12 NOVEMBER 17, 2016 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM EDITORIAL Healing together as a united Queens THE HOT TOPIC STORY: Students at Fresh Meadows high school condemned for alleged Trump-inspired harassment on city bus SUMMARY: Aft er hearing that students from St. Francis Preparatory School were harassing people from other schools on the city bus, the principal of released a statement that condemns the actions of the students, saying that this as well as other derogatory remarks will not be tolerated. REACH: 39,963 people (as of 11/14/16) COMMENTS: ESTABLISHED 1908 Co-Publishers VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS JOSHUA SCHNEPS Editor-in-Chief ROBERT POZARYCKI Classifi ed Manager DEBORAH CUSICK Assistant Classifi ed Manager MARLENE RUIZ Reporter ANTHONY GIUDICE © 2016 SCHNEPS NY MEDIA, LLC. General Publication Offi ce: 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361 TELEPHONE: 1-718-821-7500/7501/7502/7503 FAX: 1-718-224-5441 E-MAIL: [email protected] WEB SITE: www.timesnewsweekly.com ON TWITTER @timesnewsweekly PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY FOR 108 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 SNAPS CITI FIELD FLASHBACK Photo by Stephen Reina Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us tag @queenscourier on Instagram, Facebook page, tweeting @QNS or by emailing [email protected] (subject: Queens Snaps). Queens prides itself as being one of the most diverse places on Earth, but in the past week, in the wake of a divisive presidential election, we’ve seen two troubling incidents targeting that diversity. We were stunned to hear that students from St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows allegedly harassed several students of color on board a city bus the day after the election. Then on Nov. 10, a much older couple allegedly made disparaging remarks to a Muslim woman wearing a hijab on board a city bus. It was just a couple of random acts of intolerance committed in the days aft er Donald Trump was elected president. Since Trump won, there have been numerous reports of random acts of hate against blacks, Hispanics and Muslims. Amid all this, there have also been a few isolated attacks on Trump supporters. Queens fi nds itself stuck in the middle of the national strife following this election. While it is easy to point to the president-elect and demand he do something more than saying “Stop it!” in a television interview, his words alone will not be enough. It’s up to all of us here in our great borough to heal the divisions among us and build tolerance toward one another. St. Francis Prep’s principal, Patrick McLaughlin, showed true leadership in assembling the entire school on Nov. 10 following the reported incident. He put the entire school on notice; this institution teaches and represents high ideals, and it’s up to the students to uphold them both in school and out. All of us, individually, must hold ourselves to a high standard. We should look out for each other, no matter who we are, and not be afraid to speak up if we see someone harassing an individual. Hate crimes of any severity should be reported. Those who are targeted must be reassured that they live in a safe place where they will be able to live the life they want to lead without fear of being attacked. We have a choice similar to what Senator Robert Kennedy alluded to in the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in April 1968. We can either move as a society toward greater polarization based on ideological and political diff erences, or we can choose to come together and build a better Queens, a better New York, a better nation. This choice should be obvious to us all.
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