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July 5-11, 2019 Your Neighborhood — Your News®
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Latest hate crime rocks Queens LGBT
Arrest made in pepper spray attack on activists in Jackson Heights, but outrage remains
After the police were
called, Garcia alleges that
officers claimed the substance
was only water and took no
further action against the two
individuals.
“They didn’t believe us.
They said it was just water
and asked if we had actually
seen the pepper spray,” Garcia
continued. “Ultimately, the
woman was arrested but it
was because she was being
aggressive with the police
officers. It was not related
to us.”
According to Garcia, she
and the other filmmakers
left the area to return to 82nd
Street later. But the male
Garcia claims was harassing
them also returned and pepper
sprayed them in the face.
Garcia is an organizer with
LIGHTING UP THE NIGHT IN ASTORIA
Fireworks lit up the night sky over Astoria on June 27 during an early Independence Day
celebration thrown by the Central Astoria Local Development Corporation. See Page 3 for more
photos. Photo by Dean Moses
BY MARK HALLUM
The irony was not lost on
activists Bianey Garcia and
Norma Ureiro when they were
attacked with pepper spray
in Jackson Heights while
making a documentary about
the experiences of transgender
people on June 29.
After a brief stint in
Elmhurst Hospital, Garcia
and Ureiro spoke at a rally
about their recent experience
alleging that the police did
not adequately respond to the
attack which began as a salvo
of slurs before it escalated
further.
“We were doing a
documentary in Jackson
Heights to demonstrate the
violence against transgender
people and high levels of
police harassment,” Garcia
said through an interpreter.
“There was a woman and a
man who started harassing
us and saying slurs. They
called us ‘f—-ts’ and then said
women like us only promote
prostitution, but it is only
because of the clothes we were
wearing.”
Garcia said the woman —
identified by police as Paola
Custodio, 24 — allegedly took
out pepper spray and hit Garcia
in the back with the liquid.
Make the Road NY; Matteo
Guerrero, who led the rally
representing the organization,
said video of the incident was
recorded by the documentary
crew but would not be released
until a later time.
Tiffany Cabán, a queer
Latina Democratic candidate
for Queens district attorney
and the apparent winner of last
week’s Democratic primary
for the post,attended the rally.
“When someone attacks
our community, we absolutely
cannot stay silent. We must
stand up together against
transphobia in Queens, against
attacks on our community,
against harassment and
hatred,” Cabán said.
According to NYPD,
Garcia’s story is “all
confirmed.”
Custodio, 24, an Elmhurst
resident, was taken into
custody at 3:49 a.m. on June
29, NYPD said, and she was
charged with assault as a hate
crime harassment.
Custodio was previously
arrested on Feb. 24 and faces a
felony conviction for burglary
and criminal mischief with
intent to damage property.
This case was last adjourned
on June 20 and she is set to
return to Queens Criminal
Court in August.
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