St. Patricks Day In Woodside

The streets of Woodside were awash with Irish pride this past Sunday, March 2, during Queens fourth annual all-inclusive St. Patricks Day parade. Originally organized by Brendan Fay as a response to Manhattans traditional parade on Fifth Avenue which excludes gay groups from marching under their banners, the parade ran down Skillman Avenue. It also ran through some pretty bad weather. While the rain, evocative of Irish mists, kept the number of participants relatively low, it didnt discourage such notable folks as Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Gifford Miller from flaunting their green spirit. The diverse group of marchers also included the Mexican Civic Committee and the Korean American Community Empowerment Council.
The parade, believed by many to be the best St. Patricks Day salute because it demonstrates the citys diversity and acceptance of its citizens differences, has drawn its share of criticism. Some local Skillman Avenue residents went so far as to put up derogatory signs in their windows declaring the parade blasphemous. The Mayor has been additionally criticized because, while he did march in the inclusive parade, he has not refused to march in Manhattans parade. Many see this as a sign that he is in support of the exclusion of homosexuals from the traditional festivities. But even so, the tone of the responses to the Woodside event seem to be overwhelmingly positive. People feel good being included. After all, on St, Patricks day, arent we all a little Irish?
Several Queens politicians disagree. Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. is concerned that the police department is being decimated and that token booth clerks provide a sense of security. State Senator Toby Stavisky argued that the poor attendance by the MTA Board showed how little they care about the issue. Liu agreed and said the amount of money being saved is "peanuts and it is penny wise pound foolish."
Borough President Helen Marshall, staunchly against these closings, cited a new survival guide written by Dr. Angelo Acquista, the medical director for the City Office of Emergency Management. The guide tells subway riders to go to token booth agents in the event of an attack.
"How can the public do that when the booth is empty?" Marshall asked.