Community Corner

🌱Child Missing After Discord Meet-Up + City Pays $1mil to Harassed Cop

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Good morning, Queens! ☕️

  • A 12-year-old boy with mild autism is missing after meeting up with strangers from a social media app.
  • The city must pay a Rockaway NYPD officer nearly $1 million after she was sexually harrassed by fellow officers and her complaints fell on deaf ears.
  • Queens community leaders voiced major redistricting concerns during Tuesday's Queens Borough Cabinet meeting.

⛅️ Hazy sunshine. High: 77 Low: 64.

Here are the top stories today in Queens:

1. A 12-year-old Queens boy with mild autism has been missing since Wednesday after he skipped school to meet up with strangers from a social media app. Luis Osorio was last seen near his home and school on Beach 29th St. near Seagirt Ave. in Far Rockaway at about 8 a.m.. Police were still searching for Luis on Thursday evening. After gaining access to his Discord account — a social media app where people can join groups they are interested in — Luis' family discovered that he is a member of a train enthusiast group, and had agreed to meet up with other group members on a train on Wednesday morning. He was last seen wearing a black Adidas jumpsuit, a white polo shirt and a navy blue Nike backpack.

New York Daily News


2. The city has agreed to pay a nearly $1 million settlement to a Rockaway NYPD officer after she reported that she was sexually harrassed on the job by fellow officers, and higher ups and her union did nothing to intervene. Officer Danielle Campo filed a federal lawsuit in 2019 alleging that fellow officer Jon Mercado once groped her and demanded oral sex from her while they were in her car in January 2018. After allegedly being attacked by Mercado, Campo said she started losing hair and developed a full-body rash. Another officer, Paul Marecki, allegedly sexted her repeatedly. Both men often called her offensive names like "whore" and worse. When Campo complained about Marecki to her supervisor, he told her, "Oh man, he is creepy," but did nothing to stop the harrassment. Now, court papers show the city has agreed to pay Campo $995,000, and Marecki will personally pay her $10,000.

New York Post


3. The topic of redistricting dominated the discussion on Tuesday during the Queens Borough Cabinet meeting as community leaders voiced repeated concerns about the potential revisions to Queens' district lines. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards reiterated to the New York City Districting Commission, now in its final stages of the redistrcting process, the three most common concerns he has heard from Queens residents: "The splitting up of Rochdale Village, and the splitting of Long Island City going into Manhattan, which we saw with the senate district, continues to be a concern. Then Jamaica Avenue, considering that Council member Natasha Williams has done a lot of work around ensuring that we can clean up — she's a co-chair of the Jamaica Avenue task force — those are the things I most consistently hear in my journeys," Richards said.

Queens Courier


4. Crowds gathered on Wednesday to cheer on Little Amal, a 12-foot-tall puppet depicting a 10-year-old Syrian refugee, after she arrived in Queens as part of a traveling theater project called 'The Walk.' Footage shared on social media on Wednesday evening shows a crowd cheering and waving at the puppet. Since 2021, Amal has walked across 12 countries representing all children fleeing war, and focusing attention on the urgent needs of young refugees. For 17 days until October 2, Amal will travel to cultural organizations, community groups, and educational institutions across the five boroughs. In a statement to local media, New York Mayor Eric Adams said, "Everything Little Amal stands for New York City stands for, and we are proud to welcome her to the international capital of immigrants."

Herald Sun ; Bay to Bay News


5. Applications for the fifth round of the Theater for All (TFA) Professional Actor Training Program, a free, two-week intensive presented by the Queens Theatre, are being accepted now through September 23rd. The program will be offered online over Zoom, and is open to deaf and disabled performers, aged 18 and older, who want to build skills and their networks. Workshops will be taught by disabled and non-disabled industry professionals, and will focus on auditioning, acting, improvisation, musical theatre, voice, and movement. "By hosting the intensive virtually we can reach a much broader community of artists. Often artists with disabilities who don't reside in a major city such as Los Angeles or New York City struggle to find accessible training. In TFA, we provide all forms of accommodation support allowing all artists to get what they need - an accessible room to focus on their craft," said TFA Program Manager Mary Theresa Archbold.

Patch

🗞 Hungry for more news? 🍴Snack on these headlines:

  • Winning Powerball ticket worth $50,000 sold in Sunnyside (Queens Courier)
  • Celebrate Mexican Independence Day Thursday With Big Event on LIC Waterfront (LIC Post)
  • Developer responsible for Queens' tallest bulding plans to demolish big LIC warehouse (Patch)
  • Cops searching for Queens subway scammer who ripped off teenager (1010 WINS)
  • Cardi B pleads guilty to fight in Queens strip club (The Hill)

🗓 To Do Today in Queens:

  • Queens Love & Hiking Date For Couples (Self-Guided) (7 a.m.)
  • Queensborough Community College Event: Using Image Theatre in the Classroom to Guide Difficult Discussions (10 a.m.)
  • Queens Farm Farmstand (11 a.m.)
  • Exhibition: Living With AMC's The Walking Dead (2 p.m.)
  • Culture Lab LIC Free Outdoor Concert (7 p.m.)
  • Quo Vadis Presents: Aaron Dilloway, Hiro Kone, Pharmakon (7 p.m.)
  • The Honey Dewdrops at the Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts (8 p.m.)

🗣 Queens Chatter:

  • Welcome to NYC, Amal!: "Little Amal, the 12-foot puppet symbolizing a 10-year-old Syrian girl arrived in New York City today via JFK .
    With two stops in Queens at the Jamaica Center for the Arts and Astoria Park (pictured) with @processional_arts and @girlscoutsnyc Since the beginning of her journey in 2021 she has traveled over 6,000 miles around the world, spreading a message of solidarity for displaced people everywhere along the way. She is now a internationally recognized symbol of human rights especially those of refugees." (Queens Gazette via Facebook)
  • Ribbon cutting at Legacy Park: "A beautiful day to join New York City Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Donoghue, Deputy Mayor Joshi, Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) officials and tenants in cutting the ribbon on Legacy Park at Pomonok Houses today. The project is part of Mayor Eric Adams' citywide initiative to bring greenspace to public housing.
    The initiative is paying for improved recreational space at six NYCHA developments, including Pomonok, Woodside and Redfern in #Queens. This will help us address the long-standing inequities in park access that many of our communities have experienced." (Queens Borough President Donovan Richards via Facebook)
  • Get ready for Garden Buds at Queens Botanical Garden: "🌱 All the things you'll find at Garden Buds! Friday, Saturday, and Sunday sessions starts THIS WEEK! Nab one of the few spots left for six nature-filled days with your 2 or 3 year old! Harvest produce, create botanical crafts, sing, and more. Register at link in bio or https://qbgfallgardenbuds.eventbrite.com/?aff=socialmedia
    ⁠ Follow @QBGChildrensGarden on IG for a look into kids programs! ⁠ ⁠ Denver Samaroo ⁠ #QBGGardenBuds #QBGKids Spend your time together this fall—outdoors in nature! #OutdoorLearning #NYCFall #KidsInNature #ToddlerActivities #Toddlers #ToddlerAdventures #NYCToddler #QBGGardenBuds" (Queens Botanical Garden via Facebook)

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— Emma Radu Fighera

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Queens Daily? Contact me at queens@patch.com

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