16 THE QUEENS COURIER • MAY 9, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
‘HIS LEGACY LIVES ON IN QUEENS’
Borough says goodbye to longtime DA Richard A. Brown
BY MARK HALLUM AND ROBERT
POZARYCKI
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Queens said farewell to its longtime
chief prosecutor, Queens District Attorney
Richard A. Brown, who was remembered
by hundreds attending his funeral services
on May 7 at Th e Reform Temple of
Forest Hills.
Brown died on May 3 at the age of 86
aft er a long battle with Parkinson’s disease
and other ailments. He served 28 years as
district attorney, and only stepped aside
earlier this year due to his health issues.
Mayor Bill de Blasio recognized the lifelong
public servant who played a role in
making New York one of the safest big cities
in the United States, and others simply
looked back at the dedication he showed to
his job as the county’s top prosecutor.
“We celebrate that there’s more justice
and fairness, he was one of the authors of
that justice and fairness,” de Blasio said.
“He was ahead of his time in so many of the
areas that he focused on, pulling not only
the Queens DA’s Offi ce but so many in the
criminal justice system to focus more on
domestic violence, to focus more on hate
crimes, to stand up more for victims’ rights
… His legacy lives on because Queens is a
safer place.”
Brown served for 28 years in the offi ce
where he came to be revered by many,
including acting District Attorney Jack
Ryan who has served in the DA’s offi ce for
much of that time.
“He was very proud of his family, but he
had another family and that was us: the
Queens DA family,” Ryan said. “To appreciate
where we are today as a city and an
offi ce, we have to remember where we were
when he became DA … He made us better
and together we helped make the city,
the safest major city in North America.
Something that didn’t happen by accident
and cannot be taken for granted.”
Ryan also claimed that under Brown,
defendants were arranged faster than any
other DA prior which he did in an eff ort to
send people home rather than let them sit
in detention.
Mayor Bill de Blasio attributed the low
crime rate across the city to the policies of
Queens DA Richard Brown.
Prior to his appointment as Queens DA,
Brown had been in the judiciary for nearly
20 years. First appointed to the bench in
1973, he would be appointed to the New
York State Supreme Court and the Supreme
Court in Queens. He departed the bench
in 1977 to serve as chief head counsel
to then-Governor Hugh Carey, then later
returned to serve on the New York State
Supreme Court and was later elevated to
Associate Justice of the Appellate Division.
Governor Mario Cuomo tapped Brown
to serve as Queens DA in 1991 following
the retirement of John Santucci. From the
beginning, Ryan said, Brown’s goal “was to
elevate the standard of professionalism by
hiring on merit, not political connections”
and “made it a priority to have the most talented,
capable and dedicated professionals
imaginable.”
Working with local law enforcement,
Brown’s era saw crime across Queens
plunge from record highs in the early 1990s
to record lows toward the end of his tenure.
Brown would oft en tout the staggering
drops in crime rates at meetings of local
precinct community councils and community
events across the borough.
Ryan added that Brown established various
programs designed to protect the most
vulnerable and give minor off enders a
chance at redemption.
Brown announced earlier in 2019 that
he would step down from offi ce, leaving
Ryan in charge, aft er declining health.
He already had several challengers for the
offi ce including Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz, Councilman Rory Lancman,
prosecutors Mina Malik, Jose Nieves and
Betty Lupo as well as for public defender
Tiff any Caban.
Th e Democratic primary is set for June 25.
Former Mayors David Dinkins, 91, and
Michael Bloomberg also attended the services.
Photos: Mark Hallum/QNS
Rhoda Brown, wife of the late District Attorney Richard A. Brown, receives an American fl ag at his
funeral on May 7 in Forest Hills.
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