Dirtbike track of Yes

NY Post

Hundreds of freshly-planted trees have been ripped out of a Queens park by vandals to clear the greenspace for their DIY dirt bike track — and angry locals are calling on authorities to track down the “very selfish” bikers.

Some 300 shrubs and saplings, planted by volunteers last year not far from a cycling velodrome, were reported to have been uprooted at Kissena Park in Flushing on April 7, the Parks Department said.

“It makes me angry because I love this park. I have been living here for many years. It’s very selfish because this is for the public. They’re only thinking about their own pleasure,” Jane, a Flushing substitute teacher who declined to give her last name, told The Post.

The teacher, who has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years, said she was worried that reckless off-road bikers could potentially hurt her dog, who she regularly walks in the park.“It can be dangerous if they’re going to be riding their dirt bikes here. They usually ride fast. They could run over my dog,” she added.

Photos of the destruction, which will cost the city approximately $15,000 to fix, show overturned soil near paths filled with deep tire tracks. The paths, which appear to have been used by off-road bikes, are littered with broken branches from trees above and plant roots.

Officials said the vandals dug up recently planted trees and cut down portions of other, more mature trees that were part of a larger reforestation effort across 5,000 square feet of the park.

The city’s parks department is working with the NYPD to investigate the crime, Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said in a statement.

“Trees are so essential to our city – not just for beautifying our neighborhoods but also for cleaning our air, providing much-needed shade, and absorbing stormwater. That’s why it’s so unthinkable that someone would do this,” Donoghue said.

Gobind Singh Negi, 55, a former cab driver who takes daily walks through the park, was also angered by the destruction and slammed it as selfish.

 

Update by Queens Chronicle

Volunteers planting trees last Wednesday, April 10, in Flushing’s Kissena Park for a reforestation project were shocked to discover that 300 others they had put in the ground over the last two years, worth almost $15,000 according to the Department of Parks and Recreation, had been pulled out, tossed aside and clipped to make way for a new dirt trail.

Members of the volunteer group Kissena Synergy were joined at the same spot by Parks officials, NYPD officers and area elected officials Monday to denounce the vandalism and ask for help in finding those responsible. Leona Chin, a community activist leading efforts to plant more trees in the park, said the arborcide felt like “a betrayal.”

“It was devastating, it’s personal; our investment is our time,” Chin said at the event.

The trail cuts through land where 2,000 new trees had been planted as a part of a reforestation effort in the park by the Parks Department and Kissena Synergy that began in 2022. Though the purpose of the trail is unconfirmed, it appears to have been made to accommodate ATVs, dirt bikes or mountain bikes, as the path features a jump and a U-shaped turn common on bike trails. Tire marks could be found in the dirt on Monday.

Volunteers with Kissena Synergy, founded by Chin, work in the area five days a week, between Tuesday and Saturday. NYPD Assistant Chief Christine Bastedenbeck, the Queens Patrol Borough North commander, said at Monday’s press conference that the incident most likely happened sometime over the previous weekend. Chin said she believes the vandalism occurred sometime on Sunday, April 7, when the volunteers weren’t there.

Chin said volunteers had added branches, logs, rocks and other debris across the trail on Wednesday, April 10, to deter riders from using it. However, the debris was cleared up overnight when the volunteers returned to the site last Thursday to discover fresh bike tracks and a cleared trail. Chin said this felt particularly insulting.

“We’re just angry they thought it was their property to destroy,” she said in an interview. “And then, like I said, to come back and re-clear trails again ... We’re just pleading with the community [to report any new vandalism] because they were the ones that actually noticed, and we’ve had community members reach out to us to tell us things that they have seen.”

Bastedenbeck said law enforcement is looking into the incident. Specifically, she said, additional officers were deployed to the area and detectives were interviewing people in the park and the surrounding perimeter to gather more information on the incident. Bastedenbeck urged Kissena Park visitors and community members to report any illegal motor vehicles in the area.

“We were alerted to the damage in this park on Wednesday, this past week, and believe that the destruction may have happened the prior weekend. Our detectives are currently investigating this incident,” Bastedenbeck said. She encouraged residents to contact the police if they see anyone operating an ATV, dirt bike or moped in city parks.

Nazis invade Forest Park

QNS

Queens elected officials are expressing outrage after swastikas were discovered in Forest Park on Sunday afternoon, Jan. 15.

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force was notified after a 65-year-old man came across the two swastikas that were spray-painted on tree stumps inside the park in the vicinity of Park Lane South between Myrtle Avenue and Freedom Drive in Richmond Hill, within the confines of the 102nd Precinct.

