Community Corner

🌱 Gandhi Statue Destroyer Charged With Hate Crime + Hope At School

The quickest way to get caught up on the most important things happening today in Queens.

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(Patch Media)

Good morning, Queens! 🍂

I feel good about this Tuesday. I just do. Here are today's headlines:

  • One of the perpetrators behind the series of attacks on a statue of Mahatma Gandhi has been arrested and charged with a hate crime.
  • Some of the over 1,700 school aged asylum-seekers have found hope in Queens' public school system.
  • After collecting feedback from 40 sessions with the public, the MTA is gearing up to green light a new Queens bus map redesign.

🌞 Mostly sunny. High: 80 Low: 64.

Here are the top stories in Queens today:

1. Sukhpal Singh, 27, of Little Neck, was arrested on Saturday and charged with criminal mischief as a hate crime for allegedly smashing and defacing a Gandhi statue in front of a South Richmond Hill Hindu temple. Police officers observed video surveillance from Aug. 16 at 3 a.m. which showed five individuals destroying the statue in front of the Shri Tulsi Mandir Temple, then driving away -- some in a Mercedes Benz C-Class vehicle, some in a black Toyota Camry. According to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, it was determined that the registered owner of the Benz observed on video surveillance is Singh. Though Singh faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted, State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar, who condemned the attack, believes that a harsh punishment aganinst Singh would be counter to the teachings of Gandhi himself, who believed that "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. In keeping with this spirit, I call for all those involved in this act of hate to educate themselves about the mutual respect and inclusivity taught by Gandhi, and adopt love in their hearts towards all."

New York Post ; Queens Courier


2. Since April, over 1,700 school aged children have arrived in New York City with asylum-seeking families, and now, as the school year begins, city public schools have been scrambling for staff to support the newcomers, most of whom face language barriers, homelessness, and financial stress. Pan American International High School, in Elmhurst, sits in one of six city school districts taking in most of the school-aged children from the influx of asylum-seekers into the city this summer. At least 75 new students have enrolled at Pan American, which offers bilingual programming, this year and nearly all are the children of recently arrived asylum seekers, principal Waleska Velez said. Last month, the city launched Project Open Arms to help migrant families at shelters enroll their children in schools. The project also offers language support, legal services, transportation and school supplies.

CNN


3. MTA planners will incorporate the feedback they collected during meetings with the public to overhaul Queens' "confusing labyrinth" of a bus network -- the final plan for the redesign will be released next year, according to MTA officials. The massive update aims to make buses faster by increasing the total number of routes from 82 to 85, including 20 new ones, and 11 that will be consolidated into other new or existing lines. After a nearly year-and-a-half pause due to the pandemic, the MTA has recently re-embarked on its borough-by-borough redesign of the city's bus networks.

AM New York Metro


4. Queens Councilman Robert Holden wrote a letter to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) imploring them to step in and help improve draining lines. "Addressing flooding issues in community drives will go a long way towards being responsive to the needs of homeowners who bear the brunt of the flooding costs," Holden wrote. "Property is now being destroyed by a simple rainstorm." One Whitestone resident posted on Facebook that the city needs to get its sewer system flushed out, as there is no reason for it to overflow the way it does.

Queens Courier

5. Dozens of blocks in Astoria east of 31st Street and above Northern Boulevard will be sprayed with "very low concentrations" of pesticides starting around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on through 6 a.m. Wednesday as mosquito-borne West Nile virus surges, the Department of Health said. The spraying will also cover parts of Woodside, Sunnyside Gardens, and Astoria Heights. To stay safe from the fumes, officials recommend staying indoors and closing AC vents.

Patch


🗞 Hankering for more headlines? 👀 Look no further:

🗓 To Do Today in Queens:

  • Elmhurst Greenmarket (8 a.m.)
  • Farm Community Volunteer Days (9:30 a.m.)
  • Kids in Motion (10 a.m.)
  • Adult Open Badminton (12 p.m.)
  • Teen Manga Workshop (3:30 p.m.)
  • Center for the Women of New York: A Taste of the World (6 p.m.)
  • Rockaway Film Festival 2022: Punch-Drunk Love Screening (7 p.m.)
  • Off the Page: Crystal Hana Kim in Conversation with Dana Calvet (7 p.m.)

🗣 Queens Chatter:

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Thanks for following along and staying informed! I'll see you soon.

— Emma Radu Fighera

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

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