JPCA Slams City’s Illegal Immigrant Policies
Two new city laws limiting the cooperation between local law enforcement and federal agents regarding the deportation of illegal immigrants guilty of committing certain misdemeanors were slammed by the president of the Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA) as a threat to the public’s well-being during the civic group’s meeting last Thursday night, Mar. 21, at Our Lady of Hope School in Middle Village.
Robert Holden criticized Mayor Michael Bloomberg and members of the City Council who supported laws that prohibit the NYPD and the Corrections Department from referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) illegal immigrants caught committing minor misdemeanor offenses, or detaining such individuals for further review.
As previously reported in last week’s Times Newsweekly, supporters of the legislation—signed by Bloomberg last Monday, Mar. 18— claimed that the law would allow those immigrants who committed minor offenses the opportunity to remain. The NYPD and Corrections Department would continue to refer to ICE—an offshoot of the Department of Homeland Security—for deportation any illegal immigrant with outstanding criminal warrants, are known gang members or possible matches to terrorist databases, have an outstanding warrant of removal or have been subjected to previous deportation proceedings.
Holden, however, argued that “If you sneak over the border, you’ve already broken the law.” He claimed the new laws would undermine the security of New York City, causing a lack of communication between federal and local law enforcement agencies similar to that which took place prior to the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
“Homeland Security was formed to share information between the NYPD, local agencies and the government,” he said. “This was done to prevent another 9/11 from happening. But the City Council and [Speaker] Christine Quinn and Mayor Bloomberg have other things in mind.”
The civic president also argued that an illegal immigrant arrested for a misdemeanor without a prior record in the U.S. may not necessarily have a clear criminal background. Holden suggested that some of those who cross the border illegally to enter the U.S. use an alias or a stolen identity to do so.
“Let’s say somebody comes over our borders. Do you think they’re using their real names? Do we know the background in Mexico or China or Ecuador?” he said.
For example, Holden pointed to the case of Salvator Vera, 34, who was wanted by the Mexican government for allegedly killing his pregnant girlfriend. After the murder, Vera used a Mexican passport to enter the U.S. “under an assumed name”; the civic president stated Vera was collared years later by agents in the U.S. and extradited back to Mexico, largely in part due to the cooperation between the American and Mexican governments.
Beyond the issue, Holden blasted City Council members who supported the two laws, telling residents that they put the interests of illegal immigrants before their own constituents. He particularly criticized City Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, who voted for both bills and sponsored a law passed in 2011 limiting the cooperation between the Corrections Department and ICE with regard to referrals for the deportation of illegal immigrants jailed for misdemeanors.
“These elected officials, we’d hope, would look out for our interests, not the interests of illegal aliens,” he said. “You know what the City Council is saying? The illegal aliens’ families are more important than you.”
Holden stated that he contacted Crowley’s office for an explanation on her stance regarding the laws.
“My feeling is everyone who came here illegally, if they’re stopped or commit a low-level crime or any crime, we should check them out. That’s all I’m asking. Check them out,” he said. “Certainly, a city like New York should remember what happened 12 years ago.”
Cops to be ‘all over’ Juniper Park
In addition to reporting a drop in overall crime, Capt. Christopher Manson—commanding officer of the 104th Precinct—pledged to attendees that the force would strive to prevent crime and quality-of-life problems in and around Juniper Valley Park.
“I can’t promise miracles, but we’re going to keep your park as nice as we can,” said Manson, a 26-year veteran of the NYPD who took the helm of the command in January.
After being briefed about past problems in the Middle Village greenspace—including vandalism, late-night loitering and illegal parking on Juniper Boulevards North and South—the commander stated the precinct would concentrate on preventing such problems from recurring once the warm spring weather arrives and the park is used more often.
Manson outlined a host of tactics to be taken at Juniper Valley Park, including the temporary stationing of the precinct’s mobile command unit, having officers patrol the park on scooters, assigning auxiliary officers to walk through the area and strictly enforcing parking regulations.
“I’m gonna be all over your park,” he said.
Manson urged anyone with questions or concerns about the park to provide them to the JPCA, which will be subsequently forwarded to police.
Regarding overall crime, Manson reported the 104th Precinct is down three percent year-to-date after starting 2013 with a spike in overall felonies. One of the steepest drops was reported in auto thefts, which are down 45 percent.
The commander outlined a number of notable arrests made recently, including the collar of three male bandits who mugged an individual for his phone in the area of 64th Street and Myrtle Avenue in Glendale.
“We’re out there making lots of arrests,” he said.
