30 THE QUEENS COURIER • MAY 9, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
editorial
30 The Queens Courier • MAY 9, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com
Farewell to the judge
Th roughout his 28 years as Queens’ top
prosecutor, Richard A. Brown made a
habit of getting around to local community
STORY: Construction work fi nally starts at Douglaston Lowe’s
site after months of uncertainty about big-box store
SUMMARY: Douglaston and Little Neck residents have been
in the dark about the development of the Lowe’s Home
Improvement at the Douglaston Plaza shopping center ever
since Community Board 11 approved it in February 2018.
REACH: 13,476 people reached (as of 5/7/19)
organizations and precinct council
meetings to update the people on what his
offi ce was doing.
Few things made him prouder than to
report on the tremendous overall crime
drop that coincided with his service to the
borough, which offi cially came to an end
with his death on May 3 at the age of 86.
Judge Brown, as so many of his colleagues
referred to him, always spoke with
pride about the thousands of cases his
team adeptly handled and the quick turnaround
of getting offi cers back on duty
aft er processing arrests.
Brown was oft en quick to boast that his
offi ce had the highest conviction rate of
any borough. It wasn’t just about a high
winning percentage, but rather about the
hard work of his staff in building strong
cases based on the facts.
It would be unfair to Brown’s legacy,
however, to suggest that his offi ce was all
about catching the bad guys. He worked
just as hard to keep people caught for lesser
crimes from repeating their off enses or
falling into the trap of a life of crime.
He founded alternative sentencing programs
the Queens Family Justice Center, which
provides assistance to domestic violence
victims. He also supported various programs
places to recreate.
Since Brown announced in January he
THE QUEENS
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for drug off enders and supported
across the borough to give kids safe
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VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
BOB BRENNAN
ROBERT POZARYCKI
NIRMAL SINGH
EMILY DAVENPORT
JENNA BAGCAL, MARK HALLUM, KATRINA MEDOFF,
CARLOTTA MOHAMED, MAX PARROTT, BILL PARRY
CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI
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VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
Schneps Media, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
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Entire Contents Copyright 2017 by The Queens Courier
All letters sent to THE QUEENS COURIER should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should
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would not run for re-election, many of
those running to succeed him have taken
a very critical eye toward Brown and
his offi ce. Th ey speak of doing more to
reform criminal justice and giving more
people a second chance. It’s part of an
ongoing national dialogue in a land that
has one of the highest incarceration rates
in the world.
Such concerns have merit, and in 28
years of service, Brown made his share
of mistakes, as any imperfect leader has.
It shouldn’t be said, however, that Brown
was ignorant of reform or pursuing justice.
His record of service to this borough
is demonstrative of that eff ort, in keeping
crime low and the borough’s 2.2 million
residents safe.
What we admired most of Brown was
his straightforward approach to the job he
held nearly three decades. He’d issue plenty
of statements in announcing arraignments
and convictions, but he never
sought to make headlines himself.
When he was able to, Brown would go
to major crime scenes not to rattle off a
soundbite, but to participate in the investigative
work underway. To him, it was all
part of his duty to the people he worked
for. We hope that the next district attorney,
while bringing their own ideas and
approach to the offi ce, will share that same
diligent work ethic and pursuit of justice.
We off er our condolences to the Brown
family and to all those who worked closely
with him.
Publisher & E ditor Victoria Schneps-Yunis
Co-Publisher Joshua A. Schneps
Chief Operating Officer Bob Brennan
E ditor-In-Chief Robert Pozarycki
Art Director Nirmal Singh
S ocial Media Manager Emily Davenport
S taff Reporters Jenna Bagcal, Mark Hallum, Katrina Medoff
Carlotta Mohamed, Bill Parry
Contributing Reporters Cliff Kasden, Samantha Sohmer, Elizabeth Aloni
Production Manager Deborah Cusick
I nside Sales Manager Celeste Alamin
Chief Financial Officer Maria Valencia
President & CEO Victoria Schneps-Yunis
Vice President Joshua A. Schneps
Schneps Media, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361
718-224-5863 • Fax 718-224-5441
www.qns.com
editorial e-mail: editorial@qns.com
for advertising e-mail: ads@qns.com
Entire Contents Copyright 2017 by The Courier Sun
All letters sent to THE COURIER SUN should be brief and are subject to condensing. Writers should
include a full address and home and office telephone numbers, where available, as well as affiliation,
indicating special interest. Anonymous letters are not printed. Name withheld on request.
No such ad or any part thereof may be reproduced without prior permission of THE COURIER SUN. The
publishers will not be responsible for any error in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by
the error. Errors must be reported to THE COURIER SUN within five days of publication. Ad position
cannot be guaranteed unless paid prior to publication.
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all liability for the content of and all replies. The advertiser agrees to hold The Courier SUN and its
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publication or recording placed by the advertiser or any reply to any such advertisement.
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