EDC boss defends HQ2 ‘Unfounded’ rape cases
alarm Qns lawmaker Patchett praises Amazon deal at City Hall meeting
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
City Councilman Rory
Lancman is calling for an
investigation after the NYPD
declared a large percentage
of rape cases in Queens as
“unfounded,” according to a
published report.
Lancman, who chairs the
Council’s Committee on the
Justice System and recently
announced his intention to
run for Queens district attorney,
is demanding an investigation
after The Appeal
reported concerns that the
Police Department is prematurely
closing cases without a
thorough investigation.
According to FBI data,
nearly 19 percent of the 2,767
total reported rapes in New
York City were considered
“unfounded,” defined by
the FBI as “false” or “baseless.”
Research shows only
2 to 10 percent of reported
rapes are actually false,
The Appeal reported.
According to the report,
27 percent of rapes reported
in Queens were deemed “unfounded”
in 2015.
“It is alarming that the
NYPD is declaring so many
rape allegations in Queens
as ‘unfounded,’ seemingly in
many cases without doing a
thorough investigation, at
rates substantially higher
than the rest of the city, and
far beyond percentages reported
across the country,”
Lancman said. “This indifference
to victims and the safety
of the broader public demands
investigation, as these statistics
should have sent alarm
bells ringing throughout law
enforcement.”
In 2014, 1,160 cases assigned
to the Special Victims
Division were closed using
the code “C-3 Uncooperative
Complainant,” according to
The Appeal. A total of 9,254
cases were closed due to an
alleged lack of cooperation
from the victim. By 2016,
1,551 cases were closed using
the uncooperative complainant
code.
In November, the NYPD
announced changes to the
Special Victims Division
to uphold and strengthen
the NYPD’s commitment
to survivors of sexual assault.
During the last seven
months, the NYPD has
made changes, including
leadership, staffing, policy,
training and facilities.
“The significant policy
enhancements, facility improvements
and restructuring
within our Special Victims
Division amplify our
ability to respond effectively
to survivors of all crimes,
while continuing to conduct
full and thorough investigations,”
said Police Commissioner
James O’Neill.
The total overall staffing
in SVD is now 281, which
includes 230 police officers
and detectives, as well as 51
other personnel including
civilians, supervisors and
executives, according to the
NYPD. Additionally, every
detective received state-ofthe
art training to support
survivors of sexual assault as
they thoroughly investigate
every case.
Deputy Chief Judith Harrison,
who was appointed to
lead the SVD as the new commanding
officer, has been
working in partnership with
the victims’ advocacy groups
and district attorneys.
“I will cultivate an environment
where survivors
of sexual assault know that
we are committed to providing
survivors with the
justice they deserve,” said
Harrison.
BY BILL PARRY
The deal that the state
and city struck with Amazon
to build its HQ2 campus in
Long Island City came under
intense scrutiny at City Hall
last Wednesday in the first of
three oversight hearings.
James Patchett, the president
and CEO of the city’s
Economic Development Corporation,
explained why the
city signed on to the deal to
lure the e-commerce giant.
“This is the single biggest
job creation opportunity in
New York’s history,” Patchett
said. “Amazon has committed
to creating at least 25,000 jobs
over the next 10 years, with
potential to expand to 40,000
jobs over the next 15 years.
It is projected to deliver over
$27.5 billion in tax revenue
to the city and state over the
next quarter century.”
Amazon sent its vice
president of public policy,
Brian Huseman, to the hearing
to further bolster the retail
giant’s case.
“The economic benefits to
New Yorkers are also unprecedented,”
he said. “It is expected
that our HQ will generate
$186 in economic activity
for New York State over the
next 25 years. This includes
$14 billion in tax payments to
the State and over $13 million
in tax payments to the City.”
On the opposite end, City
Councilman Jimmy Van
Bramer — who represents the
neighborhood and has been
an outspoken critic of the project
since it was announced a
month ago — grilled Amazon
and City officials over the
lack of transparency during
the process and the nearly $3
billion in tax cuts and subsidies
that were used to lure the
trillion-dollar corporation.
“As I have said many
times, this is a bad deal,” Van
Bramer said. “This is a bad
deal for Long Island City, bad
for Queens, and bad for New
York City. The mayor and the
governor caved to the richest
man on earth, and then handed
the bill to each and every
New Yorker.”
Van Bramer called it an
“unprecedented case of corporate
welfare” that was
a betrayal of progressive’s
core values. Council Speaker
Corey Johnson noted that the
7 train is “a disaster” while
The mouth of the Anable Basin in Long Island City, where Amazon
will develop its HQ2 campus in partnership with local real estate
companies. Photo by Alejandra O’Connell-Domenech
the Amazon deal includes the
construction of a helipad for
its top executive.
“The only transportation
piece of this project I’ve
seen involves a helipad. This
is like something out of the
Onion,” Johnson said. “Jeff
Bezos’ commute is all set but
what about the rest of us? Do
you realize how out of touch
that seems? It’s crazy.”
Patchett detailed how the
city’s economy was booming
with an unemployment rate
at four percent, a record low,
while it is home to 4.5 million
jobs, a record high.
“But as the head of the
city’s economic development
corporation, I have a responsibility
to ensure we never
become complacent and fail to
prepare for the next recession.
And we know there will be a
next recession at some point,”
Patchett said. “In February
2001, the city’s unemployment
rate was 5.1 percent — a
low for the period. Yet seven
months later Lower Manhattan
lay in ruins, and no one
was sure any CEO would ever
locate her company in the city
again. In that moment, an economic
development project
like this would be welcomed
with open arms.”
Patchett recalled how Wall
Street’s collapse put the city’s
economy in free fall. By October
2009 the unemployment
rate spiked to over 10 percent,
and it didn’t return to 4.6 percent
for another ten years.
“Amazon’s presence is vital
to our efforts to diversify
the economy and safeguard
ourselves from downturns
like these, or even worse, another
fiscal crisis,” Patchett
said.
Van Bramer also questioned
the way the deal was
brokered by the state and
city.
“Transparency is a hallmark
of good governance. So
we should all be concerned
they were eager to promise
Amazon that they would bypass
local land use review and
agree to sign non-disclosure
agreements while doing so,”
Van Bramer said. “The memorandum
of understanding is
shocking and shameful in how
much is gave to Amazon and
how little it extracted from
them for the community.”
Later, when Van Bramer
asked if the trillion-dollar corporation
would take the $500
million state capital grant
and put it towards repairs at
the four nearby public housing
developments in Western
Queens, neither Huseman or
Patchett provided an answer.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4538.
Photo via Shutterstock
TIMESLEDGER,4 DEC. 21-27, 2018 TIMESLEDGER.COM
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