Queens Chronicle South Edition 11-07-23

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, November 9, 2023 Page 4

C M SQ page 4 Y K

Migrant site concerns loom large at CB 10 Floyd Bennett Field qualms, police manpower in 106th Pct. discussed

by Kristen Guglielmo Associate Editor

The temporary migrant housing site at Floyd Bennett Field, which is in Brooklyn but part of the Jamaica Bay unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area, was a hot topic at Community Board 10’s monthly meeting last Thursday.

The site, which recently opened, is expected to house 2,000 migrants, according to the city.

State Sen. Roxanne Persaud (D-Brooklyn, Queens) told attendees that she has received letters from constituents expressing concerns about the site and that she discussed them with an official on her last visit to Washington.

“I may not have been as vociferous as others, but I have been voicing my opinion to the powers that be,” she said.

She said someone told her, “You have to say we must stop immigration.” But in response, Persaud said, “I’m a South American girl. I am an immigrant, so you’re not going to hear me say, ‘We have to stop immigrants from coming into the country.’

What I’m going to say is, ‘Our immigration system is broken, and our federal government has to fix it.’”

Persaud told attendees she planned to visit Floyd Bennett Field the following Monday, as she’s concerned with it being an isolated place prone to flooding.

CB 10 tackled myriad concerns at November’s YOUTUBE SCREENSHOT monthly meeting.

Chair Betty Braton tried to quell any anti-immigration rhetoric, reminding the public that a lot of them are immigrants or come from families of immigrants, and insinuated the process for them may have been easier.

“People that went through Ellis Island got examined for being healthy and nothing else,” Braton said. “So a lot of what is being said today should not be par t of the discussion.”

Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Rockaway Park) said she visited Floyd Bennett Field earlier in the week to observe conditions.

Pheffer Amato said she does not believe it is acceptable to house migrants on federal

parkland because it is “sacred space.” She is also one of many plaintiffs on a lawsuit — spearheaded by Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) — that says as much. The next court date for the case is Nov. 9 in Richmond County Supreme Court.

Of the site, Pheffer Amato said, “This is not a place that’s set up for success. It’s a place set up to get people off the streets ... but we are not stopping our advocacy.”

She also told attendees that the governor has state properties on a list of possible sites.

“Nothing has ever been taken off the table — it’s been pivoted. So all the state properties [are still available] — which is Aqueduct.”

Of her observations at Floyd Bennett Field, Pheffer Amato said, “I was so depressed afterwards, because it was just sad. ... It was a sad, sad place, and no one should be housed that way, period.”

Other board discussions included a public hearing regarding a prospective marijuana dispensary at 124-20 Liberty Ave. in Richmond Hill, the current site of Vaporize New York, which sells CBD and licensed vaporizer products. The owners, Kishan and Jennifer Mahipath, lamented the “bad actors” who market products to children, and insinuated they will run a legitimate, knowledgeable and safe establishment.

During the public safety committee update presented by Frank Dardani, it was said that the commanding officer of the

106th Precinct, Deputy Inspector Jerome Bacchi, will be “moving on.” Two captains were interviewed by nine community leaders, according to Dardani, but there are no further updates.

“We think both of them were wellequipped to serve here in the 106,” he said.

Lt. John Gherardi presented crime statistics from the 106. He said crime is down 4 percent for the year, and in the 28-day-period, crime is down almost 29 percent.

It is down in all categories “besides grand larceny autos,” Gherardi said. He reminded attendees to leave car keys far from front doors to prevent thieves from utilizing devices to steal data from push-to-start key fobs.

To combat porch pirates this holiday season, Gherardi encouraged sending Amazon deliveries to lockers or packages to a loved one’s household if someone will be home.

The 106 did not receive any officers from this year’s graduating class, Gherardi said.

Braton later discussed the area’s need for more police, saying it is the board’s expense budget priority.

The area has 10.2 percent of the officers and detective specialists available in Queens South, Braton said, and over 15 percent of the crime.

“Equity means there should be a fair distribution of the available manpower,” Braton said. “And to most of the residents in our community, they’re not seeing it as fair.” Q

DOE aims to clear cloudy school halls

Agency announces new initiative to combat the ‘youth vaping epidemic’

by Kristen Guglielmo

For the latest news visit qchron.com

Associate Editor

“It’s very clear to me that this all stems from teenagers having poor mental health coping mechanisms.”

A teacher at a Central Queens high school, who requested anonymity in fear of retribution, said she sees teenagers using vaporizers or e-cigarettes on a daily basis.

“No amount of confiscation or parent calls have helped,” she told the Chronicle. “They’re addicted. They get sad or stressed, and ‘hit the vape’ because it makes them feel better.”

According to the state Health Department, NYS Public Health Law Article 13-F, Section 1399-MM-1 prohibits the sale of f lavored vapor products that do not have an FDA marketing order.

Additionally, retailers may only sell tobacco products that are unflavored or are tobacco-, menthol-, mint- or wintergreen-flavored, and tobacco products may not be sold to those under the age of 21.

“Sometimes I smell a waft of smoky strawberry coming from behind my back when

walking through the crowded hallways between classes,” the teacher said. “By the time I whip around to catch them, it’s already gone. So I don’t think the laws banning the sale of flavored nicotine are doing much.”

It seems the city Department of Education is keenly aware of the issue in schools. Last week, the agency announced a partnership with CATCH Global Foundation to address the nicotine-vaping epidemic among youth, called the CATCH My Breath initiative.

In collaboration with the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the New York Health Foundation, CATCH — which stands for coordinated approach to child health — will provide free vaping prevention training, classroom resources and parent resources to public school health educators serving middle and high school students, the press release said, as well as engage students in advocacy-centered service-learning projects.

“Our school staff are not only educators, but wellness champions and role models for our young New Yorkers. It is critical that they have the resources to help our kids prioritize their

To address the nicotine vaping epidemic among city youth, the Department of Education announced the CATCH My Breath initiative last Thursday. wellbeing and say no to vaping,” said Schools Chancellor David Banks in the release. “As more and more young people take up use of e-cigarettes, the CATCH My Breath NYC ini-

tiative will provide educators with trainings and resources they need to combat this trend, expanding our substance use prevention work continued on page 21