WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JULY 4, 2019 13
BY NANCY KONG
Aft er years of troubling reports
about the horrifi c conditions
inside of Rikers Island, most
New Yorkers agree that the notorious
prison complex must be shut down
for good.
But instead of taking the longview
and advancing the kind of
targeted, comprehensive criminal
justice reform that would ensure
the abuses plaguing Rikers never
happen again, Mayor Bill de Blasio
is attempting to jam through a quick
fix that does absolutely nothing to
address the root problem.
The Mayor’s 10-year, multibillion
dollar proposal, included
in his 2020 executive budget, is
to construct four publicly-funded
borough-based jails on sites in
Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn and
Manhattan.
In other words, he is planning to
shutter Rikers and then cross his
fingers that four new jails run by the
same dysfunctional Department of
Correction will somehow, someway
produce different results.
Adding insult to injury, the
local residents in the communities
surrounding the proposed sites
have been completely shut out from
the conversation. The proposed jail
in Queens would be built at 126-02
82nd Ave.
Despite the fact that community
boards in all four boroughs have
voted to oppose the proposal, it is
still passing through the ULURP
process unchanged.
It’s time for the mayor to listen
to the concerns raised by local
community residents and press
pause on this hurried, flawed plan
that will create four mini Rikers
throughout the city, including one
in residential Kew Gardens.
The Mayor’s plan devotes no
resources to building communities,
strengthening diversion programs,
or reforming the leadership of the
city’s Department of Correction
which oversaw the violence,
mismanagement and corruption that
has plagued Rikers for decades.
Let’s remember what we’re
dealing with here. It was recently
reported that there is significant
undercounting of violent incidents
at New York City jails, based on
a report by the Department of
Investigation report. Further, a
2017 court-ordered report outlined
the relationship between people
incarcerated and officers at Rikers,
and its findings indicate that
officers “relish confrontation” with
people incarcerated, which explains
LETTERS AND COMMENTS
CLERGY MARRIAGE
LETTER HITS NERVE
John Amato implied in his June 27
letter that the Catholic Church sex
abuse scandal is due to the celibacy
of priests (“Time for marriage in
the clergy,” Letters and comments).
He also stated that the Church has
no empathy for victims of the abuse.
Obviously, Mr. Amato is unaware of
certain facts.
First, since new procedures were
put in place in 2002, the Brooklyn
Diocese has received only two credible
claims of sexual abuse. The New York
City Board of Education has had many
more sexual abuse claims than that
and teachers and administrators are
not celibate. Abuse can be perpetrated
by anyone.
Second, The Brooklyn Diocese has
held numerous masses specifi cally
for those who have been abused. The
Diocese is not trying to pretend that
abuses did not occur. On the contrary,
the Church admits its faults and
along with victims asks for healing
and forgiveness.
Finally, Mr. Amato stated that the
Church could solve the priest shortage
by allowing priests to marry. The
Church has long admitted that it could
do a better job of convincing young
men that becoming a priest is a viable
vocation. Secular people who cannot
understand why anyone would want
to be celibate to honor God are the
people who show a lack of empathy.
Mr. Amato may be disgusted to be a
Catholic but I could not be more proud
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OP-ED
Real reform without new jails
why violence has increased despite
a decrease in the number of people
incarcerated, and an increase
in officers.
What is wrong with Rikers has
little to do with facilities, but much
to do with the regressive policies
that the Mayor and the leadership of
the Department of Correction have
been implementing for years.
The report’s concerns are echoed
by New Yorkers who hope for
true reform that addresses and
overturns the disastrous policies
and practices that have plagued
the criminal justice system for
decades. To that end, local officials,
New York City residents and prison
reform advocates have noted that
Mayor de Blasio’s plan for new jails
demonstrates a misunderstanding
of the criminal justice system and
criminal justice reform.
The bottom line here is if
Mayor de Blasio is going to spend
billions in taxpayer funds on this
issue, residents of Queens should
ensure that money is spent on a
real progressive plan for criminal
justice reform. We don’t want
massive new jails that will just
become new breeding grounds for
the same human rights abuses seen
at Rikers in our community.
Nancy Kong is co-founder of
Boroughs United, a community group
in New York City that opposes Mayor
Bill de Blasio’s plan for building
new jails.
to be one.
Lenny Rodin, Forest Hills
I am writing in response to the letter,
“Time for Marriage for the Clergy.”
I agree there is a shortage of priests
and clearly marriage could be a
solution. Of course another solution
would be to allow women to become
priests. Moot point all around because
the hierarchy of the Catholic Church
is not going to be doing either any
time soon.
As for the sexual abuse scandal in the
Catholic Church, I fi nd it sad to think
that all priests are being defi ned by the
abhorrent behavior of the minority
depicted in the media. I have known
many fi ne priests and I cannot imagine
what it must be like to have to prove
themselves daily to people who clump
them unfairly with those that make the
unwanted headlines.
What frustrates me are “Catholics”
who gave up practicing their religion
years ago, using the church’s problems
to justify their actions, and then
assume that all other Catholics must
feel the same way.
If it’s empathy Mr. Amato is looking
for, so much good work is being done
by Catholic Churches nation-wide, but
little of it fi nds its way into the media.
Parishes are acting as safe havens
for illegal immigrants and homeless
shelters for those in need of a roof over
their heads. There are nuns who not
only teach but care for the sick, elderly
and dying in hospitals, nursing homes,
and hospices as well as those who work
globally in the poorest of communities
whether in India or Africa.
Local organizations like Sister Ave
Clark’s “Heart to Heart Ministry” in
Bayside has, for 25 years, addressed
the emotional, mental, and physical
needs of people.
Bridge to Life in Flushing, protects
the sanctity of life and off ers a lifeline
for young needy mothers and their
young children.
Hour Children in Long Island City,
cares for children of incarcerated
mothers while they are imprisoned,
and aft er their release.
Maybe we Catholics should heed the
old Chinese proverb fi ttingly adapted
more recently by the Christophers, an
inspirational Christian organization:
“It is better to light a candle than curse
the darkness,” meaning better to do
something to improve conditions than
to just complain.
Mary Purtell, Flushing
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com (Subject: Letter to the Editor) or
leave a comment to any of our stories
at QNS.com. You can also send a
letter by regular mail to Letters to the
Editor, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY
11361. All letters are subject to editing.
Names will be withheld upon request,
but anonymous letters will not be
considered for publication.
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