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Mayor Mamdani Joins Astoria Mosque for Ramadan Iftar

BQE Admin on March 25, 2026

BY MOHAMED FARGHALY

mfarghaly@queensledger.com

The scent of home-cooked food drifted through the halls of the Masjid Islamic Unity & Cultural Center as families gathered shoulder to shoulder, waiting for sunset to break their Ramadan fast. Children leaned over railings to catch a glimpse of the evening’s guest while elders greeted one another warmly. On this night, the mosque at 31-33 12th St. welcomed a familiar visitor: Mayor Zohran Mamdani, returning to the Astoria neighborhood he once represented as a state assemblyman.

Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, joined dozens of Bosnian New Yorkers on March 17 for iftar, the nightly meal that ends the daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan. The visit felt less like a formal appearance and more like a reunion. Children gathered around him excitedly while longtime mosque members, affectionately called “uncles and aunties,” welcomed him with handshakes and embraces before the community prepared for maghrib prayer.

The evening opened with remarks from the mosque’s main imam, Kemal Bektesevic, who greeted Mamdani and spoke about the community’s hopes for the city and their connection to the mayor.

“Brother is someone who is close to the heart, someone you care about honestly,” Bektesevic said. “Not just because you are a brother, but because we truly hope you will make a change in this city and that we will feel the warmth of that change.”

Reflecting on the political journey that brought the mayor to their mosque, the imam shared a personal story about voting for the first time after encouragement from younger members of the community.

“I was raised in a way where I never went to a polling station,” Bektesevic said. “Then the youngsters in my community came to me and said, ‘Let’s do something.’ A friend and member of our community told me about you, and I said, ‘Okay, let’s try.’”

He said Mamdani’s campaign gave many in the community a sense of optimism.

“I’m not saying we have done a lot,” Bektesevic said. “But you gave us a very big hope that, Inshallah, we will see you succeed. That’s why I say: keep going straight and make us proud, and make proud all those who worked hard for you.”

Moments later, Mamdani stepped forward to address the congregation, greeting the crowd with a familiar Ramadan blessing.

“Ramadan Kareem, Ramadan Mubarak,” he said. “It is such a joy and a pleasure to be here, not just as your mayor, but as your brother.”

Mayor Mamdani visited the Masjid Islamic Unity and Cultural Center in Astoria to break his Ramadan fast last week. Photos by Mohamed Farghaly.

For Mamdani, the visit carried personal significance. Before becoming mayor, he represented Astoria and Long Island City in the state Assembly, and he recalled working with members of the mosque years earlier on community efforts to help neighbors in need.

“This is a return home for me,” Mamdani said. “Before I was your mayor, I was an assembly member for Astoria and Long Island City, and as I was just sitting here next to brother Ismail, he was showing me text messages that I sent him in 2019 and 2020 where I was asking him if he would sponsor some iftars that we would give to those in need in the neighborhood.”

The mayor thanked mosque leaders and the young people who recited prayers earlier in the evening, calling them reminders of the community’s future.

“Our youngsters who are here with their beautiful recitations remind us that the future is always what we are striving for,” Mamdani said.

He also reflected on the history many Bosnian families carry with them in New York, referencing those who fled war and genocide in the Balkans before rebuilding their lives in the city.

“Many in this community came here after a genocide, came here out of necessity to find a place of safety,” he said. “Hardship brought many Bosnians to New York City, yet I’m grateful for the ease that you have delivered to our city, in shaping our neighborhoods and shaping the very places that so many know as their home today.”

As the call to prayer approached, the room grew quieter. Dates and water were passed along tables as families prepared to break their fast together. Mamdani spoke about the meaning of Ramadan beyond abstaining from food and drink.

“Many people think of Ramadan solely as a time characterized by fasting from sunup to sundown,” he said. “But I look forward to Ramadan because of what it means in terms of reflection, recommitment and giving meaning to the things that we lose sight of.”

