DA Katz Receives Slew of Endorsements Ahead of Vote

By Iryna Shkurhan | [email protected]

Current Queens District Attorney Melina Katz collected a wide range of endorsements weeks out from election day.

Most notably, Mayor Eric Adams said that “of course” he is endorsing Katz for reelection, citing her efforts to engage with communities, and vacate wrongful convictions while working collaboratively with police, in a statement.

Several LGBT groups — including The Stonewall Democratic Club of NYC and the Lavender Line Democratic Club of Queens — also showed their support by publicly endorsing her during Pride Month.

Katz took office in January 2020, making history as the first woman to hold the office. Right before that she served as the Queens Borough President for two terms and represented Forest Hills, parts of Maspeth, South Elmhurst and Richmond Hill as a city councilwoman from 2002 to 2009. She also served in the state assembly, and had various stints in private law since graduating from St. John’s Law School.

Running against her is Democratic candidate George Grasso, a retired judge and former NYPD deputy commissioner, who is pushing a tough on crime platform. Two of the few endorsements that Grasso received are prominent ones: the FDNY Union and former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton.

Last week, Moms Demand Action, a national coalition working to pass stronger gun laws since 2012, endorsed Katz as their gun sense candidate.

In April, Katz’s office launched the state’s first prosecution of an international ghost gun trafficking operation. A St. Albans man and his associate in Texas were charged with assembling and selling untraceable firearms in New York City and Trinidad.

“Ghost gun trafficking is a burgeoning cottage industry. We are seeing individuals with no criminal history assembling and selling ghost guns to supplement their legal income,” said Katz in a press release. “It is a deeply troubling trend that threatens to make an already pervasive gun violence problem much worse.”

In 2022, the Queens DA office seized 40 percent of ghost guns in the city, more than the DA offices in other boroughs.

“The fact remains that the more we limit access to firearms, the more lives are saved. That is why I have led the effort in taking illegal weapons, including ghost guns, off the streets of Queens, and will continue to dedicate all resources at my disposal to ensure a safe borough,” said Katz in a press release. “I am honored by this recognition from Moms Demand Action.”

In a justice oriented step, she launched Queens’ first-ever Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) to identify and prove wrongful convictions of innocent defendants. Cases can be outlined in an intake form and submitted through email, or in person to the DA’s office in Kew Gardens for consideration.

Katz’s most recent endorsement came from Captain Endowment Association of the NYPD, a law enforcement union, joining the Lieutenants Benevolent Association. And despite the FDNY Union endorsement that Grasso received, Katz secured the support of Local 2507 Uniformed EMTs, Paramedics & Fire Inspectors in Whitestone.

“She has challenged the entire institution of the DA’s office to address issues specific to the LGBTQ+ community, and gotten results for us,” said Rod Townsend, President of the Lavender Line Democratic Club of Queens, in a statement. “Without hesitation, we endorse her for re-election.”

Early voting runs from June 17 to June 25. The primary election is on June 27.

Business Improvement Program Expanded into Astoria

By Alicia Venter

[email protected]

 

Photo: QDA’s Office

A new program designed to enhance safety around shops, the Astoria Merchants Business Improvement Program, was launched on Tuesday by the Queens District Attorney’s Office and the NYPD.

The program focuses on the small group of individuals who are responsible for the majority of harm done to local businesses, with behavior including shoplifting, harassing and threatening customers and store staff.

Businesses who are part of the program can contact the local precinct when an individual is disrupting business, and the responding officers can issue a trespass notice and warn said individual that if they return to the business, they could be arrested.

Since it launched in Jamaica two years ago, 23 notices have been issued; three arrests have been made, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

There is also a business improvement program in Flushing.

“We need to address the few responsible for the vast majority of the shoplifting and vandalism and for it to stop,” said Melinda Katz, Queens District Attorney, in a statement. “Our goal is to protect local businesses, many of them mom-and-pop shops, and the customers and communities depending on them. We should never lose sight of the fact that communities thrive when local businesses thrive.”

Merchants can enroll in the program through the 114th Precinct.

In Jamaica, there are 25 stores part of the program.

“This a great tool for our small businesses who are many times alone in their establishment and fearful of individuals who habitually enter with the sole purpose of causing harm or chaos,” Marie Torniali, Executive Director of the Steinway Astoria Partnership, said in a statement. “This is not about instant arrest; it is a warning to those individuals not to return. Our merchants will be able to breathe a sigh of relief and continue running their business and assist customers without apprehension.”

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