Koo Thanks Straphangers & Transit Officials For Intervening In Racist Subway Attack
City Council Member Peter Koo (D- Bayside, College Point, Flushing, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Fresh Meadows, Whitestone) yesterday thanked subway riders and transit officials for standing up for an Asian woman who was attacked on a Brooklyn subway train during the morning rush hour.
According to police, published reports and a video recording, Anna Lushchinskaya, 40, was charged with felony assault following the 8 a.m., Tuesday morning incident aboard the D-train in Sunset Park.
Lushchinskaya, appeared to target the 24-year-old Asian woman and then launched the attack with racial slurs that left the victim bleeding with cuts to her face, police said.
“The despicable behavior on display this Tuesday in which a woman repeatedly attacks an Asian straphanger with violence and racist slurs has no place in the City of New York. As the video and the subsequent arrest plainly shows, New Yorkers know when to step in to defend each other from violence, hatred and racism. We thank NYPD Transit and all the straphangers who tried to de-escalate this disturbing incident,” said Koo.
Koslowitz, Jewish Caucus Statement On Queens Assault Of Jewish Teen
City Council Members Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills, Forest Park, Kew Gardens, Rego Park and Richmond Hill), Chaim Deutsch (D-Brooklyn) and Stephen Levin (D-Brooklyn), the Chairman, Vice-Chair and Secretary, of the Council’s Jewish Caucus, released the following statement in response to a physical assault against a Jewish teenager in Forest Hills.
”On November 29, 16 year-old David Paltielov was beaten by a gang of students from a nearby school. He was severely injured, and it was reported that anti-Semitic slurs were used during the attack. The community is in shock, and as elected officials, we have been trying to understand the circumstances of the assault, and the subsequent investigation, which thus far has not led to any hate crime charges. We even questioned the Chief of Patrol directly about the case at a hearing, and were disappointed that he was not able to answer our queries.
“Hate crimes are on the rise across New York City, overall rising by 5% since 2017. Anti-Semitic hate crimes alone rose by 28%. These numbers are disturbing, and it seems like we are hearing of a different hate crime every day. The communities affected deserve to understand what is occurring within their own neighborhoods.
Right now we have more questions than answers, nearly two weeks after the initial assault. We are calling on the NYPD to come into the community, to answer questions, and to respond to leaders inquiries.”
Sanders Property Tax Exemption Assistance Events Continue
State Sen. Senator James Sanders Jr. (D-Rochdale Village, Far Rockaway) partnered with the city Department of Finance (DOF) and other organizations to host a free property tax exemption assistance and utility bill reduction event on Dec. 5 at Springfield United Methodist Church.
This event was the second part of a four-part event series that will take place through February 2019.
Dozens of residents attended the event seeking assistance. The demand was so high, in fact, that the event was extended an hour beyond its scheduled end time, in order to try to accommodate as many people as possible.
The State Comptroller’s helped attendees look for unclaimed funds. The DOF enrolled homeowners in the property tax exemption program where each household saves over $300. The Department of Environmental Protection assisted constituents with delinquent water bills and educated homeowners on how to conserve water.
Neighborhood Housing Services of Jamaica assisted homeowners with lien sale and foreclosure issues. Margert Community Corporation helped homeowners and tenants with applications for conserving gas and heat in household in order to lowers utility bills.
“These are very important services for our community and I am proud to partner with these agencies and organizations to bring resources close to home so that more people have access to them,” Sanders said. “In these tough economic times every bit of savings helps and under those conditions we will continue to have events like these to benefit all who are in need.”
For more information or to make an appointment for the next property tax exemption event which will be held on January 18, 2018 in Far Rockaway, please call Senator Sanders’ Office at 718-523-3069 or 718-327-7017.
Constantinides, Queens Library to Announce Funding to Fully Renovate Astoria Library
City Council Member Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria, East Elmhurst, part of Long Island City) and Queens Library President Dennis Walcott today will discuss allocations the City Council made in Fiscal Year 2019 to re-imagine the Astoria Library in Western Queens.
The discussion is slated for 10:30 a.m., today, Dec. 14 at the Astoria Library, 14-01 Astoria Blvd. in Astoria.
