BP Adams Denounces 3rd Death Due to Hammer Attack At Seaport Buffet
Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams once again denounced the deadly hammer attack at Seaport Buffet yesterday following the death of a third victim, Tsz Mat Pun, 50.
Last Tuesday, Arthur Martunovich entered the Seaport Buffet in Brooklyn around 5 p.m. wielding a hammer and started attacking the restaurant owner, Kheong Ng-Thang, 60, and two other employees Chef Fufai Pun,34, Mat Pun, before fleeing the scene. Chef Pun died at the scene while owner Ng-Thang died last Friday, Jan. 18, after being declared brain dead as a result of the assault.
Martunovich claims his attack was inspired by an unnamed film depicting Chinese men abusing Chinese women. The Brighton Beach resident was later arrested two blocks away from the scene. He lived only six blocks from the restaurant and had no known connection to the victims. Martunovich remains hospitalized in the psychiatric ward at Kings County Hospital and is not expected in court in the near future.
“Brooklyn has been united in prayer for the victimized employees of Seaport Buffet, and the greater Sheepshead Bay community, in the days following last week’s senseless attack. The tragic loss of Tsz Mat Pun, following the deaths of Fufai Pun and Kheong Ng-Thang, are a seismic blow for our entire borough,” said Adams.
“I thank District Attorney Gonzalez for his attention to this important case, including the potential pursuit of hate crime charges, and I hope we can all come together in the name of healing and justice,” added Adams.
CM Williams Introduces ‘I Can’t Breath’ Police Reform Legislation
City Council Member Jumaane D. Williams (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood) introduced legislation yesterday designed to ensure that people having trouble breathing during police encounters receive medical attention.
The bill, Intro. 1390, would require police officers responding to an incident to treat breathing difficulties as medical emergencies. The measure aim to ensure that live-saving aid is provided to those who need it, rather than the possibility that the ambiguity of officer discretion could lead to tragedy.
This legislative push comes after a number of incidents in New York City and state where officers allegedly failed to treat breathing difficulty with the urgency and immediacy of a medical emergency. Most recently, in October of 2018 Quam Ahmodu, a 24-year old Flatlands resident and registered nurse, died in police custody after having difficulty breathing. Family members reported to BuzzFeed that Ahmodu allegedly told officers while in handcuffs that he could not breathe, and insisted that he was not faking it. While the FDNY and NYPD deny that Ahmodu made these complaints, his breathing stopped shortly thereafter as he waited for a medical attention from a second ambulance, but later was pronounced dead.
Officers were initially called to Ahmodu’s father’s home in response to an Emotionally Disturbed Person (EDP) report requesting aid. After officers and FDNY EMTs arrived and reportedly found Ahmodu acting aggressively, they called for a more advanced ambulance.
The issue gained nationwide attention starting with the 2014 encounter of Eric Garner, who died after being placed in a chokehold and the words ‘I Can’t Breathe’ became a rallying cry for justice in his case. Council Member Williams has introduced this legislation in order to help ensure these kind of cases do not end in tragedy in the future and is calling on the state to take action as well.
“It seems that some officers are hearing ‘I can’t breathe’ as an excuse rather than an emergency. That approach is costing people their lives, and we need to act quickly to prevent future tragedies like Andrew Kearse, Quam Ahmodu, and Eric Garner. The case of Mr. Ahmodu also highlights the failures of the NYPD to adequately respond to EDP situations. I ask all of my colleagues to support me in this effort. This is an issue of life or death for people who need aid, not to be met with aggression or ambivalence,” said Williams.
Deutsch To Host Community Rally In Response To Fatal Racist Hammer Attack
City Council member Chaim Deutsch (D-Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach, Homecrest, Midwood) alongside City Councilmember Margaret Chin (D-Manhattan)
On Jan. 15, Arthur Martunovich entered the Seaport Buffet in Brooklyn around 5 p.m. wielding a hammer and started attacking the restaurant owner, Kheong Ng-Thang, 60, and two other employees Chef Fufai Pun,34, Tze Mat Pun, 50, before fleeing the scene.
Chef Pun died at the scene while owner Ng-Thang died last Friday, Jan. 18, after being declared brain dead as a result of the assault. While on Thursday, TzeMat Pun, 50, was pronounced dead, according to officials.