The mayor also thanked the congregation for participating in civic life, saying their engagement helped reshape the city’s political landscape.

“I would not stand before you as the mayor of this city if it wasn’t for every single New Yorker who told themselves that this would be the time they would participate,” Mamdani said. “You saw yourself in the city that is also your own. You saw yourself in its politics. You saw yourself in its future.”

As the fast was finally broken and the community moved for the meal, the evening blended faith, food and conversation. Plates filled with traditional dishes, children darted around the room and elders shared stories late into the night.

For Mamdani, the gathering served as both a celebration of Ramadan and a reminder of the neighborhood that helped shape his political journey.

Safe Streets Scrap at CB1

BQE Admin on March 25, 2026

At Queens Community Board 1, which meets monthly at Astoria World Manor, street safety is a hot-button topic.

BY COLE SINANIAN

cole@queensledger.com

ASTORIA — “My name is Gloria Maloney and I just wanted to know if anybody wanted to buy my car,” began the 78-year-old during the public testimony portion of last week’s  Community Board 1 meeting at Astoria World Manor. “It’s a 2016 Jeep Cherokee, very low mileage.”

Maloney’s sarcasm drew chuckles at first, but her tone shifted as the testimony went on; she was here to draw battle lines over an ongoing debate with no end in sight.

“Even though I haven’t ridden a bike in over 40 years, I think I’m going to have to sell my car and get a bike so that I can go slower than most of the mopeds, scooters and bicyclists in the neighborhood,” Maloney continued. “Apparently, we’re now going to be a car-less city, so I have to get with the program. You know, at 78 years old.”

The context, of course — as those who’ve been paying attention will know — is the ongoing debate over how to make Astoria’s crowded and congested streets safer. The 31st Street protected bike lane, whose construction 11th District Judge Cheree Buggs halted in December after several nearby businesses sued, has spurred passionate discussion in Community Board 1.

Legislation known as Sammy’s Law, meanwhile, was passed in 2024 and reduced speed limits from 25mph to 20mph in designated streets, though the city has been slow to implement the law.

Research has indicated that risk of pedestrian fatalities drops significantly from 25mph to 20mph.

“I’m really not happy with the bike lanes. I’m not happy with the traffic mileage going down lower than 25, it’s already slow enough as it is,” Maloney said, raising her voice slightly.

“You have to look when you cross the street, take your head out of your phone and look,” she said. “They come from some kind of city, from a town somewhere else where they don’t even have traffic lights. We have traffic lights for a reason.”

But little did Maloney know, behind her at the podium Community Board 2’s First Vice Chair  Rosamond Gianutsos waited at the ready with a blistering rebuttal:

“I have to say, with respect,” Gianutsos said, gesturing to Maloney, who had returned to her seat. “I’m 80, but my bike is right outside. So yes, join the program.”

Gianutsos is a doctor and member of the national advocacy group, Families for Safe Streets. She explained that through her work doing home visits to people who’ve suffered traffic violence, she spent years talking to families who’ve lost loved ones to car collisions, an experience that has fundamentally altered her view of the bikes-vs-cars debate.

She had come to CB1 to testify in support of lowering speed limits in the area, which she argued would be beneficial to not just bikers and pedestrians, but to drivers too.

“Furthermore, it’s not just bicyclists and pedestrians that are hurt,” Gianutsos said. “It’s also drivers. If you look at the data, there are lots of people who are killed and injured as passengers or drivers of cars.”

She concluded: “So anything we can do to prevent the travesty of traffic violence and pain to families, please do support it.”

Sammy’s Law was named for Sammy Cohen Eckstein, a 12-year-old Brooklyn boy who was killed in 2013 after being struck by a distracted driver.

QED Astoria Retains Identity One Year Into New Ownership

BQE Admin on March 25, 2026

Photos by Maryam Rahaman.

