Welcome back to the QNS Podcast, a weekly look at the week’s biggest Queens news. Hosted by Jacob Kaye and reporter Angélica Acevedo, each show will take a look at the week’s most important stories from across the borough and across topics.
This week, we follow up with the Glendale homeless shelter debate. Community Board 5 voted to unanimously to recommend that the city look for an alternative plan to provide shelter to the homeless community at their meeting on Oct. 16.
At the meeting, a resident spoke out against the type of rhetoric CB5 has expressed and Raquel Namuche, lead organizer of the Ridgewood Tenants Union, also addressed CB5 Chairperson Vincent Arcuri’s statements that most of the people for the project are “plantees.”
At a rally on Oct. 14, the Ridgewood Tenants Union protested a planned luxury apartment tower atop Food Bazaar Supermarket, and linked the development of those buildings to the city’s increased rate in homelessness. RTU also called for a disciplinary action against Councilman Robert Holden, saying that he violated ethics rules by “spreading hate” and “fear-mongering” against people who are currently experiencing homelessness. Holden had no comment.
A Little Neck parent accused the Department of Education of breaking its promise to keep a new public school playground open during the summer and weekends, and started a petition to demand that they keep their promise. And a 66-year-old Queens cyclist was killed on Oct. 13, according to the NYPD.
We also recap Councilman Jimmy Van Brammer’s 10th Annual Hispanic and Latinx Leadership Awards last week, where he honored six Queens-based Hispanic and Latinx community leaders.
The QNS Podcast will be back next week, on Oct. 28.
This episode was written by Jacob Kaye and Angélica Acevedo. Jacob Kaye and Angélica Acevedo are the co-hosts. Jacob Kaye edited the episode. Our reporters include Bill Parry, Carlotta Mohammed, Emily Davenport, Jacob Kaye, Jenna Bagcal, Max Parrott and Angélica Acevedo. Our editor is Zach Gewelb. Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Published by Schneps Media.