Queens DA race gets two new competitors
BY BILL PARRY
Two more candidates
have joined the crowded race
to replace Queens District
Attorney Richard A. Brown:
José Nieves, a longtime
Queens resident and a career
prosecutor, and attorney Betty
Lugo, another prosecutor and
founding partner of the state’s
first Latina-owned law firm.
Nieves, a Jackson Heights
resident, emphasized the need
to change the focus of the DA’s
office and utilize its resources
in progressive ways.
“I want to redirect the
focus of the Queens District
Attorney’s Office away
from merely charging and
incarcerating people,” Nieves
said. “Instead, I want to use the
office’s resources to divert nonviolent
offenders away from
the criminal justice system,
create meaningful alternatives
to incarceration, and keep our
community safe by prosecuting
violent crimes.”
Nieves indicated that he
will implement several new
initiatives when he is elected,
including the following:
declining to prosecute low
level offenses and diverting
those charged with non-violent
crimes into drug programs;
eliminating cash bail; creating
Jose Nieves gives the thumps up sign as he launches his campaign for Queens district attorney in
front of Queens Supreme Court. Courtesy of Nieves’ campaign
a Conviction Review Unit to
overturn wrongful convictions;
expunging criminal convictions
that are solely for the possession
of marijuana; training all legal
staff on procedural justice,
implicit bias, and racial justice;
considering the collateral
consequences for immigrants
in charging decisions, plea
negotiations, and sentencing
recommendations; hiring
immigration attorneys to advise
prosecutors, witnesses and
victims regarding immigration
matters; and conducting
quarterly town hall meetings.
A graduate of the St. John’s
University School of Law,
Nieves is an Army combat
veteran who serve in the state’s
Attorney General’s office as
a Deputy Chief in the Special
Investigations and Prosecutions
Unit before resigning this year
to campaign for DA.
“I have the life experience to
know that the criminal justice
system has been fundamentally
unfair to people of color and
the poor, and the professional
experience and expertise to
allow me to change it”, Nieves
said. “My goal is to create a
more fair and equal criminal
justice system while also
maintaining public safety in
our communities.”
Meanwhile, Lugo launched
her campaign with a rally at
Borough Hall on Feb. 21.
Born and raised in Elmhurst,
the Maspeth resident was the
first Hispanic woman to work as
an assistant district attorney in
the Nassau County DA’s office in
the mid-80s, before co-founding
Pacheco & Lugo in 1992.
“Queens needs true
justice for all, a well-rounded
professional with prosecutorial
background who cares about
victims, families, and society
as a whole,” Lugo said. “Queens
needs outreach, education, help
with mental issues, veterans
court, criminal justice reform
and mediation of non low
level offenses.”
Lugo added that the safety
of the people of Queens is her
priority and she will firm
and fair.
“The District Attorney is
entrusted with representing
all of the people of the State of
New York County of Queens.
Everyone deserves to be treated
equally and with respect.”
Lugo and Nieves join
Queens Borough President
Melinda Katz, Councilman
Rory Lancman, former Queens
Supreme Court Justice Greg
Lasak, public defender Tiffany
Caban and former Queens
prosecutor and Civilian
Complaint Review Board chair
Mina Malik in the race for
Queens DA. The Democratic
primary is June 25.
New map shows where to fi nd fresh produce in boro
BY BILL PARRY
Knowing that fresh produce
can be hard to find in many
underserved neighborhoods,
City Council Speaker Corey
Johnson, the acting public
advocate, created an interactive
Farm-To-City Food map of the
five boroughs, highlighting
the importance of access to
fresh and healthy food for all
New Yorkers.
In Queens, the map shows
17 Community Supported
Agriculture (CSAs), 20 farmers
markets, two food boxes and
four fresh pantry projects.
CSAs are partnerships
between a farm and a community
that allow neighbors to invest in
the farm at the beginning of the
growing season when farms need
support the most, in exchange
for weekly distribution of the
farms’ produce from June to
November. Food Box programs
aggregate produce from
participating farms and enable
under-served communities to
purchase a box of fresh, healthy,
primarily regionally-grown
produce.
Food pantries shown on the
map are part of GrowNYC’s
Fresh Pantry Project. These
pantries accept donations of
fresh local produce from New
York area growers. Farmers’
markets are diverse and may
be run by a large, centrallymanaged
network or by a single
community organization,
garden group, or impassioned
neighbors running their own
community-run market.
“Access to fresh, healthy
food should be a human right
for everyone living in New
York City,” Johnson said.
“Many New Yorkers don’t
know where to find fresh food
options even if they are nearby,
but the good news is that there
are several community-based
programs that make fresh food
Council Speaker Corey Johnson creates and interactive map
showing where fresh produce can be found in underserved areas of
the five boroughs. Courtesy of Johnson’s offi ce
affordable. With this map, we
are highlighting the work of
amazing organizations like
GrowNYC, Just Food, and
Harvest Home, promoting
healthy lifestyles for all New
Yorkers, and highlighting the
need to continue fighting until
fresh, healthy food is affordable
and accessible for everyone.”
The new interactive map
allows viewers to find and learn
more about all 307 locations,
including payment programs
that help make fruits and
vegetables and other healthy
options more affordable, making
it a valuable resource for anyone
in search of fresh, healthy food
in New York City. The map is
available on the acting public
advocate’s website.
“The New York City Council’s
Farm-to-City Food Map is an
empowering tool that will help
people throughout the City
eat fresh, healthy, and local.”
GrowNYC President, Marcel
Van Ooyen said. “GrowNYC’s
mission is to build linkages
between local farms and New
York City communities. This
online tool will make it easier
for New Yorkers to take full
advantage of resources such as
Greenmarket, Youthmarket,
and Fresh Food Box that support
regional farm economies,
provide access to delicious and
healthy foods, and fully utilize
nutrition assistance programs
such as SNAP and FMNP.”
TIMESLEDGER,QNS.COM MARCH 1-7, 2019 5
/TIMESLEDGER,QNS.COM