“Sadly, antisemitism has struck again in Queens, this time at Forest Park. Hatred against Jews is a growing issue and we cannot allow this to keep happening,” Councilwoman Lynn Schulman said. “When a constituent called this to our attention, we immediately notified the NYPD and I am thankful to the 102nd Precinct for their immediate response.”

The war on Queens cars continues

Guerilla parked car vandalism wave hits LIC

 Queens Post

An office worker in Long Island City got a big surprise earlier this month when he discovered that the windshield of his brand-new Tesla had been smashed by a raging vandal with a large wooden sign.

The worker, 33, named Mike, had just finished work on June 13 at around 11 p.m. before making the unfortunate discovery after walking a short distance to his Tesla that was parked near Queens Plaza. Instead of getting in the car to zip home, he found the vehicle’s windshield shattered and police surveilling the scene.

The police, according to Mike, had received a report that a man had been throwing a large wooden sign at parked vehicles along the roadway, including at his car that was parked at Queens Plaza North — near the corner Crescent Street.

The police didn’t have a description of the suspect at the time, but security cameras installed in Mike’s Tesla appear to have caught the hooligan in action. Mike’s car has four cameras pointing in different angles that automatically record if a sensor is triggered, he said.

The first video shows a man — wearing jeans, a white T-shirt and a baseball cap on backwards — throw a wooden sign on top of a car parked in front of the Tesla. The sign appears to belong to the Baroness Bar, located on the next block on 41st Avenue.

The suspect then drags the sign off the car, lifts it high above his head and flings it on top of Mike’s car – smashing the windshield. A picture of the damage shows the windshield on the passenger side of the Tesla caved in.

A second video captured by the Tesla shows the suspect then walking eastbound along Queens Plaza North, throwing the sign against other vehicles.

He then walks back toward the Tesla looking enraged.

 Mike, who doesn’t want to make his last name public, said cops told him that five vehicles in total were vandalized that night, including his car and a food truck.

Mob engages in vandalism during protest against Robert Holden's tweet about Bill de Blasio's tweet about the Rittenhouse verdict

 

 NY Post

Protests sprang up in New York and other cities across the country Friday night in response to Kyle Rittenhouse’s acquittal, resulting in at least five arrests and some property damage in Queens, according to the NYPD.

Police tweeted a photo of vandalized vehicles in Queens, including a car with handicap plates that had “F–k you” graffitied on the back in black spray paint.

“The NYPD takes its responsibility to protect the 1st amendment rights of peaceful demonstrators seriously,” the tweet said. “Just as important is the safety of NYers & the protection of property from people breaking the law in the name of protest. As seen tonight in Queens, they will be arrested.”

Law enforcement sources said five people were arrested for allegedly damaging cars and houses in Middle Village.

Queens Councilman Robert Holden told The Post that protestors tore through Crowley Park, and were also “jumping on cars and stealing American flags” on residential streets in Middle Village and Maspeth.

Holden raged over Mayor Bill de Blasio’s statement decrying the verdict, saying it “added gasoline to the fire.”

He said he sent the mayor a text that read: “Thousands of families mind their own business are in danger tonight because of your reckless reaction to the trial verdict.”

What does Holden and his district have to do with the Rittenhouse incident and verdict? This looks more like a personal attack on a council member and his district than a call for social justice and it sure looks like this "protest" was planned for a while.

Degenerates vandalize Tribute Park

The Forum

Just weeks before the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, vandals recently violated one of the most sacred patches of Queens: the Tribute Park 9/11 Memorial in Rockaway Park.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) seethed in a statement released Monday.

“What an absolute disgraceful act of vandalism at Beach 116th Street’s 9/11 Tribute Park memorial. A crime like this would be horrific during anytime of the year, but being so close to the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks makes this especially painful, not only for the residents of the area, but for everyone who lost a loved one on that day. I offer my support to the 100th Precinct and the NYC Parks Department in their efforts in apprehending those responsible for this disrespectful crime.”

 Each year a solemn ceremony is organized at Tribute Park to honor the 57 Rockaway Park residents who lost their lives in Downtown Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001.

 

 

 

 

Elmhurst war memorial bombed with profane graffiti

 

NY Post

A Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Elmhurst, Queens was desecrated with swastikas, profane graffiti and the term “baby killers.”

New York City Councilman Robert Holden shared images of the vandalism on Twitter Wednesday, and vowed to work with police to make an arrest.

