3 College Pt. residents set to sue over homeless shelter
QUEENS WEEKLY, DEC. 9, 2018
BY JENNA BAGCAL
College Point residents
continue to speak
out against a proposed
homeless shelter in the
neighborhood.
Nearly 200 people
filled the room at the Poppenhusen
Institute for the
Nov. 28 College Point Civic
Association and Taxpayers
meeting, which
required tickets to count
the number of attendees;
dozens of residents found
themselves waiting just
outside the doors for the
session.
Residents from College
Point and neighboring areas
including Whitestone,
Flushing and Bayside
also gathered for a protest
Dec. 2 in front of the
planned shelter at 127-03
20th Ave.
The rally was co-organized
by Dany Chen,
founder of the College
Point Residents Coalition
(CPRC), committee member
Jennifer Shannon
and area residents Rex
Lam, Elizabeth Cuccia
and Kathleen Shannon.
At the Nov. 28 meeting,
residents expressed anger
and fear over the shelter
and were joined by City
Councilman Paul Vallone
to quiz Jackie Bray,
the first deputy commissioner
for the Department
of Homeless Services
(DHS), about the plan.
Bray shared information
regarding the location at
127-03 20th Ave. and fielded
the crowd’s questions.
According to Bray, the
shelter would be a “general
population shelter,”
meaning that residents
in the 200 single men’s
shelter would not be men
who are registered sex offenders
or have substance
abuse and mental health
issues.
She said that those allowed
to live in the shelter
underwent an evaluation
process, which involved
assessing each individual
to see where they should
be placed. Before being
placed in a shelter, men
come from their intake
center in Manhattan and
placed in an assessment
shelter where they are
given a comprehensive
background and mental
health check.
With regards to safety,
Bray said that there
would be a “minimum”
of 43 security guards and
supervisors and at least
133 to 136 cameras on the
outside.
But the uproarious
crowd — which often burst
into loud, disapproving
shouts as Bray supplied
information about the
shelter — could not be convinced
that it was right for
their community.
“We take care of our
own, we don’t need to take
care of anybody else,”
yelled one resident from
the crowd.
“Put it somewhere
else!” yelled another.
Meanwhile, Vallone
— who has been vocal
with his opposition to the
shelter — also spoke at
the Dec. 2 rally, claiming
that the building’s owners
were not transparent
about their intentions
when filing the property
permits. The councilman
said that the original permits
from the Brooklynbased
owners of Liberty
One Group, stated that
the property was going to
be “an office and furniture
store.”
“They lied to us deliberately,”
said Vallone.
“David Levitan and
Steve Werner sold out
College Point for $12 million,
$2,000 per homeless
man. This isn’t about being
about being a good
humanitarian, this is
about profit. They said it
in the New York Times,
‘this is good business,
this is good profit.’ Not
here in College Point. We
will fight every day every
way we can to make
sure this shelter does
not open.”
Shannon urged those
in attendance to donate
money that would go toward
taking legal action
against the city.
“College Point, Whitestone,
Bayside, whoever
wants to get in with us,
we are suing New York
City. In order to sue New
York City, we need money
and I assure you the city’s
not giving it to us. We
need donations. We need
you,” she said.
City Councilman Paul Vallone speaks at the rally. Photo by Jenna Bagcal
Simotas urges Cuomo to sign rape kit bill into law
BY BILL PARRY
State Assemblywoman
Aravella Simotas is calling
on Gov. Andrew Cuomo
to sign her Sexual Assault
Survivor Bill of Rights legislation
after the state’s
attorney general reached
settlements with seven New
York City hospitals that illegally
billed at least 200 rape
survivors for forensic rape
examinations.
Under the terms of the
agreements, the hospitals
will implement written policies
to ensure that sexual
assault survivors do not receive
bills for their rape examinations,
provide full restitution
to any improperly
billed sexual assault survivors,
and pay costs.
“I am shocked and horrified
by the illegal practice
of billing rape survivors for
forensic rape examinations,
that Attorney General Barbara
Underwood exposed
last week,” Simotas said.
“One of the most disturbing
aspects of this is that a new
law might have prevented
this travesty but it has been
waiting for the governor’s
signature for six months,
after passing the Assembly
and Senate in June 2018. Until
the governor signs it, the
law will not take effect.”
“This languishing legislation,
that I sponsored in
the Assembly, would give
sexual assault survivors a
copy of a Bill of Rights and
it would clearly tell them
that the forensic examination
is free, as well as HIV
post-exposure therapies and
emergency contraception,”
Simotas added.
The Sexual Assault Survivor
Bill of Rights would also
disclose: the right to consult
with a representative from
a rape crisis of victim assistance
organization before a
physical exam or law enforcement
interview and the right
to have a representative accompany
them through the
exam and interview.
The right contact information
for the law enforcement
entity with jurisdiction
over the crime and the
right to receive updates on
the status of their rape kit
and whether a DA profile
was developed and a DNA
match identified.
A prosecutorial agency
would be able to delay release
of this information prior to
the arrest of a suspect.
“No rape survivor
should be re-traumatized by
bureaucracy, ill-treatment,
thoughtlessness or lack of
transparency in the health
care or criminal justice
systems,” Simotas said. “In
2016 the governor signed
legislation that I sponsored
to mandate the speedy processing
of rape kits and end
the backlog.”
“I urge to governor to
now sign the Sexual Assault
Survivor Bill of Rights
so that our state continues
to protect and advance the
rights of sexual assault survivors,”
she added.
Reach reporter Bill Parry
by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4538.
State Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas wants the governor to
sign her Sexual Assault Victim Bill of Rights legislation after
seven area hospitals billed victims for their rape kits.
Courtesy of Simotas’ office
link
link
link
link
link
link