LGBT Korean American groups denounce Jung’s comments

S.J. Jung at a campaign rally in July.
S.J. Jung at a campaign rally in July.

After word got out that State Senate candidate S.J. Jung not only opposed abortions in most cases, but that he also wanted to erase same-sex couples from school textbooks, LGBT Korean American organizations condemned his remarks.

“S.J. Jung’s backwards remarks about LGBTQ people are out of sync with a place as diverse as Queens, which has a vibrant LGBTQ community,” the statement says. “As LGBT Korean Americans, their family members and their allies, we are deeply disappointed to see a man who has done such important work in Korean American communities express such bigotry around LGBTQ communities, marriage and public education.”

“His harmful wish to literally erase LGBTQ people from school textbooks ignores the existence of people like us and our families, who live every day at the intersection of LGBTQ and Korean identities.”

The statement was signed on by Asian American LGBT organizations including: Dari Project, Korean Americans United for Equality (KUE), Korean American Rainbow Parents (KARP), Korean Americans for Political Advancement (KAPA), Asian Pacific Islander Project of PFLAG NYC, National Queer Asian American and Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA), Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of New York (GAPIMNY), Q-Wave and Asian Pride Project.

Jung previously led the MinKwon Center, a social services organization serving the large Asian and Asian American populations in northeast Queens, as the executive director from 1989 to 1994. He also served as the organization’s president from 2006 to 2014.

In 2014, Jung challenged incumbent State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky, and garnered nearly 42 percent of the vote. He also lost a City Council race to succeed former Councilman John Liu back in 2009.

“When community leaders like Jung make homophobic and transphobic remarks, it is absolutely devastating to young people in their communities who are struggling to come out,” the statement says. “As a community leader, Jung has a moral responsibility to be a voice for these LGBTQ young people – not a megaphone for outdated bigotry.”

“We urge Jung to think long and hard about the damaging impact of his words, reevaluate the positions he has taken, and meet with the organizations that have signed onto this statement,” the statement says.

11-year-old fights off kidnapper at Flushing Meadows

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An 11-year-old girl was almost the victim of a kidnapping, but her instincts saved her.

Police say that on Saturday, August 27 at about 5:45 p.m., the girl was inside Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, at 124-02 Roosevelt Avenue, watching a practice session in one of the courts with her family.

A male suspect approached her from behind, grabbed her wrist and demanded that she go with him or else he would hurt her.

The 11-year-old pulled her arm free and proceeded to kick the suspect, who then ran away.

Police gave the following description of the suspect: male, approximately 25-35 years of age, 200 lbs., 5’8″-5’11” tall, last seen wearing a red shirt with stripes, khaki shorts, sunglasses and a tattoo with words on his right wrist.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS  or submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM.

Fresh Meadows man charged with murder of live-in girlfriend

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The 73-year-old man accused of bludgeoning his 61-year-old girlfriend to death last month was charged with second degree murder, the Queens District Attorney’s Office announced today.

“The defendant is accused of fatally bludgeoning the woman with whom he shared an apartment and a life together and then fleeing the scene without telling anyone what he had done until many hours after,” Queens County District Attorney Richard Brown said. “He now faces serious charges that could lead to him spending the rest of his life behind bars if convicted.”

According to Brown, the suspect Chitwash Tse and the victim Huizhen Zhan shared a two-bedroom apartment on 65th Avenue with a third individual.

On Aug. 1 at around 7:15 p.m., it is alleged that an individual identifying himself as Garo Kapikian Esq., called the NYPD 107th Precinct to report that a new client walked into his office and reported a corpse in the basement apartment at the address. Police were able to access the apartment though a front door – the back was locked – and there was no sign of forced entry and both bedroom doors were locked.

In the apartment, police located a body lying in the bed of the rear bedroom, covered in a sheet and soaked in blood. There was reportedly blood on the walls and ceiling and broken glass on the bed. The body, which was also covered in lacerations, was identified as Zhan.

On August 2, the medical examiner’s office ruled the cause of death to be blunt force trauma to the head.

The next day, on August 3, the NYPD’s hostage negotiation team was called to the law office of Kapikian after a report that Tse had climbed over the 22nd floor balcony and onto an adjoining I-beam, threatening to jump. After approximately four hours of negotiations, Tse was taken into custody. He was observed with lacerations on his fingers, hands and chest and transported from the scene to Bellevue Hospital.

Tse was charged with second-degree murder and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted.

Burglar steals $30K from The Oasis Cafe

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An Auburndale business was robbed of an eye-popping amount of money earlier this month.

Police say that on August 11, at about 3:30 a.m., the suspect pictured above entered The Oasis Cafe, located at 196-30 Northern Boulevard, through an open rear door.

The burglar then got inside a locked room and stole $26,000 in cash and $3,000 in checks from an “unsecured safe.” It begs the question: what good is a safe if it’s not secured?

