oblivious to the consequences of their blindness. Edward Horn, Baldwin Remembering an Auburndale activist A good friend of our community passed away recently. Maryalice Broussard lived in Auburndale for decades and was a Vice President of the Auburndale Improvement Association, Inc. She was very active in the civic organization for many years and remained so right up to her death. She left us on March 30 at the age of 92 after a brief illness. Just a few weeks ago, there was an executive board meeting of the civic organization held at Maryalice’s home. This remarkable woman was still contributing ideas and thoughts to ensure that her community remained a desirable place to live for all the residents. She was concerned about zoning, about education, about quality of life; any issue that had an impact in Auburndale and beyond. She truly was a role model that showed that even though a person may be up in years, one could still be a contributing member of the community and an articulate voice of reason and common sense. Maryalice will be much missed by her loving family, devoted friends and especially her civic friends. She was a woman of incredible strength, wisdom and integrity. She believed in the traditional values of hard work, good citizenship and devotion to family, friends and the Lord. May my friend rest in peace. Henry Euler, Bayside Making the case for more NYPD officers Could the New York Police Department use a few extra cops? Ask any NYPD supervisor that question and you’re likely to get a question in response such as “Is the sky blue?” or “Does a bear have claws?” The NYPD roster currently numbers about 36,000, or about 5,000 fewer officers than prior to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Every year the department hires new officers, but these new recruits are replacing veteran members who either reached or exceeded the 20-year retirement plateau. The 9/11 attacks prompted the NYPD to rightly beef up its counterterrorism efforts. The most visible sign of this is the increased number of officers on patrol at just about every major event in the city attracting thousands of people. Working with the federal government, the NYPD has been tremendously successful in stopping would-be terrorists, including two Jamaica women indicted last week for plotting an attack on American soil. But because the NYPD has a shortfall of officers, it bolsters its strategic field operations by giving officers overtime and temporarily reassigns officers from precincts around the city to cover large-scale events, including New York Mets games at Citi Field and the U.S. Open tennis tournament at Arthur Ashe Stadium. These reassigned officers typically come from a precinct’s Community Affairs Unit, a bureau designed not only to ensure good relations between police and the community but also to address smaller, more local matters such as public nuisances (i.e. noisy parties, graffiti, etc.). Moreover, reassigning officers away from local precincts also increases response time to local matters. You’ll hear such complaints at most precinct community council meetings in Queens, as residents often ask why it took so long for officers to respond to calls regarding noisy neighbors, fender-benders or other lesser situations. The NYPD always gives top priority to life-threatening emergencies — as it always should — but it stands to reason that local precincts would be able to respond to lesser situations faster if it had more available officers. Even with the reduced manpower, the NYPD continued its astonishing crime reductions last year, including achieving an all-time low for homicides. But simple math and logic dictates that the increased responsibilities the NYPD faces — from counterterrorism to increased traffic patrols through the Vision Zero campaign — will eventually get the better of the reduced roster assigned to carry out these responsibilities. No one expects the City of New York to break the bank and hire 5,000 officers overnight, but can’t we find room in the next budget for an extra 1,000 cops? That would add about a dozen more officers to every precinct in the city. It may not sound like a lot, but it would make a world of difference to the NYPD and the people of Queens it already serves so well. Font: Engravers Old English Normal Font: Engravers Old English Normal COPYRIGHT 2015 SCHNEPS NY MEDIA, LLC. 60-71 Woodbine St., Ridgewood, N.Y. 11385 General Publication Office: 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 TELEPHONE: 1-718-821-7500/7501/7502/7503 FAX: 1-718-456-0120 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB SITE: www.timesnewsweekly.com ON TWITTER @timesnewsweekly PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY FOR 107 YEARS COMPOSITION RESPONSIBILITY: Accuracy in receiving ads over the telephone cannot be guaranteed. This newspaper is responsible for only one incorrect insertion and only for that portion of the ad in which the error appears. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to make sure copy does not contravene the Consumer Protection Law or any other requirement. TIMES NEWSWEEKLY Is Listed With The Standard Rate & Data And Is A Member Of The New York Press Association
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