WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES APRIL 27, 2017 13 OP-ED Make justice a universal language BY CITY COUNCILMAN RORY LANCMAN Take a walk around Queens and you will hear why we are known as the “World’s Borough.” More than 160 languages are spoken throughout Queens today, more than anywhere else in the world. This diversity should make us proud — it is our greatest strength — but with it comes an immense responsibility to ensure those who immigrated to Queens and New York City are able to fully participate in our society, including our judicial system. Today many New Yorkers who are not profi cient in English are denied justice because of a lack of language resources. While state law requires that free interpretation be made available in court for litigants, victims, and witnesses, the number of languages now spoken in Queens, and New York City more generally, makes it diffi cult to properly meet these important obligations. In 2016 alone, more than 100 diff erent languages were interpreted in New York City courts. Here in Queens, there are 42 full-time court interpreters, covering 74 diff erent languages. Those fi gures show that while we are making progress, we have not done enough to ensure our judicial system is serving all New Yorkers, regardless of where they are from or what language they speak. The lack of language access services in our courtrooms can have serious consequences. The lack of translators can delay cases or force people to return to court multiple times. The lack of court signage in languages other than English can create immense confusion navigating the courthouse and fi guring out where to go. A judicial system that leaves people feeling lost, confused and hopeless will further undermine public confi - dence and trust in the system. More must be done to rectify the language access problem in our courthouses and that starts with adding more interpreters to reduce delays and confusion. The Council and the Administration should partner with high schools and CUNY to make interpretation a viable and attractive career option for students. As detailed by Legal Services NYC, the court system should track and publish data on what languages are spoken in specifi c courthouses. This simple, yet crucial, task would empower the courts to understand what languages are commonly spoken, and allocate necessary resources. Legal Services NYC also suggests a centralized mechanism where courts and lawyers can schedule an interpreter prior to a court appearance. Doing so would help prevent delays that occur when an interpreter is not available. Our city and our court system can and must do better. Faster and fairer justice for those who don’t speak English will mean better justice for all. Councilman Lancman represents the 24th Council District which covers Briarwood, Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest, Jamaica and Kew Gardens Hills. LETTERS AND COMMENTS MOURNING THE LOSS OF A TRUE HERO Another Bravest at the FDNY has died in the line of duty. FDNY veteran William Tolley left behind a wife named Marie and daughter Isabella who is 8 years old. I find this most sad, and it leaves many with a profound loss of a good man who sought only to save lives and to protect property. My heartfelt prayers go out to the Tolley family, friends and fellow fi refi ghters who are grieving over a lost of a good man. William Tolley was dedicated to the FDNY and to the City of New York and will be gravely missed. God bless you William Tolley, you died much too young at age 42. Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Glen Oaks Village RIKERS SHOULD BE STATE PROPERTY, SAYS READER Recently the topic of closing Rikers Island has been raised and the Times Newsweekly is looking for ideas of what to do about Rikers. My suggestion is to keep it a jail and utilize some of the empty space to house criminals which were previously sent to state jails throughout upstate New York. Prisoners would be limited to those from New York City and surrounding areas in downstate New York, so we would not have to hear from bleeding heart liberals about the time, money and inconvenience in visiting their incarcerated son, father, mother, brother, etc. Those advocating its closure use the declining population as a reason to close it. Well what is wrong with this idea? I know one problem off the bat: Governor Cuomo would have to negotiate with Mayor de Blasio — that is, unless we elect a better mayor! Thomas Murawski, Glendale NAME ROCKAWAY FERRY DOCK FOR ADVOCATE We are thrilled and excited that our Rockaway Ferry will be sailing back on May 1. We along with many Rockaway residents are very impressed with the new Hornblower Ferries and their sleek look. We are aware of a Facebook movement within our community concerning the naming of our landing dock. This is totally true; this movement has existed for approximately one year. We, along with other community volunteers, worked passionately to achieve this goal, known as Deckelman’s Landing. We gathered over 2,000 signatures on line as well has hard copies. There were also over 300 wonderful comments regarding Laura Deckelman’s commitment to the ferry along with her beautiful photography to promote it. Laura has a wonderful positive personality, a team player who gets along beautifully with all those she meets. When she rode the ferry she always exhibited her loving spirit and love of the ferry. In our country, we all have the freedom to pursue what we believe in. Others within our community could have chosen to do the same. It would have required anyone to put the time, energy and effort as we did. Let us all remember as Rockawayites that no matter what decision the city makes on the naming of our dock, we are one great community that speaks up and speaks out. Linda & Danny Ruscillo, Rockaway A LOOK BACK This photo taken in October 1938 shows Pleasant View Avenue (now known as Pleasantview Street) near Penelope Avenue in Middle Village. The photographer is looking north in this picture. Much of the area was still sparsely developed at the time, but new homes would soon rise on both sides of the street. Send us your historic photos of Queens by email to [email protected] or mail printed pictures to A Look Back, ℅ The Queens Courier, 38-15 Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361. All mailed pictures will be carefully returned to you.
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