FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM JULY 26, 2018 • THE QUEENS COURIER 27
A LOOK BACK
The old-fashioned “box car diner” was a staple on the American landscape during the early part of the 20th Century. One used to stand in Ridgewood at the corner of Fresh Pond Road and Metropolitan
Avenue. George’s Diner, as it was once called, is pictured in this 1930 photo. The restaurant changed hands and evolved over the years into the Fresh Pond Diner, which served its fi nal meal back in 2005.
The diner was later torn down and replaced by TD Bank. Send us your historic photos of Queens by email to editorial@qns.com (subject: A Look Back) or mail printed pictures to A Look Back, Schneps
Communications, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361. All mailed pictures will be carefully returned to you.
letters & comments
QUEENS SENDS TOO
MANY TO RIKERS
Regarding the July 11 Ridgewood
Times story about Queens leaders speaking
out against the latest study related
to the closing of Rikers Island: I was
very frustrated to read the disingenuous
statements by Queens County Senior
Executive Assistant District Attorney
James Quinn about people being released
from jail pre-trial.
It’s one thing for the Queens District
Attorney Offi ce to have a backwards and
out-of-date ideology about crime and
punishment, but it is another to make
attempts to bolster that point of view by
misrepresenting the facts.
Th e reality is that Queens, as a county,
sends too many people to Rikers Island.
According to Department of Correction
Statistics, more than 9,000 people were
sent into city jails during the past fi scal
year. Quinn might tell you this is essential
for “public safety” but that is not true.
Of the 16,375 felony cases adjudicated
in Queens last year, only 1,162 ended with
a prison sentence – every single other
defendant, many of whom Quinn now
says are too dangerous to be on the street
pre-trial, were released directly from jail
back on to the street at the end of their
case because judges determined that the
cases did not merit prison time.
In fact, more than 4,500 of these cases
ended with a dismissal, because they did
not even merit prosecution to begin with.
My question for Quinn is this: if it’s safe
for people to be out on the street aft er a
short jail stay, why was it ever necessary
for them to be in jail at all?
Nick Encalada-Malinowski, Civil Rights
Campaign Director, VOCAL-NY
Editor’s note: VOCAL-NY (Voices Of
Community Activists & Leaders) is an
organization which aims to boost activism
among low-income residents aff ected
by myriad issues including mass incarceration,
drugs, homelessness and HIV/AIDS.
GAZA REMARKS
DISQUALIFY
OCASIOCORTEZ
Democratic candidate for the U.S.
House of Representatives Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez recently publicly accused
Israel of “committing a massacre” of
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, notwithstanding
the fact that Hamas, a U.S.-
designated terrorist organization, admitted
that the majority of those killed were
members of that organization.
Ms. Cortez, who has a history of anti-Israel
activity supporting the BDS movement,
defends her remarks by claiming
she is “not an expert on the Middle East.”
Giving her the benefi t of the doubt that
she is not an anti-Israeli anti-Semite, her
remarks clearly disqualify her from holding
public offi ce, let alone the position
of U.S. Congresswoman. Clearly, by her
own admission, she has taken a position
with no knowledge of the facts.
Does New York want to be represented
by someone who shoots from the hip
without understanding the issue? I think
not.
Marty Miller, Queens
COULD LIRR WOES GET
WORSE? ABSOLUTELY
Th ere continues to be an increase
in the frequency of major service disruptions
due to storm, signal, power
and stalled train problems in the East
River Tunnels. Periodically these problems
occur between the Tunnel Portals
and Harold Interlockings, west of the
Woodside Station. Th e result is numerous
delays, cancellations and combining
of trains.
Th e East River tunnels were built
between 1905 and 1909. As they continue
to deteriorate, there will be more problems.
Additional reduction in service will
happen over coming years, due to ongoing
Amtrak work at Penn Station and East
Side Access to Grand Central Terminal
construction west of Woodside.
Amtrak will not start major work on the
East River Tunnels until 2025 aft er LIRR
East Side Access is open for business by
December 2022. Don’t be surprised when
Amtrak takes out one of four East River
Tunnels at a time for one to two years to
accomplish major repairs.
Larry Penner, Great Neck
‘PROLIFE’ REALLY ISN’T
PROLIFE, READER SAYS
Frederick Bedell, in his July 5 letter
(“Sounding off on Supreme Court
Decisions”) asks why the unborn are not
aff orded the same rights stated in the
Declaration of Independence.
Th e answer? Because they are “unborn.”
Aside from late-term situations, the
choice of whether or not to have an
abortion should be left to women, no
one else.
Political “pro-lifers” don’t really give a
damn about life. Let’s be clear: these people
are not “pro-life,” they are anti-abortion,
which means they’re anti-woman.
If they were actually pro-life, they would
be fi ghting hard for healthcare, childcare,
gun control, education and protecting the
environment.
Th ese are the same people who don’t
think medical insurance should cover
contraception for women, yet believe coverage
for Viagra is a priority. Th e same
people that cut school food programs for
poor children.
So if you’re a fetus, they care. But if you
need formula, diapers and shelter? To hell
with you.
Robert LaRosa, Whitestone
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com. You can also send a letter by regular
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Th e views expressed in all letters and
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