The suspect then left the cafe in an unknown location.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or ubmit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM.

 

Crooks go shopping after early morning robbery

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Police are looking for two men who robbed a woman in Flushing and used her debit card to buy food just hours later.

Authorities say that on Friday, August 12, at approximately 4:15 a.m., the two suspects approached a 38-year-old woman from behind near Main Street and 37th Avenue.

They then knocked her to the ground and stole her purse, which contained an Apple iPad, $30 in cash and credit and debit cards.

Just a few hours later, between 6:24 a.m. and 9:35 a.m., the suspects used her debit card at a McDonald’s at 30-01 Stratton Street, a Stop and Shop at 31-06 Farrington Avenue and the H-Mart at 29-02 Union Street.

 

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM.

131 donors give blood at Bay Terrace Shopping Center

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Talk about generous citizens.

More than 130 people participated in Assemblyman Edward Braunstein’s 4th annual Summer Blood Drive on August 11 at the Bay Terrace Shopping Center. The event was in partnership with the New York Blood Center, which declared a blood shortage emergency in June.

“Thank you to everyone who braved the terrible weather to donate at our record-breaking blood drive, which my office sponsored with the New York Blood Center,” Braunstein said. “Despite the heat and rain, 131 donors participated, and thanks to their generosity, hundreds of lives will be saved.”

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149th Street Bridge is (finally) open

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After five long years, at last, the 149th Street Bridge is open again.

Last Wednesday, cars were seen zooming by and parking along the newly paved and reconstructed bridge. The following day, elected officials and community leaders hailed the reopening as a boon to the Murray Hill neighborhood.

“After five years of frustration, countless meetings and phone calls, I cannot tell you how relieved I am,” said State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky. “The Murray Hill business community will no longer face financial struggle because of a damaged bridge and residents will not have to walk past this eyesore again.”

The crossway was originally supposed to open in 2012, but closer examination found it to be faulty and unsafe for cars. It remained closed while a replacement bridge was planned.

The work for this new bridge began last November. Originally scheduled to open in 2017, local leaders pushed to expedite the process.

“Thank you to the DOT for fast-tracking the construction of this project, and especially for establishing penalties in the event of further delays,” said Councilman Peter Koo. “While it has taken a long time to get to this point, this expedited completion of the 149th Street bridge is a fine example of the city doubling its efforts to correct past failures.”

Pomonok woman found dead inside her basement

Police_Line_Crime_Scene_2498847226Police discovered a body inside a Pomonok home that has since been ruled a homicide.

Authorities say that on Monday, at approximately 7:15 p.m., cops received a call about a possible dead person at 158-10 65th Avenue.

When officers entered the basement, they saw a woman lying face up on her bed, unconscious and unresponsive. EMS responded to the call and pronounced her dead on arrival (DOA) at the scene.

Police later identified her as 61-year-old Huizhen Zhan. An investigation remains ongoing and no arrests have been made yet, but police did list the incident as a homicide.

The NYC Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

Pols demand justice for assault victim

Photo Courtesy: Councilman Peter Koo's Twitter page
Photo Courtesy: Councilman Peter Koo’s Twitter page

The elected officials representing Flushing are calling for justice for Vincent Chun Man Tse, a 68-year-old man who was fatally attacked.

Police say that on Friday, July 22 at 4 p.m., officers responded to a 911 call about an unconscious man in front of 45-15 Colden Street. When the cops arrived, they found Tse unresponsive with head trauma.

He was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital and was in critical condition, but eventually succumbed to his injuries. On Saturday, July 30, he was pronounced dead.

Yesterday the medical examiner deemed the incident a homicide.

Police have arrested 44-year-old Cleamon Anderson and charged him with assault. The investigation is still ongoing.

According to the office of Assemblyman Ron Kim, Tse was “viciously struck down during a driving dispute by an assailant twice his size.” Local elected officials gathered on Tuesday to demand justice for Tse.

Kim’s office said Tse was a “devout Christian” who spent his free time volunteering at the Selfhelp Rosenthal Senior Center, where he served food to hundreds of seniors.

“It could have been a minor accident, but instead our community mourns for Chun Man Tse,” Councilman Peter Koo tweeted on Tuesday. “Today, we demand justice.”

“We gather to mourn the loss of Mr. Chun Man Tse and call upon the justice system to hold his attacker accountable,” tweeted Assemblywoman Nily Rozic.

Flushing motorists shoot at each other

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It’s something you might see in a movie.

Police reported that on Tuesday, July 12 at 10:25 p.m., an unidentified person, driving a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee, shot at a man riding a motorcycle. Then motorcyclist shot back twice at the Jeep as the car drove away.

All of this happened near 32-30 137th Street in Flushing. No injuries have been reported.

Take a look at the video to see if you can provide any information about the incident.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM.