This makes the varied emotional responses of Michael Brown’s family more understandable as the tragic events unfolded in Ferguson, Mo. What is difficult to understand, though, is the benefit that the Ferguson community derives from burning and looting business establishments in their own neighborhoods, especially when unemployment is already a problem. In the meantime, the outside agitators in many cases are sitting in their hotel rooms sipping wine and watching the carnage on television. Hopefully, people in communities such as Ferguson, like people all over America, are beginning to awaken and realize that they should be more than pawns in the hands of manipulators who, in reality, could not care less about them. If the outside agitators and manipulators truly cared about Brown and his family, they would have initiated manifestations of concern long before the political spotlight brought attention and prestige to their cause. They would be outraged about the dozens of young men like Brown who die violent non-policerelated deaths in cities throughout America every day. They would Join The 104th Precinct Civilian Observation Patrol Volunteers Needed from Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village & Ridgewood 718-497-1500 MMAAUURREEEENN EE. WWAALLTTHHEERRSS..........................................PPuubblisshheerr && EEdditoorr JJOOHHNN TT.. WWAALLTTHHEERRSS................................................................................................PPuubblliisshheerr EEmmeerriittuuss RROOBBEERRT POOZZAARRYYCCKI.................................................MMaanaaging EEdditorr JJOOSEE VVAARRGAAS.............................................Prrodducction//Saaleess MMaanaageerr DDEEBBOORRAAHH CCUUSSICCKK..............................................CClaassssiffieedd MMaannaaggeerr MMAARRLLEENNEE RRUUIZZ............................................AAssssisst. CClaassssifieedd MMaanaageerr TTIIMMEESS NNEEWWSSWWEEEEKKLLYY IIss LLiisstteedd WWiitthh TThhee SSttaannddaarrdd RRaattee && DDaattaa AAnndd IIss AA MMeemmbbeerr OOff TThhee NNeeww YYoorrkk PPrreessss AAssssoocciiaattiioonn TIMES, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014 • 4 BEN CARSON News & Opinion Letters To The Editor Times Newsweekly EEDDIITTOORRIIAALL State Of The Shelter Battle Times Newsweekly Established In 1908 As Ridgewood Times PPhhootoo SSuubbmmissssioonnss AAnndd RReeqquueesstss Photographs submitted to the Times Newsweekly/Ridgewood Times should be in electronic high resolution (300dpi) JPEG (.jpg) or TIFF (.tif) formats. Sharp and clear non-Polaroid photo prints in color or black and white are also acceptable. Photographs submitted will become the property of this newspaper, with the exception of photos or other materials sent for use by The Old Timer and photos which are part of paid announcements. We welcome the submission of unsolicited photos or related materials for consideration of publication, but we cannot guarantee their use. The return of such photos or materials, except in cases as noted above, is not possible. We regret that we are unable to accommodate requests for photos taken by photographers working on assignment for the Times Newsweekly/Ridgewood Times. Reaching The Queens Homes Of Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village, Woodside, Sunnyside, Astoria, Long Island City, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, Richmond Hill, Rego Park, Forest Hills, Woodhaven, Elmhurst & Kew Gardens. Reaching The Brooklyn Homes Of Ridgewood, Bushwick, Cypress Hills, East Williamsburg & Williamsburg. 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. CCOOPPYYRRIIGGHHTT 22001144 RRIIDDGGEEWWOOOODD TTIIMMEESS PPRRIINNTTIINNGG && PPUUBBLLIISSHHIINNGG CCOO., IINNCC. 60-71 Woodbine St., Ridgewood, N.Y. 11385 General Pub. Office: P.O. Box 863299 Ridgewood, N.Y. 11386-0299 Periodicals Postage Paid At Flushing, N.Y. (USPS 465-940) TTEELEEPHHOONEE: 11--771188--882211--77550000/77550011/77550022/77550033 FFAAXX: 11--771188--445566--00112200 EE-MMAAIILL: iinnffoo@@ttiimmeessnneewwsswweeeekkllyy..ccoomm WWEEBB SSITTEE: www.timessnnewssweekklyy.ccoom OON TTWWITTTTEER @@timessnnewssweekklyy PPUUBBLLIISSHHEEDD EEVVEERRYY TTHHUURRSSDDAAYY FFOORR OOVVEERR 110066 YYEEAARRSS As a pediatric neurosurgeon, I became more than familiar with situations where parents experience the premature loss of a child. There are few things that can compare to the emotional devastation that accompanies such an event. -SEE CARSON ON PG. 26- For more than a year now, western Queens residents have fought the city tooth and nail in trying to stop proposed homeless shelters in Glendale and Elmhurst. So far, it’s been an uphill battle that doesn’t figure to end anytime soon. A civic coalition is raising money to pursue legal measures to