BY  MARYAM RAHAMAN

ASTORIA — Free municipal condoms, the Real Housewives, and conservative Christian radio all came up during last Thursday’s Paid Protest show at QED Astoria, where a sold-out crowd laughed uproariously as five comics and their host Anders Lee married political themes with comedy.

QED Astoria, founded in 2014 by comedic storyteller Kambri Crews, boasts a variety of programming, from free toddler storytimes to adult spelling bees to comedy shows in languages reflecting the full diversity of Queens. For the past few months, the venue has been the home of Paid Protest, a monthly Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) comedy show fundraiser.

Proceeds from last week’s show went to the organization’s Immigration Justice Working Group. Signatures were also collected to petition for DSA candidates Aber Kawas and Diana Moreno. Performers included Rufat Agayev, Gastor Almonte, Aidan Kelly, Taylor Petty, and Srilatha Rajamani.

Though QED is not strictly a comedy club, young New York City comedians have long flocked to it as a testing ground for performing. In November 2024, Crews announced she would close the venue unless a buyer stepped in. It was announced two months later that comedian Hannah Lieberman, a former QED performer, would take over.

Lieberman moved to the city after college to attend acting school, graduating right into the pandemic. In the midst of working odd jobs and auditioning for commercials, she leaned into the “inkling” that she wanted to do stand-up. After a bringer night (when comedians are required to bring audience members) that worked “better than it had any right to go,” Lieberman realized she wanted to perform and produce shows. When she moved to Astoria, QED and its community were a natural fit.

“It’s the first club where I headlined. It’s the first club where I produced a show,” Lieberman said. “This club meant so much to me already, and it was already my home base. It was kind of like kismet.”

Comedian Hannah Lieberman is the new owner of QED Astoria.

This rendition of Paid Protest featured several comedians who had been performing at QED for years, including Agayev, Almonte, and Kelly. Almonte says that while other comedy spaces might struggle long-term because they focus on big names, QED has invested in giving young artists stage time. One of his favorite memories was getting to have his son see what he does, taking pictures and holding the microphone after a show.

“As much as I love other stand-up spaces, I probably wouldn’t have felt as comfortable bringing my seven year-old into those environments.”

It’s been about a year since Lieberman officially took over last March after shadowing Crews. As a former nanny, she’s added a lot of after school and children’s programming, in addition to changes that reflect the 25 year age gap between her and Crews—such as a Disney Channel original movie night in the form of a drinking game.

Marrying comedy and politics is not a new ownership change. Though Paid Protest has become part of regular programming under Lieberman, Crews previously held fundraisers for Zohran Mamdani and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at QED. To Lieberman, being honest about the venue’s political leaning is important.

“This is very much a progressive place. I think that’s reflected in our comedy too,” she said. “If you averaged open mics across the country, ours are the most welcoming to women.” For her, political comedy is to not only “shed a light on injustice,” but to keep herself “sane.”

“What eventually will happen is they’re going to try and shut down spaces like QED where people criticize the government,” Kelly said. “It’s insanely, insanely important.”

QED’s upcoming events can be viewed on Instagram @qedastoria or on their website qedastoria.com.

Memetic Warfare: Gotham Goose’s Campaign for Civic Engagement

BQE Admin on March 17, 2026

Nick Stergiou (right) outside of Katch Bar in Astoria with Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Photo via Nick Stergiou.

Through his satirical hyper-local news outlet, Nick Stergiou uses memes to get Astorians engaged in their community. 

BY COLE SINANIAN

cole@queensledger.com

Nick Stergiou is in many ways the archetypal Astorian everyman. He is half Greek, half Colombian, both a transplant and a native. The commercial producer and social media manager was born in New York but raised in Bakersfield, California, where his family ran a bagel business. The West Coast, however, was not Stergiou’s vibe, so at 18 he booked it back to the only place that felt like home: Astoria.

“It gave me a unique perspective on being a New Yorker, because I’ve always felt like a native and also a transplant at the same time,” Stergiou said.

