Crime Spree Sends A Chill Through Flushing

The fear has returned to downtown Flushing. It spread through the Asian community after a series of nine robberies were committed over the holidays just blocks from the scene where five fast food workers were murdered at Wendys Restaurant on Main Street on May 24., 2000.
Alarmed merchants and police officials joined with City Council Member John Liu and Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin at a news conference at the Lai Food Restaurant on Prince Street, scene of an armed robbery in the early morning hours of Dec. 27, to discuss what could be done to prevent future crime sprees.
Liu, who organized the meeting, said the string of robberies sent a chill through area businesses. He said a committee of merchants had been organized in Flushing to work with Inspector James Waters, commanding officer of the 109 Pct. on Union Street to protect merchants from the crime spree.
The merchant group, known as the Queens North Asian Advisory Board, is comprised of various Asian nationalities based in Flushing.
Waters told the press that the 109 Pct. had the resources to stop the robberies, but both Liu and McLaughlin disagreed.
"We plan on asking Mayor Michael Bloomberg to send more police to Flushing," Liu said. "We must make the case for more cops; we deserve them."
McLaughlin agreed. He said that Flushing is moving toward a prestigious role as an urban hub and that 150,000 people a day pass through the bustling community.
"The glass in Flushing is half full," McLaughlin said. "But we need a safety net for this community."
Liu told the assemblage on Monday that part of the problem is cultural in nature, with Asian businessmen suspicious of reporting crimes to police. He urged local merchants to break down the barriers.
"In some cases, the robberies involved forcing the victims to lay down on the floor during the crime," Liu added, a practice the two killers used in robbing the Flushing-based Wendys.
Liu said that Flushing establishments robbed over the holidays included Citibank and Chase Manhattan branches and Kentucky Fried Chicken.