Martunovich claims his attack was inspired by an unnamed film depicting Chinese men abusing Chinese women. The Brighton Beach resident was later arrested two blocks away from the scene. He lived only six blocks from the restaurant and had no known connection to the victims.
Martunovich remains hospitalized in the psychiatric ward at Kings County Hospital and is not expected in court in the near future.
The event is slated for 11:30 a.m., today, Jan. 25, in front of Seaport Buffet, at 2027 Emmons Avenue in Sheepshead Bay.
Malliotakis To Discuss Mayor, NYC Schools Chancellor’s Quota Plan
Assembly member Nicole Malliotakis (R,C,I, Ref-South Brooklyn, Staten Island) alongside Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York (CACAGNY), President Wai Wah Chin and The Christa McAuliffe School’s Parent Teacher Organization President Vito LaBella will hold an event denouncing Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza‘s proposal to change the diversity of students at the city’s four Specialized High Schools (SHS).
Last year, the Mayor and the Department of Education (DOE) announced a plan to change the Discovery Program for entrance at SHS to include more black and Hispanic students.
Discovery is a program open to incoming freshmen who scored just below the specialized high school admissions test (SHSAT) cutoff for admission and who are certified as economically disadvantaged. Students who complete the program gain admission to the high school that fall after taking summer school. The program accounts for less than 5% of the total number of students admitted to the specialized high schools.
However, in the past two years, about two-thirds of participants in the program have been low-income Asian-Americans. So de Blasio and the DOE decided to limit the program to certain middle schools that score 60% or higher on the city’s “Economic Need Index,” (ENI) a measure that estimates the percentage of economically disadvantaged students attending a particular school.
The administration also expanded Discovery to 20% of the seats at each SHS, effectively locking the ineligible schools out of a large portion of available spots. Thus, the Christa McAuliffe School, which has a ENI of 57.9 percent would not be eligible, even though about two-thirds of the school are Asian-American and sent more than 200 students to the specialized high schools in 2018, according to the Daily News.
As a result, a lawsuit has been filed charging the de Blasio Administration with violating the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which prohibits the government from enacting policies with the intent to discriminate against a disfavored race.
The event is slated for 10:30 a.m., today, Jan. 25, at Christa McAuliffe IS 187, located at 1171 65th Street in Sunset Park.
Menchaca Named as Co-Chair of New 2020 Census Task Force
City Council member Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) was named co-chair of the newly formed 2020 Census Task Force this week.
Council Speaker Corey Johnson named Menchaca alongside City Council member Carlina Rivera (D-Manhattan) to serve on the team. The group will work to ensure that every New Yorker is counted in the upcoming decennial questionnaire. The task force, which will be composed of members of the Council’s Finance, Legislative and Community Engagement divisions, will focus on targeting traditionally undercounted immigrant and minority communities.
Additionally, task force members will be working closely with the offices of all Council Members and community-based organizations for a successful census count.
The announcement comes days after U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman blocked the Trump administration’s decision to include the controversial citizenship question in the 2020 Census, a question that has not been included since 1950.
“The census is more than a simple count of persons. It determines the very identity of our City. Whatever the census says about us will be interpreted as the reality of our needs for the next decade. If we don’t get this count right, thousands of people will fail to get the food, healthcare, education, and housing they are entitled to. And we as a people will fail to get adequate representation in Congress to fight for policies we cannot enact on our own. I applaud Council Speaker Johnson for recognizing the urgency of this moment,” said Menchaca, Chair of the Committee on Immigration.
Persaud Applauds Passage of The Jose Peralta New York State Dream Act
State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud (D-Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill, Starrett City) applauded the passage of the Jose Peralta New York State Dream Act this week.
On Wednesday, the State passed the legislation, that will go on to allow undocumented students to qualify for financial aid when attending college.
The bill is expected to impact an estimated 6,000 undocumented immigrant students statewide, making it possible for them now to eligible for general awards, performance-based awards, and New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) funds when they meet certain criteria.
The bill also establishes a scholarship fund with private donations – the DREAM Fund – and expands access to the New York State College Tuition Savings (529) Program so children of undocumented immigrant parents with a valid taxpayer identification number can set up tuition savings accounts.
“Granting children of immigrants the same access to financial aid available to citizens is fair, and imperative for their chance at higher education. I am proud to pass the Jose Peralta DREAM Act with my colleagues, in memory of my friend whom it was named after,” said Persaud.
