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Jan. 25-31, 2019 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
ALSO COVERING ELMHURST, JACKSON HEIGHTS, LONG ISLAND CITY, MASPETH, MIDDLE VILLAGE, REGO PARK, SUNNYSIDE
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Fighting for equality in Jackson Heights
Community leaders stand with residents to demand justice for anti-gay attack
HONORING DR. KING
Keri Edge — the founder of the Edge School of Arts — joins City Councilman I. Daneek Miller, his wife Pier and performers from the
Edge School of Arts on stage after the group’s performance during the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at the Jamaica
Performing Arts Center. See more photos on Page 14. Photo by Nat Valtnine
BY BILL PARRY
City Councilman Daniel
Dromm joined community
leaders in Jackson Heights
Tuesday to demand justice
for the survivor of an anti-gay
hate crime that occurred in
early November.
During the Jan. 22 press
conference, held at the
intersection of 78th Street and
Roosevelt Avenue, Dromm
called on the NYPD to charge
the owner of Village Moon
with a hate crime after he
allegedly muttered anti-gay
hate speech to two patrons in
November 2018.
“The NYPD should act
in the best interest of the
survivors — not further
victimize them,” said Dromm,
who added that he was sad
that in 2019, people still
believe they can use hateful
terms like “f—t” and get away
with it.
“We call upon the police to
right this wrong,” he added.
On Nov. 3, Valarezo and
his husband made a small
purchase using a credit card
at Village Moon, located
at 78-01 Roosevelt Ave. in
Jackson Heights. After the
purchase, store employee
Monammed Hoque insisted
on photocopying Valarezo’s
drivers license.
When Valerezo and his
husband objected, Hoque
launched into an anti-gay
tirade calling them “f—ts”
among other slurs, according
to Dromm’s office.
After Valarezo and his
husband exited the shop,
Dromm said, Hoque allegedly
assaulted Valarazo. While
the police were shown video
evidence indicating that this
assault was a hate crime, they
chose to ignore it, according
to Dromm’s office. Instead,
the NYPD charged one of the
victims with a felony, which
was later reduced to a class
A misdemeanor.
Hoque, the alleged
perpetrator of the hate
crime, was given a mere
desk appearance ticket by
the NYPD.
In Jackson Heights, hone
to one of the largest LGBTQ
communities in New York,
such hate and violence should
never be tolerated — least of
all by the NYPD, according to
Dromm’s office.
The NYPD should act in the
best interest of the survivors
— not further victimize them.
Daniel Dromm
City Councilman
“We stand behind each
other in Queens,” said
Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz, who joined City
Councilman Rory Lancman,
Melissa Mark-Viverito, and
other elected officials in
showing their concern and
support for the couple.
“Society has come a
long way in recent decades
towards reducing hatred and
discrimination against gay
people,” said Tina Arniotis,
co-chair of Queens Pride.
“However, it will be a while — if
ever — before anti-gay sentiment
disappears completely and this
only provides more fuel for us
leaders and advocates to educate
and fight for LGBTQ rights.”
Additional reporting
by Alejandra O’Connell-
Domenech.
Reach reporter Bill
Parry by e-mail at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.
Vol. 7 No. 4 64 total pages
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