26 times • APRIL 14, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Attorney General backs Markey’s sex abuse bill By Anthony Giudice [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport The fight to allow childhood sexual abuse victims the right to bring their abusers to justice has just gained another supporter. Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has joined forces with Maspeth-based Assemblywoman Margaret Markey to make the Child Victims Act the law of the land in New York State, which seeks to eliminate the archaic statute of limitations in the state which restricts the time for childhood sexual abuse victims to come forward and expose their abusers and the organizations that hid or protected them. “As the state’s top law enforcement officer, it is my job to ensure equal justice for all New Yorkers — especially the most vulnerable among us,” Schneiderman wrote in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. “No one is more vulnerable than children who have been the victims of sexual abuse. Yet, New York remains one of just four states … that denies victims their day in court, and allows those who prey on children to walk away unpunished.” Currently, New York is among the worst states in the country — along with Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi — on how they deal with child victims of sexual abuse, giving the victim of child sexual abuse until their 23rd birthday to come forward and press charges, or they lose the chance to bring their abuser to justice forever. Schneiderman has called the state’s current laws “unconscionable,” and that they “must be addressed during this year’s legislative session.” In the letter, Schneiderman cited statistics from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention stating that one in four girls, and one in six boys are sexually abused before the age of 18. “But for many victims, the full memory of childhood abuse is often suppressed for decades — or victims are too overcome by fear and shame to report their abusers until they find the strength and support they need in adulthood,” he continued. “We must not allow our justice system to further victimize our fellow New Yorkers.” Markey and Schneiderman urge the public to take up the fight as well and write letters to both Flanagan and Heastie asking them to take action and vote on the two Child Victims Act bills, to eliminate the civil and criminal statutes of limitations. The lawmakers can be reached at the following addresses: Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, Room 932, Legislative Office Building, Albany, NY 12248; and State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, Room 330, State Capitol, Albany, NY 12247. Photo via Google Maps Special needs school in Woodhaven needs no parking zone By ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport One Queens lawmaker continues his fight for a special needs school in Woodhaven. Assemblyman Mike Miller is working to provide the North Side School, located at 85-27 91st St., with a no parking zone where buses can park to pick up and drop off students to alleviate traffic issues during morning and dismissal hours. On three separate occasions, the North Side School sent requests to the Department of Transportation (DOT) for a no parking zone from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., which is standard for all schools, both public and private. All three requests have been denied. The Woodhaven Resident’s Block Association (WRBA) has also advocated for this no parking zone, to no avail. “The signage is absolutely necessary. Because the school is located at the intersection of two one-way streets with parking on both sides of the street, the buses park in the middle of the street to pick up and drop off the students,” Miller wrote in a letter to Nicole Garcia, Queens Commissioner of DOT. “Not only is this dangerous for the students, but it also forces traffic to accumulate as cars back up from Jamaica Avenue with no way around the buses.” The school currently serves 79 special needs students, and will increase to 199 students for the coming school year. “I am concerned that my letter which was clear about this ongoing situation was not adequately deliberated,” Miller said in a statement. “All schools have standard no parking zones; I was informed that buses were instructed to park in front of a fire hydrant due to the current parking situation. Department of Transportation has the obligation to review this location again to ensure safety for these children.” around queens FREE GROCERY GIVEAWAY IN ELMHURST PHOTO BY JOSEF PINLAC Francisca Kim won Food Bazaar’s “Free Groceries for a Year” sweepstakes. The winner was announced during a ceremony at the supermarket located at 58-01 Junction Blvd. in Elmhurst. Suzanne Kuczun of Food Bazaar also announced the supermarket chain will hold another contest this summer. Pictured with Kim along with her husband Herbert Asiamah and son Jochebed Asiamah are store managers Tariqul Islam, Nelson Tapia, Renee McLamb and Farika Ramelam.
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