Kim Seeks To Defuse Nail Salon Tensions
Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Whitestone, Flushing, College Point, and Murray Hill), last week, visited Brooklyn’s Happy Red Apple Nails salon with Assembly Members Diana Richardson (D-Brooklyn) and Latrice Walker (D-Brooklyn) as tensions between local residents and the shop reached their peak.
A fracas broke out at the shop after a customer allegedly refused to pay for work she had done because she alleged it was faulty. Kim saw first hand the anger and hurt from the community after videos of the brawl between the store’s workers and customers went viral.
The following day, Kim worked with his colleagues to facilitate an extended private meeting between leaders from the Asian nail salon associations, Brooklyn Chinese American leaders, U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-Brooklyn) and Richardson. The participants spoke for hours about the seriousness of the episode, and discussed ways to move forward that might ease the ongoing hostility.
“Recognizing the heightened tensions between the black and Asian communities over this incident, I felt compelled to try and bring all parties together in an attempt to work collaboratively on a peaceful solution. After speaking with my fellow elected officials who represent the area, several of whom I work with in the State Legislature, I saw an opportunity to bring all the stakeholders together,” said Kim.
“At a time when our national discourse has been inflamed by division and conflict, my hope was to find a way to bring our two communities together instead of allowing this to further divide us,” he added.
Lancman Commends Study On Impact of NYPD Using Body Cameras at Low-Level Encounters
City Council Member Rory I. Lancman (D-Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest, Jamaica Estates, Briarwood, Parkway Village, Jamaica Hills, Jamaica), chair of the Committee on the Justice System, on Friday commended U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres for his ruling in favor of mandating a proposal for a new pilot project for NYPD officers to use body-worn cameras earlier in encounters with the public, during so-called Level 1 Stops.
Level 1 stops occur where officers have an objective credible reason to stop an individual and request information but may not seek permission to search or ask accusatory questions. In 2015, Lancman wrote a letter to Judge Torres urging her to require the NYPD to document low-level stops.
“I commend Judge Torres for ordering this important pilot project. As I noted in 2015, low-level encounters play a critical role in community-police relations, and it is therefore imperative that these interactions are reported and information is provided to the public,” said Lancman.
“It is my hope that this pilot project will lay the foundation for how body-worn cameras can be used to increase transparency and accountability while building trust between police and the communities they serve,” he added.
Avella, Braunstein, CB 7, Oppose Fort Totten Conservancy
State Sen. Tony Avella (D-College Point, Whitestone, Bayside, Flushing, Jamaica Estates, Fresh Meadows, Bellerose, Floral Park, Jamaica, Douglaston, Little Neck, Auburndale, Kissena Park, Briarwood) and Assembly Member Edward Braunstein (D-Bayside), will join Community Board 7 and community leaders today at the entrance to Fort Totten to oppose an outside group, the Fort Totten Conservancy, from taking control of the Park.
The Conservancy was formed with no input from the community. Avella and the local community have in the past questioned the city’s lack of transparency on their intentions with the park. ance
The protest is slated for 2:30 p.m., today Aug. 13 at the entrance to Fort Totten Park (near Totten Avenue and Little Bay Park) in Bayside.
