4 THE QUEENS COURIER • MARCH 4, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
De Blasio, Meng slam anti-Asian hate in NYC
BY ARIAMA C. LONG
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
During a morning briefi ng last week,
Mayor Bill de Blasio was joined by Queens
Congresswoman Grace Meng to condemn
the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes
and discrimination that was fueled by the
onset of the COVID-19 crisis and racist
rhetoric from politicians.
“Every community suff ered, but there’s
been a particular pain, a particular horrible
challenge faced by the Asian American
community,” de Blasio said. “Because on
top of all the suff ering from the coronavirus
itself, on top of losing loved ones, losing
businesses, people have had to confront
horrible discrimination and hatred
from the very beginning.”
“Th ese racist attacks have been outrageous
and unconscionable, disgusting,
and it must end,” said Meng, who introduced
legislation in March 2020 todenounce
anti-Asian sentiments.
“I also want to say thank you to so many
other communities of color who have
stood with us, and stood publicly against
this sort of discrimination,” Meng added.
Meng mentioned
theChinese Exclusion
Act of 1882, which
former President
Chester A.
Arthur signed
into law to
curb the rise of
Chinese immigrants
to the
U.S for 10
years and
declared them ineligible for citizenship.
She said everything from that to the
U.S.’s Japanese internment camps in the
1940s to former President Donald Trump’s
Muslim ban that targeted Muslims and
Southeast Asians, has been a sad refl ection
of the country’s history with attacking
minority groups.
Pre-pandemic, New York City and
other states saw a wave of anti-Semitic
attacks, and the U.S struggled to confront
its long history
with over-policing
and brutality
toward Black
and Brown people
right up
until George
Floyd’s deathat
the hands of
Minneapolis
cops last May.
Meng said
before reported
cases of COVID-19 in the
U.S. there were outright
discrimination and boycotts
of Asian Americans
and their businesses. “So
many Asian Americans lived in fear and
are afraid to leave their homes because
they don’t know what might happen to
them,” Meng said.
De Blasio said any restaurant or business
in the Asian American community
that suff ered from discrimination
deserves help, and the city’s looking to
direct tax breaks and loan support toward
them from the stimulus.
De Blasio said the city is doling out
harsh fi nes to anyone who commits a hate
crime and is working closely with the task
force to hopefully prevent more physical
incidents.
“Th e rise is happening in New York
City, but not just America, all over the
world,” said Deputy Inspector of the Asian
Hate Crimes Task Force Stewart Hsiao
Loo, who also captains the Manhattan
South Detective Bureau.
Two weeks ago, an elderly Filipino manwas
slashed across his face with a box cutteron
a Manhattan-bound L train among
other recent slashings on the city’s subways.
Loo said that there have been 28
COVID-related incidents involving people
who are Asian, compared to 2019’s
three anti-Asian hate crimes. He said
out of those there have been 18 arrests
in criminal court. “Of course we’d like to
have 28 out of 28,” Loo said.
“We are really worried about the reality
of people not feeling they could or should
report a hate crime. We think there’s more
out there, and we encourage people to
come forward,” said de Blasio.
Th e mayor also noted that the additional
copsbeing sent to aid the MTA will be
focusing on hate crime prevention as well.
Proposed Astoria development reveals waterfront public space
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A plan to connect one of the last
remaining stretches of the Halletts Point
waterfront to the rest of the peninsula
in Astoria is moving forward aft er a
yearslong environmental remediation has
been completed.
Developed through extensive outreach
with community stakeholders and residents
of the neighboring Astoria Houses,
the proposal will transform the former
industrial site into a neighborhood destination
with more than 40,000 square feet
of public open space and expanded waterfront
access via a new road at Th ird Street.
Th e design for Halletts North is a collaboration
between STUDIO V Architecture
and Ken Smith Workshop, and the public
waterfront will include trees, plantings
and rain gardens with ample seating
throughout. An elevated site plan will
meet key goals to reduce fl ooding and
increase coastal resiliency.
Astoria Owners LLC began a $16 million
cleanup eff ort upon acquisition in
2016 that included the excavation of
8,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil;
the removal of PCBs, pesticides and other
hazardous material; and the demolition of
deteriorated structures, subgrade utilities
and a concrete bunker.
“We are excited to advance beyond the
environmental cleanup of contaminants
from the site’s industrial past toward the
transformation of the site into a beautiful
waterfront destination that will be accessible
to the entire Halletts Point community,”
said Jim Hedden, a representative
of the development team. “For too long,
this site blocked families from accessing
and enjoying the waterfront. Now,
we look forward not only to connecting
our Halletts Point neighbors with this
resource, but to creating new economic,
educational and environmental opportunities
and revitalizing a disused portion
of our shoreline.”
Th e location of the site is on the north
side of 26th Avenue between Th ird and
Fourth streets just east of the Whitey
Ford baseball fi eld. Th e proposal would
include up to 1,400 apartments, of which
300 would be permanently aff ordable
units for individuals with salaries starting
around $30,000 annually. Th e project
is expected to generate more than 500
jobs. Th e team is working with the community
nonprofi t Urban Upbound to
develop and operate an on-site incubator
focused on supporting neighborhood
small businesses and entrepreneurs as
well as job training and placement.
“In this unprecedented time when
everyone in our city is focusing on relief
and recovery. Th is should not be an argument
about brick and mortar, but rebuilding
the heart and souls of communities,
and how we get there,” Urban Upbound
Co-Founder and CEO Bishop Mitchell
Taylor said. “Th is is the kind of forwardthinking
equitable investment that is so
needed right now not just for the residents
of Astoria Houses and Halletts Point, but
across Queens and New York City.”
Th e site is currently designated for
manufacturing and requires a zoning
amendment to allow a change in uses.
Th e development team previewed the
project for the Land Use Committee of
Community Board 1 in January. A public
hearing will take place in March on
the scope of the environmental studies
that will form the basis of the city’s public
review process known as ULURP. Th e
plan is expected to enter ULURP in late
2021 with construction beginning in the
second half of 2022.
File photo by Mike Segar/ REUTERS
Queens Congresswoman Grace
Meng said the recent racist
attacks “have been outrageous
and unconscionable.”
Courtesy of STUDIO V Architects
Developers of the Halletts Point site unveiled plans for a waterfront public space along the East
River.
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