Multimedia Journalist & Reporter
STUDENT WORK
VISITORS OF THE FLUSHING LIBRARY ARE STILL CONFUSED BY ITS CLOSURE
The Queens Public Library in Flushing, with its numerous windows, is an eye-catching building. It boasts many programs, including English classes, job readiness classes, and GED prep courses. Like all city libraries, it closed when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in March 2020 — but while other libraries in Queens reopened in July, this one did not.
City Council candidate John Choe, who has been serving the Flushing community for more than a decade, calls the library’s current status “a tragedy.”
“The Flushing branch of the Queens Library is the highest circulating library branch in the United States,” he said. “Which means that it's utilized quite extensively by people in our community.”
Junjie Chen, a 30-year-old web developer who came to the library last week to use its printers, calls the situation “confusing” and “frustrating.”
The branch was used as a Covid-19 vaccination site until the HVAC system shut down in May.
In an e-mail exchange, the Queens Public Library Director of Communications Elisabeth de Bourbon, explains that they are still “working on identifying a temporary HVAC solution” as well as installing a second elevator.
Going to the other locations in Flushing takes at least another 20 to 30 minutes by bus, he pointed out.
Most programs offered by the library are now offered online such as the Tai Chi classes, bilingual story time and cultural programming. The Flushing Adult Learning Center also has their programs online, says Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, Deputy Communications Director of the Queens Public Library, in an e-mail.
The only signs that indicate that the library is not open for business are the locked doors, the empty lobby and the yellow signs announcing in various languages that the building was being used as a Covid-19 vaccination site.
Patrons and visitors still try to enter, only to be disappointed by its locked doors and the realization that the building that’s been so central to the community may not return for a long while.
Daniel Pang, 30, and Kemi Olorunniwo, 25, have never visited this particular library before and were both looking forward to seeing what it offered.
“Knowing that this is a very immigrant-heavy community, I feel like that’s more necessary than ever,” Pang, a graduate student from Brooklyn, said.
“To have it closed is kind of like you’re missing out of a taste of the community,” says Olorunniwo, a nurse and book lover visiting from New Jersey.
Photo by: Caithlin Pena
VENDING IN FLUSHING SIDEWALKS CONTINUE DESPITE NEW ENFORCEMENT
Violette Wolfe, 30, used to sell spiritual items in the West Village, but after three months, business was not going as well as she had hoped. So, she decided to try her luck in Flushing and set up her wares near the LIRR station on Main St.
“I am broke and homeless so I started my own business just to make it, to get by, really,” she said.
She came to Flushing, specifically, because she believes that more people appreciate spiritual things, like crystals and incense here compared to the West Village.
Wolfe is just among the many vendors that are still trying to make ends meet by vending in high traffic areas like Flushing, many months after New York City has opened back up after the pandemic.
Medical masks, hand sanitizers, jewelry, fruits and vegetables, and even live crabs are among the merchandise sold here. Boxes and tables fill the sidewalks, starting around Franklin Ave. up to the gates of St. George’s Episcopal Church between 38th and 39th Ave.
“That’s part of the reason I came out here,” said Wolfe. “People are used to seeing street vendors.”
The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, they have received 150 complaints about vendors in Flushing from the general public, Community Boards, Business Improvement Districts advocates, and elected officials.
The Flushing Community Board declined to comment at this time while the Flushing Business Improvement District did not respond to any e-mails.
The department has also conducted 186 inspections in Flushing since June and found 79 violations, which include unlicensed general vending, unlicensed food vending, and continued unlicensed activity.
A statement from a DCWP spokesperson said, “Vending is a complicated issue that touches us all—from the vendors themselves to local businesses to residents and visitors. Our goal is to hear concerns from everyone involved and strike a balanced approach that is equitable for all, which includes ongoing education coupled with scaled, strategic enforcement, especially in problematic areas.”
