Landlord threatens to call ICE on tenants

From the Daily News:

A landlord who’s faced past allegations of tenant harassment has posted signs touting a Department of Homeland Security tip line in some of his Queens buildings, which have unnerved some tenants.

Between President Trump’s push to deport undocumented residents and a spike in immigration raids, the Bangladeshi tenants of a Zara Realty apartment building on 168th St. in Jamaica are on edge.

“It’s to scare the people,” said Abukhar Hossain, whose family has lived at the nine-story brick address for 15 years.

A recent visit showed the DHS placards posted prominently at 168th St. and at another Zara-managed building a block away on 88th Ave.

Tenants at 168th St. said the signs have been up since Zara arrived in 2014. Tenants at 88th Ave. didn’t know when they first went up.

Hossain said he couldn’t say whether the signs at 168th St. resulted in DHS activity, but noted that at least one undocumented family was among several tenants who’ve moved out since Zara Realty took over.

Hart Playground issue still a hot one

From CBS 2:

The Lamo kids are all under 3 years old, and their mother says men wandering in and out of the playground, including the crowd of day laborers that gathers outside the gates, make her nervous. Many start showing up at 6 in the morning and wait until 7 at night hoping someone will stop and offer them work.

"I see so many guys, who are workers outside or who are drunkards. They sleep on the benches right there. They sleep and lie down there and I don't feel it's safe for the kids," Ugan Lamo said.

Joe Conley, with Community Board 2, said neighbors are fed-up with people using the bathroom and other areas of the playground as a home base.

"People using the restrooms, washing their clothes, showering, during the summertime … a lot of alcohol in the park, people passing out using the benches," Conley said.

So what's wrong with that? This is part of the vibrant diversity of Queens and therefore everyone should want this to happen at their local park. (If you don't, it means you are racist.)

From the Daily News:

Some neighbors aren't pleased about hundreds of day laborers hanging out around Hart Playground and using the bathrooms there. And they want the charities that feed them, such as St. John's Bread and Life, to go elsewhere.

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer met with concerned locals and Bread and Life officials last week to discuss solutions. The Sunnyside Democrat is to meet with the charity again on Friday.

Butler said his group would be willing to find a new location, but only "if an appropriate site was given to us."

He added that the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs had originally found this site for the charity.

Why the hell did the Mayor's Office suggest a public playground for this activity? Playgrounds are meant for kids to play in, not for adults to congregate and loiter. They couldn't find any better spot? Or did they want to stick it to Woodside for some reason?