“I am deeply disgusted by this cowardly act of vandalism at the Queens Vietnam Veterans Memorial,” the Democrat wrote.

“I am working… to make sure the perpetrator is brought to justice. I offer a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the sick soul who did it.”

This fucking city...

Northwest Queens graffiti vandal caught

  

NY Post

 Looks like the letter “A” now stands for “arrest.”

A graffiti vandal who allegedly scrawled crudely drawn letter “A’s” on the side of nearly two dozen cars in Queens was busted Friday, cops said.

Herberto Torres, 57, who has 43 prior arrests, was hit with 46 counts of making graffiti and criminal mischief after being arrested at 12:15 a.m. Friday, cops said. 

He allegedly spray-painted multiple cars with the letter “A” — which is a nickname he goes by, according to authorities and police sources. 

The alleged graffiti bandit was tracked to an auto body shop where he worked, because a customer’s vehicle was used in the crimes, sources said.

After his arrest, he was let free on a desk appearance ticket, sources said.

Cops tallied 65 graffiti incidents dating back to late March — and at this point, Torres has been charged with 46 of them, police said. The remaining incidents are under investigation.

On March 26, on 35th Street between 31st Avenue and Broadway, 20 vehicles were vandalized between 8:30 and 10:11 a.m., police said.

Then on May 18, between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m., 20 more vehicles were targeted on 27th Street between 23rd Avenue and Ditmars Boulevard, police said. 

The next day, 17 vehicles were graffitied on 33rd Street between 23rd Avenue and Ditmars Boulevard between 9 a.m. and 11:45 a.m., authorities said.

The final spree came on May 22, when eight vehicles were spray-painted on 32nd Street between 34th Avenue and Broadway between 7:35 a.m. and 10 a.m., cops said. 

Back in October, Torres was busted for allegedly tagging more than 50 cars in Jackson Heights with spray paint spelling out “BLM” or “AOC,” police said.

Vandals spray paint Anarchy symbols on cars and a woman's home

  

Queens Post

 The home of a Woodside senior was spray-painted with the “anarchy” symbol Tuesday night and the tires of a nearby vehicle were slashed.

In another incident on Wednesday night, nearly 20 vehicles in Astoria were targeted with a similar type of graffiti. It is unclear if both incidents are related, police said.

The vandalism in Woodside took place on 63rd Street. The owner informed Council Member Bob Holden of the crimes who subsequently told police.

Holden and members of the NYPD visited the scene and the lawmaker posted images of the destructive scrawl to Twitter.

The front garden wall of the building was spray-painted three times with a capital letter “A” inside a circle. The pattern symbolizes anarchy.

The building’s façade was hit four times with the symbol. The vandal used white spray paint.

All four tires on a 2013 Hyundai Elantra were also slashed Tuesday night. It was also spray-painted with the anarchy symbol. The car was parked around the corner from the house on 64th Street.

“These people are serious about intimidation and they obviously have some hate for that person,” said Holden, who condemned the attack.

“We’ve got to catch them because they might come back and do it again.”

Holden believes the vehicle and the house were mistakenly hit. He said the suspects are targeting the owner of a red Hyundai living in the neighborhood.

He said that around two weeks ago a similar-looking car parked in the area had four of its tires slashed. It was also spray-painted with the anarchy symbol, he said.

Holden believes the suspects came back on Tuesday night and vandalized the senior’s house thinking their target lives there.

“They are causing thousands of dollars worth of damage,” said Holden, who emphasized that the NYPD is taking the matter very seriously.

“We think they will be caught because there are a lot of cameras around the house and in the area where the car was targeted,” he said.

The NYPD said it is also investigating an incident in Astoria Wednesday night where 19 vehicles were targeted with spray paint.

The vehicles were parked along 33^rd Street between Ditmars Boulevard and 23^rd Avenue and had either the “anarchy” symbol or the letter “A” sprayed painted across them, police said.

A mix of white and red-colored spray paint was used in the incident

The NYPD said it is looking into the possibility that the incidents on Tuesday night and Wednesday night are related.

Signs, signs, everywhere are signs

Update from Greenpoint

Violators be also will subject fine 

 

pro•cure prō-kyoo͝r′, prə-

►

• intransitive verb
  To get by special effort; obtain or acquire.
• intransitive verb
  To bring about; effect.
• intransitive verb
  To obtain (a sexual partner) for another.

Thieves welcome themselves to Ozone Park sign

Queens Eagle

Southwest Queens has a sign-stealing scandal.