The Office of Street Vendor Enforcement was established as part of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection back in March by the City Council. Since then, they have conducted 30 educational walks with multilingual staff as well as hosted workshops for vendors in popular vending areas, including Flushing.
However, Street Vendor Project, a membership-based project under the Urban Justice Project, claims that many vendors have been denied licenses, had streets closed off to them, and received “exorbitant tickets for minor violations,” according to their website.
SVP did not reply to a request for a comment.
Vendors are not obligated to tell the DCWP where they vend. The department also does not confiscate items. However, the NYPD does, as seen in an incident in the Bronx back in September, where a single mother of three children had her boxes of produce confiscated and thrown out because she didn’t have a license.
So far, no similar incident has been reported in Flushing, despite the number of complaints and inspections.
As for Wolfe, she says she has no intentions of stopping her vending in Flushing any time soon.
Photo by: Caithlin Pena
AS THE CITY TAKES STEPS TO MAKE OUTDOOR DINING PERMANENT, FLUSHING RESIDENTS REMAIN CONCERNED
As one of New York City’s well-known food destinations, Flushing benefited from the success of the Open Restaurants program during the height of the pandemic. However, when the city announced plans to make the program permanent, some residents had concerns about whether it is a good idea for the long-term.
Richie Luu, 30, an I.T. specialist, has lived in Flushing his whole life and finds that the current outdoor dining setups are not only dirty but have also generated more traffic.
He noticed that in certain areas like Prince St., the outdoor dining setup is great because they don’t have to deal with cars or bicycle traffic. But, in other areas like 40th Rd., it feels “like Covid is sitting around there.”
“You look at it and it looks really miserable,” he said. “Like, if a car were to hit this thing, the entire thing would collapse.”
Flushing already has some of the highest foot traffic outside of Manhattan, according to a Commercial District Needs Assessment. Its access to the 7 train, Long Island Railroad, and several buses, has also made its streets heavily congested.
These same concerns were also raised during a community board meeting in September, according to the board meeting minutes.
“Flushing Downtown sidewalks are too narrow for dining,” said community board member Diane Yu. “Also, stores and residential garbage is placed in front of doors or curbs.”
In response to Yu, Department of Transportation Deputy Director Albert Silvestri, who was also present at the September meeting, responded, “Downtown Flushing will not be able to have outdoor dining.”
Neither the Flushing community board nor the DOT responded to requests for comments.
The Open Restaurants program allowed restaurants to use sidewalks and curbside spaces in front of their businesses to create dining spaces. Mayor de Blasio claimed that it saved more than 100,000 restaurant jobs during the pandemic.
However, in October, residents from the West Village and the Lower East Side sued the DOT for mishandling its review of the Open Restaurants program as well as for disruptions in their quality of life, according to a report by The Gothamist.
A map created by the Flushing Business Improvement District shows that there are currently more than 50 restaurants that have outdoor dining spaces along Main St., from Roosevelt Ave. to Union St.
However, not all residents are opposed to the current outdoor dining setups.
Toddler teacher, Sam Packer, 26, has lived in Flushing for the past 17 years.
They are immunocompromised and feels that the outdoor dining Flushing offers right now is a good thing, as it allows them to enjoy dining out again without fear of catching the virus from anyone indoors.
“So, whenever someone gets, let's say a mild cold, I can get it worse,” they said. “And, God forbid, I can bring that back to my folks, which I don't want to do.”
The DCP has announced a public survey and engagement schedule in order to create proper safety and design guidelines.
“This process will offer the public opportunities to share their thoughts on all aspects of the program, including use of sidewalk and street space,” stated DCP communications intern, Aislinn Klein, in an e-mail.
The DCP is encouraging New Yorkers to respond to the survey by Dec. 31st and attend the in-person and virtual events to share their thoughts.
Photo by: Caithlin Pena
STONY BROOK NEWS
As part of Stony Brook News in the Fall of 2013, I took on various roles for each newscast, including producer, reporter, and editor.
