Assemblymember Ron Kim and Rise Now Inc. announced the official launch of their Flushing Small Business Clinic. A free weekly initiative to support local small businesses and entrepreneurs, it will be led by Rise Now and hosted at the Assemblymember’s district office every Tuesday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The program will offer multilingual individualized financial counseling, and also educate aspiring entrepreneurs on how to navigate legal and regulatory hurdles.

Assemblymember Kim stated that Flushing was New York City’s fourth-largest central business district, with the most foot traffic outside of Manhattan. As one of the premier financial hubs of Queens (with an estimated $17 billion in deposits across forty bank branches),its status as a major economic center deserved greater recognition, he said, but a lack of adequate reinvestment in the community, unequal access to opportunities for low-income neighborhoods, and language or cultural barriers have hindered its potential. The small business clinic pilot would be a chance to provide greater resources to local merchants, including immigrant entrepreneurs, and offer more opportunities to underserved, low-income New Yorkers.

Rise Now is a local non-profit that works to educate and provide assistance to underserved communities, support small businesses with appropriate resources and capital, and deliver equitable developmental services to uplift economically distressed communities. Chris Kui, President of Rise Now, and Siu Kwan Chan, its Managing Director of Programs, encouraged the community to take advantage of this opportunity, and suggested small business owners contact Assemblymember Kim’s district office to make an appointment. The main requirements, they said, are that applicants must either be current small business owners in Flushing or those who with concrete plans to open a small business in Flushing. New Yorkers who already received help from Rise Now, including local business owners like Su Ming Li, Heddrick McBride and Wei Chao Zhang, spoke at the announcement about the support they received from the organization.

Assemblyman Ron Kim, Chair of the Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development, said, “I am excited to announce that my office will be starting a small business clinic with Rise Now to help local mom-and-pop owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in Flushing. We share a vision of a more inclusive system with fairer and more equitable access to opportunities, we want to do all that we can to build towards that Future. That is why we are launching this pilot program, and I urge any small business owners who think this program might help them to contact my district office to make an appointment.”

Chris Kui, President of Rise Now Inc., said “My team and I have dedicated our lives to helping underserved communities, and ensuring equitable access to financial and economic opportunities is a core part in the work that we do. We look forward to partnering with Assemblymember Kim’s office to expand the services of Rise Now, and to help even more New Yorkers reach their goals of financial independence.”

Courtesy: Paul Pogozelski

By MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

Last summer, an unexpected situation unfolded in Middle Village when several camper trailers appeared overnight near Juniper Park. The trailers, which lacked proper registration, license plates, inspection stickers, and brake lights, were parked across the street from a house of worship, a public school, and a park pathway. The presence of the trailers immediately sparked complaints from local residents.

Paul Pogozelski, a Middle Village resident and City Council candidate for District 30, took immediate responsibility for addressing the situation. After hearing about the trailers, he sprang into action, knocking on doors and alerting local authorities to the issue. His proactive approach included mobilizing neighbors and coordinating with law enforcement to ensure the trailers were removed swiftly.

“Removing the campers from our streets was a victory for our community to come together in a peaceful manner and achieve a goal for our entire neighborhood,” Pogozelski said. “If we didn’t act swiftly and cooperatively as a unified front who knows how long these campers would have been stationed on juniper boulevard south. I want to thank all our neighbors who supported this effort.”

Silva Martocci, a longtime Middle Village resident, recalled first hearing about the trailers from a close friend, Eileen Moloney, who was deeply involved in the community. 

“I was watching TV when I got a call from Eileen saying there were trailers parked near the park, and they weren’t supposed to be there,” Martocci said. “I immediately called the news, but no one seemed interested in covering the story at the time.”

Martocci visited the site and confirmed that there were two old trailers parked across from the Lutheran church, seemingly abandoned.

“I didn’t see anyone around at first, but later, I saw people inside. They spoke Spanish, and I tried to ask them who brought them there, but they couldn’t communicate,” she said. “The police arrived, and I suggested they investigate who was responsible for bringing the trailers to the area, as it could be more than just a simple case of people living in campers.”

Eileen Moloney, another local resident was instrumental in addressing the issue, shared her perspective on the incident. 

“I had just returned from upstate when Paul, a local resident, knocked on my door and told me about the camper vans,” Moloney said. “I immediately told him to call the police, but when they didn’t respond quickly enough, I started reaching out to neighbors.”

Moloney approached the people inside the trailers, speaking to them in broken Spanish. “I told them they needed to contact the person who brought them there to have the trailers removed.”

As more neighbors gathered, Moloney and Paul worked together to coordinate the removal of the trailers.

“We had about 30 people, including some from the local church, who were all concerned about the trailers in our neighborhood,” Moloney said. “We waited until the police arrived, but by that time, they had already been informed by our efforts, and the trailers were moved. Paul even followed them to make sure they weren’t just relocated across the street to the park.”

Vincent Melle, the sexton at Trinity Church, also witnessed the events that day from his proximity to the scene.

“At first, I thought it might be a film crew because we get a lot of movies filmed here, but as night came, it became clear this was more serious,” Melle said. “Paul took charge and called the cops. He followed the trailers to ensure they weren’t just moved to another spot in the area.”

Although the police eventually responded, Melle noted that the situation was outside their immediate control. “Paul really took the lead in making sure the trailers were removed from that area.”

The community’s quick action prevented the trailers from becoming a longer-term issue, and since then, no similar incidents have occurred in the area. 

“If it weren’t for Paul’s persistence and Eileen’s outreach, who knows how long those trailers would have been there,” Moloney said.