stop the proposed Glendale shelter at a defunct factory on Cooper Avenue, and Elmhurst residents are pleading with the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) and City Comptroller Scott Stringer not to sign off on a contract making permanent the emergency shelter at the former Pan American Hotel. Even as these residents fight a tag team war against City Hall, other communities managed to convince the de Blasio administration to halt shelters from opening near them. Last month, the nonprofit Metro Safe Housing withdrew plans for a transitional housing shelter in the Van Nest section of the Bronx amid protests from local residents. To our south, the city also withdrew plans for a Far Rockaway shelter that would have housed more than 100 homeless men. The turnabout came with the help of local elected officials and civic groups. So when does the city decide to pull the plug on its inhumane and misguided homeless shelter plans for Glendale and Elmhurst? The outcry is overwhelming, but the city has turned a deaf ear to it all. The few bureaucrats who have acknowledged the opposition publicly tried to brand them as biased or insensitive, rather than offer a legitimate defense of their reckless policies. Homelessness is up 13 percent so far in 2014, even as this nation is in an apparent economic recovery. Since taking control at City Hall on Jan. 1 of this year, the de Blasio administration has opened 23 new shelters to address the burgeoning need. Often these shelters opened in near complete secrecy, with little advanced notice provided to community boards or elected officials. Prior to taking office, Mayor de Blasio pledged to make his administration more open and transparent than his predecessors. Meanwhile, his administration allows a shelter opening operation so clandestine it makes the Central Intelligence Agency blush with envy. In the end, who benefits? Certainly not those housed in these shelters, as past history dictates shelter residents face a difficult time getting out of them and back to independent lives. Additionally, the shelter operators provide lax security and allow the buildings to fall into disrepair over time. The facilities are treated like prisons for the poor, complete with curfews and restrictions on guests. The city pays top dollar—well above the market rate in most places—to shelter operators and building owners to operate these facilities. Repeatedly, alternatives have been offered to solve the homeless crisis—namely expanding rental subsidies. It ensures families get to stay in their homes or get to live where they want on their own, at half the rate the city currently pays to operate the shelters. That would, of course, take money out of the hands of well-connected nonprofit operators and unscrupulous landlords looking to make a quick buck at the expense of the destitute. Yet residents in the Bronx and Far Rockaway had success fighting City Hall, while Glendale and Elmhurst—which, by the way, weren’t exactly favorable of the present mayor in the 2013 election—have yet to see results. The city’s response to the homeless crisis is a financial game; we would hate to think it’s become a political game as well. Prove us wrong, Mr. Mayor: stop the Glendale and Elmhurst shelters! The Handiwork Of Agitators & Manipulators No Easy Remedy To ISIS Horrors Dear Editor: The Times Newsweekly editorial of Nov. 20, 2014 succinctly described the horrors of ‘a force so dark’ that is ISISthe Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. We, the readers, were asked what we thought should be done. We have seen the heartbreaking confirmation of -SEE LETTERS ON PG. 24- ©Times Newsweekly 2014 – GCOP NEXT MEETING: Thurs., Dec. 11, 2014 8:00 pm St. Pancras Pfeifer Hall Myrtle Ave. and 68th St., Glendale All It Takes For Evil To Thrive Is For Good Men & Women To Do Nothing A Holiday Theme For CB 5 Meet Community Board 5 members are asked to bring some holiday cheer with them to the advisory body’s next meeting on Wednesday night, Dec. 10, in Middle Village. As announced by District Manager Gary Giordano, the session will take place at a special 7 p.m. start time in the cafeteria of Christ the King Regional High School, located at 68-02 Metropolitan Ave. The agenda includes a public forum; reports by District Manager Giordano and Chairperson Vincent Arcuri; a review of liquor license applications and demolition notices; and committee reports. Refreshments will be served following the meeting. Board members are also asked to bring a wrapped toy for a young child (newborn through 5 years old) for donation to the Neighborhood WIC program in Ridgewood. For additional information or to register to speak in advance, call Board 5’s Glendale office at 1-718-366-1834.
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