An attendee urged Manson to send officers to St. Margaret School, located at the corner of Juniper Valley Road and 80th Street, during school days to crack down on parents who double-park their cars while dropping off or picking up their children. The resident claimed that the condition is proving to be hazardous to other drivers and pedestrians trying to pass through the area.
“Something has to be done,” the attendee said. “Somebody’s gonna get killed there.”
Manson said that he regularly dispatches officers to all of the public schools in the precinct’s confines since double-parked vehicles are a frequent problem at many locations. He stated officers would be sent to the school to issue warnings and summonses.
Businesses kept quiet on the set
A portion of the Grand Avenue shopping strip in Maspeth recently played host to three television productions, but the companies themselves proved to be disruptive to local merchants, according to JPCA Treasurer Tony Nunziato.
Nunziato stated crews shot scenes for three popular crime dramas— Blue Bloods, Person of Interest and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit—along Grand Avenue near Mount Olivet Cemetery. Though up to 10 blocks of Grand Avenue had parking restrictions at a given time to accommodate the production crews, he noted, in some instances, the trucks and equipment only took up a couple of spaces.
In other cases, Nunziato added, trucks parked in front of his own business—Enchanted Florist—as well as nearby doctors’ offices, making it difficult for clients to reach the locations.
“I reached out to the studios and they told me, ‘Sorry for the inconvenience,’” he said. “I told them, ‘An inconvenience is a pebble in my shoe.’ When you take away food from my family or viability from my neighborhood, that’s bad.”
Nunziato suggested that the city once again provide public notice to local community boards of impending filming in given areas so businesses have the opportunity to prepare.
Beep candidate stumps for votes
State Sen. Tony Avella, one of six Democrats seeking to become Queens’ next borough president, appealed to residents for their support. If elected, he pledged to serve as a voice for Queens to get its “fair share of city services” from Police and Fire Department personnel to tree pruning.
“We need a voice for Queens,” he said, stating his belief that the current borough president—Helen Marshall, who is ineligible to run for a third term—has not been as vocal as other borough presidents in seeking improvements for their constituents.
“I have no fear of taking the mayor on. We need to fight just like the other boroughs to get our fair share of services,” Avella added. “We need to fight to keep this a residential borough. The city does little to preserve the character of our neighborhoods.”
Speaking about tree pruning—a subject which Avella broached in an op-ed for the JPCA’s quarterly magazine, The Juniper Berry—the state senator criticized the city for moving forward with its MillionTreesNYC tree planting campaign while failing to properly maintain existing street trees.
Avella claimed that the city Parks Department is slow to respond to complaints raised by residents about street trees in poor health and/or in danger of falling. In many instances, he charged, the agency will inspect— but not work on—a tree if it is not scheduled to be pruned under the city’s tree pruning cycle.
“Why are we planting a million trees if we can’t take care of the trees we already have?” Avella asked.
The MillionTreesNYC program itself is flawed, he claimed, as young saplings are often being planted too close to one another, causing premature death.
Fire safety 101
Lt. Frank Mannetta of the FDNY Fire Prevention Unit offered a crash course to residents on the proper use and installation of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, as well as how to survive fires.
Smoke detectors are inexpensive, easy to install and can make the difference between life and death, Mannetta stated. Of the 58 fires in New York City last year which resulted in fatalities, he noted, 46 of them were found not to have a working smoke detector in the location.
The Fire Department, in an effort to make sure all New Yorkers have at least one working smoke detector in their homes or apartments, has been distributing the devices across the city. The agency is also distributing batteries to remind residents to change the batteries in their smoke detectors every six months, or on or about daylight savings time.
Mannetta added smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be tested periodically to make sure they are working properly. Residents should also know the difference between the sounds of a smoke detector (three long beeps) and a carbon monoxide detector (four quick chirps) so they can quickly react when activated.
The lieutenant also provided the following fire safety tips:
• Make an emergency plan with the family to safely evacuate from a home in the event of a fire, including establishing a meeting place outside.
• Do not use water to extinguish a grease fire; cover the pot with a lid or baking soda. If the fire grows, evacuate.
• Be careful to avoid overloading surge protectors and outlets to prevent electrical fires.
• Smokers should light up outside, but if they smoke indoors should extinguish their butts in the sink under running water or in a deep dish ash tray.
At the end of the meeting, attendees received a free smoke detector with a sealed cell battery guaranteed to last 10 years.
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The next Juniper Park Civic Association meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday night, Apr. 25, at 7:45 p.m. at Our Lady of Hope School, located at the corner of Eliot Avenue and 71st Street in Middle Village. For more information, visit www.junipercivic.com or call 1-718- 651-5865.