Thieves made off with a brand new “Welcome to Ozone Park” sign last night, hours after elected officials and civic leaders installed the refurbished marker near the Howard Beach border, Councilmember Eric Ulrich said Tuesday.

Ulrich and other community members joined workers from Cannon Signs & Awning to install the new sign near the corner of 149th Avenue and Cross Bay Boulevard Monday morning. The burgundy board replaced a famous, but weathered version of the sign that was first introduced in 2003.

The next morning, it was gone. 

Under cover of darkness, the thieves sawed through the wooden signposts near the base and fled, Ulrich said. He posted photos from the scene of the crime on Twitter.

“It’s probably the most selfish act that I’ve seen in a long time,” Ulrich said. “Somebody’s a real sicko.” 

Ulrich said he contacted the 106th Precinct to file a police report and also notified the Queens District Attorney’s Office. 

NYPD Spokesperson Sophia Mason said police do not yet have a suspect description, but the investigation is ongoing.

Ulrich said officers are pulling surveillance footage from a nearby hotel and private homes in the area.

He said he suspects at least two people were involved in the heist because the heavy sign required two people to carry off a truck on Monday.

A child drew those swastikas on that school playground

 

Forest Hills Post



A 12-year-old boy has been arrested for scrawling swastikas and other anti-Semitic symbols on a Rego Park playground last week.

The boy, whose name has not been released, was charged yesterday with aggravated harassment, according to news reports.

The boy allegedly drew dozens of swastikas and messages such as “Heil Hitler (sic)” in chalk over the school yard at P.S. 139, located at 93-06 63rd Dr.

 “Truly unbelievable,” Council Member Karen Koslowitz wrote on twitter. “I am shocked that a 12-year-old committed this crime. It’s completely unacceptable and has no place in society.”

 

Dockless bike program hasn't gone as planned

From PIX11:

It's less than a week old, but some Rockaway residents want to put the brakes on a new dockless bike program after the two-wheelers started popping up in some very unusual and inconvenient places.

The great thing about the dockless bikes is that riders can pick them up anywhere. They just need to find the closest one by using the GPS built into each of the apps.

When riders are done, they can park them anywhere.

While that's convenient for the rider, it's also causing frustration for those in the community. On the Facebook Group Friends of Rockaway Beach, residents posted photos of Limebikes abandoned all over the neighborhood. One was ditched in the dunes, while others were left blocking driveways and sidewalks.

The problem is one Limebikes has experienced before. There's an entire Twitter account with the handle @DocklessBikeFail that showcases problems parking the bikes in Seattle.

Sometimes the bikes end up in trees, underwater or stacked on street corners.

Wow, what a great idea!

Attack of the "Cash 4 Junk Cars" stickers in Queens Village

"I took these photo's on the south corner of Hempstead ave and 221 st. It seems that every lamp post, street sign, telephone pole along Hempstead ave, Springfield Blvd, Jamaica Ave, Francis Lewis Blvd, and Hillside ave has these damn stickers on them! Even on the residential streets, they are stuck to the back of stop signs and glued onto telephone poles! THEY ARE EVERYWHERE IN QUEENS VILLAGE, AND THEY ARE MULTIPLYING FAST!!! HHHHEEEELLLPPP!!!" - anonymous

Astoria's Columbus statue vandalized

From Eyewitness News:

"Don't Honor Genocide" was spray painted in blue paint on the monument of Christopher Columbus in Queens.

This statue is the latest across the country to be marred by vandalism in the wake of the deadly Charlottesville rally.

It's all making many officials question whether New York City should remove monuments of other controversial figures.

An employee from the Sanitation Department spent just about his whole day working on it, but try as he might, he just couldn't wash it away.

"It's against America," said Adrianna, a parkgoer.

Folks stopped in Columbus Triangle Park in Astoria, to take pictures of the vandalism of the statue of Christopher Columbus Thursday.

Someone had written with a stubborn blue paint over a stencil: "Don't honor genocide," a reference to Columbus' actions as a conqueror after he landed in 1492.

"He came to discover the new world and this is how he's treated," said Joe DiPietro, a parkgoer.

Cars being keyed in Oakland Gardens

From CBS 2:

Cars are being vandalized in a Queens neighborhood, and residents say it has been going on for months – all on one specific street.

As CBS2’s Erin Logan reported, a vandal or vandals are clearly making their mark on more than a few cars on a small stretch of 75th Avenue in Oakland Gardens, Queens.

