Though the entire world was dominated by Covid this year, North Queens was certainly the first section of the city to truly feel its effects. The largely Asian population faced Covid-19 induced discrimination and small shops suffered from a severe drop in business, a struggle they continued to combat throughout the remainder of the year.
Despite the hardships, North Queens pushed through and celebrated many good times â award ceremonies honored its leaders, DJs played free concerts for neighbors, activists took a stand and more.
Hereâs a look back at what the first six months of the infamous 2020 looked like in North Queens.
Unauthorized pit crew charged with theft: DA
qchron.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from qchron.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Sutphin BID offers free meals on Christmas Eve
qchron.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from qchron.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Forum Staff
Citing decades-old evidence of improper discrimination based on race, sex, religion, and ethnicity in jury selection, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Thursday that she has filed a joint motion with defense counsel at the law firm Covington & Burling, LLP, to vacate the convictions of Santiago Valdez and Paul Morant, who were convicted in 1996 and remain incarcerated.
Upon reversal of their convictions, Katz is requesting the defendants be remanded to pretrial detention and re-prosecuted.
The motion is based on documents found in the Queens DA’s Office’s files indicating that a single ADA improperly excluded certain minorities and women from jury service, in violation of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Batson v. Kentucky.