Clinton Admin & Crime in public Housing
Ray Normandeau
Ray Normandeau, Queensbridge Tenant Council at 718-392-1267
Press Info Computer BBS 212-274-8110, Go to "J 5"
For Immediate Release
Clinton Administration to Clean up Public Housing?
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According to UPI reports Friday and Saturday, the Clinton Administration may
try to clean up the "housing projects.
This is to include possibly banning guns in the developments.
The National Rifle Association has objected on the grounds that "It takes
away their right to bear a firearm."
The Queensbridge Tenant Council objects on the grounds that it would prevent
lawfully intentioned tenants, with no criminal records, of having the
opportunity to possibly save their own lives.
At a January Queensbridge Tenant Association meeting a tenant stated that he
was thinking of getting a gun to protect his family as the New York City
Housing Authority won't lock his lobby door. He said "I hope I won't have to
kill someone."
Further the Queensbridge Tenant Council and the Queensbridge Tenant
Association have reserved the option to call in the National Black
Riflemen's Association to help insure safety at Queensbridge.
In January a Senior Citizen was robbed and badly beaten in a push-in robbery
due to the unlocked lobby door of her building. A law suit is pending in
this case.
It can be so dangerous in the projects that, as reported by UPI, Vice
President Al Gore has stated "It's not right that we ask poor people to live
in public housing so dangerous that the police will not even patrol there."
On January 23 a perp machine gun sprayed an official "Drug Free Zone".
On Friday, the White House announced plans to curb white collar crime in
public housing such as bribery, embezzlement and bid-rigging. The
Queensbridge Tenant Council says that it is about time. In 1986, 25% of New
York City Housing Authority superintendents were arrested for bribery. In
1993 while the NYC HA was getting oil from the Gambino crime family linked
Bayside Oil, the NYC HA was refusing to produce oil delivery records which
had been subpoenaed. All the oil tanks at Queensbridge Houses have been
unearthed since last summer, perhaps in an attempt to find missing oil.
On the State Government side, NYS Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan is "looking
into it" to see if the State of New York has its own RICO Act similar to the
federal one in the hopes of using it to find out what is really happening at
the New York City Housing Authority.
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