by barbara morris
Most of the civic organizations as well as the 105th Community Council do not have formal meetings in July or August, except for the fun stuff. We hope your Fourth of July celebrations were safe, happy and quiet. Unfortunately, even when it isn’t the Fourth of July, fireworks sometimes appear on the scene.
Remember, all fireworks are dangerous, and the sales, delivery, storage or use of them should be reported to the fireworks hotline at 1-800-FIRE-TIPS. Please don’t hesitate to call. You may be saving a life.
Incidentally, you may have heard that a couple of weeks ago during an applicant’s “initiation” into a gang, a large crowd watched as he was being beaten.
He fell, hit his head on the sidewalk and died. A security guard nearby failed to even call the police, although some youth did so. When a reporter asked why he had not called the police since he had been watching, he answered, “There were a lot of other people there.”
Several weeks ago as I walked east on Merrick Boulevard from Home Depot, I saw a large crowd ahead of me on the block with the Springfield Gardens Post Office. In the middle of the circle of onlookers were two youths stripped to the waist, pummeling each other and pushing each other into Merrick Boulevard’s heavy Saturday afternoon traffic.
Luckily, the traffic stopped before one of them was run down. I called the police from the corner street phone and shouted to the operator, “I need the police. There is a fight going on.” The people near me began to move, the crowd began to break up and the two youths collected their belongings and went in different directions.
As I passed Councilman James Sanders’ (D-Laurelton) office, he hurried across the boulevard to tell me he had called 911 and wanted to see if I was all right. Physically I was fine, but my heart ached to see a large crowd of adults and young people standing by watching those two young people “go at it,” apparently unaware or unconcerned that what was happening might be deadly entertainment. We don’t want real or mock fighting on public streets here.
Members of the clergy, civic leaders and the police have been trained in conflict resolution and would be glad to help you settle disputes. If that isn’t satisfactory and nothing will help but a slugfest, a boxing match in a ring with a referee should be arranged.
We’d be glad to add the match to our list of upcoming events, some of which are listed as follows: The New York City Economic Development Corp. will be administering a $24 million capital construction project (EDC No. 1900011) on behalf of the city departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection. This project will include new installation or upgrading of water mains, sanitary and storm sewers and placement of new curbs, sidewalks and pedestrian ramps, as well as street reconstruction. Work is scheduled to begin this summer and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2005.
The next event is the Herbert Birch Early Childhood Center open house on July 17 from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Christ The King High School. The address is 145-02 Farmers Blvd. For additional information, contact Howie Harrington at 718-553-0725. There will be ample parking.
Next on the list is the YMCA of Greater New York and the Community Councils of the 100th, 101st, 102nd, 103rd, 105th, 106th, 107th and 113th precincts’ sponsoring of the 13th Annual Patrol Borough Queens South Harmony Picnic. This event will be Tuesday, July 22, at Cunningham Park, 196th Street and Union Turnpike, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
There will be displays, entertainment, contests, surprises and, of course, food. All supervised children are welcome to attend. Please contact your local precinct or Patrol Borough Queens South at 718-969-7472 for more information.
The 105th Precinct, Nassau County’s 5th Precinct and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority police, in conjunction with Community Board 13 and the 105th Precinct Community Council, will hold the 2003 National Night Out Against Crime on Tuesday, Aug. 5, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Beautiful Belmont Race Track will host the event at Hempstead Avenue and the Cross Island Parkway, gate 5.
Don’t miss this educational, fun event for the entire family. Food will be available or you can bring an alcohol-free picnic. Coolers will be checked. There will be vehicle identification number etching, so bring your car registration. There will be a playground, Safe Kids child-seat safety check, 98.3 FM K-Joy, mounted units and much more. Save the dates.
