FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 4, 2019 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 51
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Bayside college professor’s play honors Queens LGBT hate crime victim
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com
@jenna_bagcal
“Julio Down by Th e Schoolyard,” a play
by Queensborough Community College
professor C. Julian Jimenez, premiered on
June 27 at Manhattan’s INTAR Th eatre.
Th e play explores the impact of the
death of Julio Rivera, a gay man from
Jackson Heights who was brutally murdered
Real estate CEO joins Power Women podcast
On the newest episode of Power
Women with Victoria Schneps, Diane
M. Ramirez, the chief executive officer
and chairman of Halstead Real
Estate, joins the show to discuss her
secrets to success.
Under Ramirez’s leadership,
Halstead has grown into a company
with more than 1,400 agents throughout
Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens,
the Bronx, the Hamptons, Hudson
Valley, New Jersey and Connecticut.
On the podcast, Ramirez talks about
growing up in Queens, her family life
and her exquisite career. She also
gives insider advice on real estate and
staying present, even when work and
success seem overwhelming.
Born in Jackson Heights, with families
all around her, Ramirez credits
her supportive but independent
childhood for part of her success in
business.
“We all had a sense of freedom, of
being able to play out in the streets,”
Ramirez said. “Every parent was your
parent.”
But still, being outside and having
that freedom meant Ramirez also had
to be self-sufficient.
“I also did high school in Jamaica,”
Ramirez said. “So I had to travel at a
young age on my own and that, again,
gave me the confidence of what I
could accomplish.”
Ramirez started in real estate as an
agent. With young kids and a supportive
husband, the job worked well
with her life. But when the kids went
off to boarding school, Ramirez knew
what she had to do.
“That’s when I knew I wanted to
elevate my career,” Ramirez said. “So I
decided to open my own firm.”
The “Power Women” podcasts share
successful women’s secrets to success.
Tune in to the 15-minute podcast at
SchnepsBroadcasting.com and wherever
podcasts are heard.
Photo courtesy of Queensborough Community College
QNS launches fi rst episode
of its new weekly podcast
BY JACOB KAYE
jkaye@qns.com
@QNS
QNS has launched its fi rst podcast, a
weekly roundup of the biggest news and
more.
Hosted by reporter Mark Hallum, each
show will take a look at seven stories from
across the borough and across topics.
In this week’s episode, which went live
on July 1, Mark and reporter Bill Parry
take a closer look at the Democratic
Primary for Queens district attorney.
Tiff any Cabán won’t be the last progressive
to challenge the Queens Democratic
Machine, as we discuss several other progressive
candidates preparing to challenge
establishment politicians throughout the
borough in the coming years.
Also on the episode – a Queens Village
mother was granted temporary stay aft er
a deportation attempt by ICE; House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi came to Elmhurst
to talk immigration; the Department of
Transportation plans to build a bus lane on
Fresh Pond Road; public schools will soon
get restorative justice and social-emotional
learning curriculum; and a Ridgewood
mother applauds the passage of Erin’s
Law.
Th e QNS Podcast will be back in two
weeks, on July 19.
Th is episode was written by Mark
Hallum and Jacob Kaye. Mark Hallum
is the host. Jacob Kaye edited the episode.
Our reporters include Bill Parry,
Carlotta Mohammed, Emily Davenport,
Jacob Kaye, Jenna Bagcal, Mark Hallum
and Max Parrott. Our editor is Robert
Pozarycki. Published by Schneps Media.
29 years ago.
Jimenez begins the story a day aft er
the murder during which “the community
reacts and is taken on a journey of
self-discovery by a fabulously unapologetic
queen personifying the beauty and brutality
of Jackson Heights,” Jimenez said in
a QCC interview.
On July 2, 29-year-old bartender Rivera
was heading home from a shift when
three men lured him into the schoolyard
of P.S. 69 before beating him with a hammer
and beer bottle and fatally stabbing
him with a knife.
Police initially classifi ed the attack as
“drug-related” but later said it was a bias
crime following intense community pressure
and a protest. Prosecutors confi rmed
that three men connected to a skinhead
gang targeted Rivera because he was gay.
According to Jimenez, the show examines
“how marginalized people deal with
grief ” and “the political and societal environment
in Jackson Heights,” following
Rivera’s murder. Hundreds of family,
friends and members of the LGBTQIA+
community joined in Queens’ fi rst public
demonstration against homophobia.
But Jimenez added that the show “does
not follow a traditional narrative,” which
echoes the “nontraditional lives that many
LGBTQIA+ people are oft en forced to follow.”
Community response to the crime
helped to spark LGBTQIA+ activism in
Queens, paving the way for the borough’s
annual Pride parade and the eventual election
of two gay City Council members.
Rivera’s murder was the fi rst hate crime
tried in New York state, according to
Jimenez.
“Queer people of color are … now being
threatened by the current administration.
Th e play is a reminder of where we came
from and how much further we have to
go,” Jimenez added.
Th e New York City Council, through
the offi ce of Councilman Daniel Dromm,
and LaGuardia Community College
made the creation of the play possible.
It was later developed by Th e Lark Play
Development and INTAR Th eater, located
at 500 W. 52nd St. in Manhattan.
/SchnepsBroadcasting.com
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