“When her car was vandalized, there were other people’s cars vandalized. At that point, I proceeded to call the cops and told them what happened,” [Nerry] Nayzov sad. “At that point, we saw an elderly man who scratched my neighbor’s car right in front of me — while police were on scene.”

Police arrested that man immediately, and Nayzov thought the problem was solved. But the vandals did not stop there.

Two and a half weeks later, more cars were damaged. CBS2 counted at least three on one side of the street, and even more on the other side.

The owner of a maroon sport-utility vehicle and a black Nissan Maxima were also saying “enough is enough” Sunday.

Paul Guterman and his wife did not even realize their Maxima was damaged until Sunday night. They asked why everyone was hovering over the cars – and then sure enough, they saw the answer.

"Vandals" disrupt cable service for 60,000 households

From NBC:

About 60,000 Spectrum customers in Queens were without cable or internet on Monday after vandals cut a fiber optic cable serving four major hubs, according to the cable company and the borough's president.

Spectrum was working to restore cable, internet and phone services to thousands of customers more than 15 hours after vandals cut the fiber optic cable, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said. It had been restored by late in the evening, the cable company said early Tuesday.

Police have not released information about their investigation into the destruction of the fiber optic cable.

The outage began around 2 a.m. Monday and spread across central Queens. No other borough appeared to be affected. By around 11 p.m. Monday, it still wasn't fully restored.

Millstones damaged yet again

From DNA Info:

One of the historic millstones on display in Dutch Kills Green had to be repaired by the Parks Department this week, after a piece of the stone fell off for the second time in the last few years.

The stones, believed to be relics from a nearby tide mill, have been on display in the Queens Plaza park since shortly after it opened in 2012 — despite calls from a local historian who worries the artifacts will be damaged in the busy outdoor spot.

One of the round stones was repaired Tuesday by Parks Department workers after a chunk of it that broke off previously came loose again, according to spokeswoman Meghan Lalor. Workers who made the repairs used a stronger adhesive to reattach the piece this time, she added.

This isn't the first time the stones have been marred — according to the Daily News, a chunk of one stone originally fell in 2012. Someone then tagged one of the stones with graffiti in 2013, as DNAinfo reported at the time.

The stones were repaired and cleaned in both instances, though local historian Bob Singleton of the Greater Astoria Historical Society believes the incidents are proof that the busy Queens Plaza park is the wrong spot for the artifacts. Their location makes them vulnerable to vandalism, pollution and the elements, he said.

Flag vandalism suspected in Rockaway

From CBS New York:

It’s a mystery in Rockaway Park – someone or something is making a mockery of the American flag, and residents want to know what is causing it.

Old Glory waves prominently along Rockaway Beach Boulevard, mounted on angular poles that are attached to utility posts between Beach 110th and Beach 116th streets.

...over the weekend, some American flags on the strip disappeared. Poles were bent, and some flags were left dangling.

Many residents said given that the damage was done just before Independence Day, it is disgraceful.

A representative of the local community board said the main concern right now is safety. The board is looking to have the poles taken down before someone gets hurt.

The Rockaway Civic Association put up most of the flags right after Superstorm Sandy. Others, including the now-damaged ones, went up around Memorial Day.

Lots of parks, but not enough PEP officers

From the Forum:

Despite the fact that city Police Department crime statistics for borough parks have fluctuated over the past year, residents and park goers are still concerned about too-few PEP officers patrolling parks.

“We are always concerned with park security in Juniper [Valley Park],” said Robert Holden, president of the Juniper Park Civic Association. “We’d like to see more of the PEP officers and urge the mayor and City Council to provide additional funding to hire more officers.”

Holden said that in Juniper there is a “nightly problem” of teens hanging out after the park closes at 9 p.m. and that vandalism has always been an issue.

“We need PEP to patrol the park and protect our beautiful park on a DAILY schedule,” he said, adding that the 104th Precinct is one of the busiest in the city and area cops are logistically unable to give the park the attention that it needs.

But the reality of PEP officers in the city is that they are vastly understaffed and also underpaid, according to their union representative.

Joe Puleo, president of District Council 37’s Local 983, which represents more than 3,000 city workers, including PEP officers, said that there are about 240 publicly-paid PEP officers citywide and another 100 officers paid through private parks organizations.

Queens has only about 20 PEP officers for the entire borough. Puleo added that it is not at all uncommon for people to not see any PEP officers due to their having to cover beaches, such as Rockaway, which is more than seven miles long.

Puleo, a former PEP officer who patrolled Forest Park in the 1990s, said that the reasons for the scarcity of officers are mainly tied to money.