Now 38, Stergiou is the brains behind the Gotham Goose, a popular hyper-local satire Instagram page that doubles as Stergiou’s ploy to get more Astorians engaged in local politics. As a teen, Stergiou developed his sense of humor watching late night hosts like Conan O’Brien and spent lots of time on the internet, growing fluent in the language of trolling. As an adult, he’s developed this fluency into a potent catalyst for civic engagement.

While running the social media accounts for his labor union, the Production Workers Guild IATSE Local 111, Stergiou deployed a strategy called “memetic warfare” to get members to sign union cards. A kind of propaganda technique, memetic warfare involves propagation of internet memes as a means of influencing public opinion. Anyone who follows the local Karaoke Shout Instagram page — which Stergiou runs — should be familiar with his irreverent brand of self-referential humor. With Gotham Goose, this looks like the merging of the local and national cultural zeitgeists through satirical, Astoria-centric Instagram memes.

One recent headline reads “Queens Pride Committee Votes to Flip ‘IA’ this year in LGBTQIA+ to include Community with AI Bot Relationships.” Another is headlined “Photos of Mayor Mamdani with Epstein are Real – Not AI Generated.” The Epstein in question, of course, is not the convicted sex-trafficker, but Manhattan City councilman Harvey Epstein. According to another post, the City unveiled a “monster truck-style ambulance” that can crush the parked cars on the notoriously congested 31st Ave with its giant wheels.

“There’s a problem with people believing everything they see on the internet and taking it seriously,” Stergiou said. “If you read and pay attention, you’ll be in on the joke. So it is sort of  revealing who is actually paying attention and who is not.”

In other words, if you know, you know. An attentive Astorian should be informed enough about the neighborhood and local politics to know whether or  not a post is satire, Stergiou explained. Sometimes, Stergiou posts real Astoria happenings, albeit with a satirical spin. One morning while walking down Ditmars Blvd, he watched as a worker put up a sign on a vacant storefront on the corner of 31st for a new restaurant called “Astoria BBQ.” Using a combination of photoshop and AI, Stergiou quickly crafted a post declaring that “BBQ” in Astoria stands for “Balkan  Breakfast Quesadillas,” a concept that might include on its menu “feta chilaquiles” and a “shakshuka morning melt.”

“Yes, I do post misinformation, but it’s obviously a joke,” he said. “It’s to make people laugh and realize, like, things are stupid and funny.”

Longtime Gotham Goose fans will also notice the recurring bird motif. The name was inspired by Stergiou’s lifelong affinity for birds; he is pigeon-toed and had pet cockatiels as a kid. “Honky the Snow Goose,” Gotham Goose’s official mascot, was allegedly seen chatting up “Astoria the Turkey” at Hallett’s Cove Beach, according to a March 11 post. Then there’s the shadowy cabal known as the “Council of Monk Parakeets,” whose enigmatic doings are — in Stergiou’s Gotham Goose universe — largely responsible for Astoria’s recent embrace of democratic socialist politicians.

In the Gotham Goose universe, the enigmatic “Council of Monk Parakeets” is the silent force driving Astoria’s left-wing politics. Photo via @gothamgoose on Instagram.

Monk parrots in New York are a real thing; observant New Yorkers may have seen their bright green wings flashing among the treetops across Brooklyn and Queen’s green spaces. Legend has it they’re descendants of a flock destined for pet stores that escaped from JFK in the 1970s. They’re now one of NYC’s thriving invasive bird populations, often nesting atop air conditioners, electrical poles, and lighting fixtures.

But in Stergiou’s satirized Astoria, the hooded Council of Monk Parakeets nests atop an electrical pole on 23rd Ave, and convenes in a conclave-esque ceremony whenever there’s a local election. In February, they “elected” Diana Moreno, who replaced Mamdani in Assembly District 36. Most recently, the Gotham Goose reported that the parakeets were seen “dropping political flyers” for Democratic  Socialist of America (DSA)-endorsed NY State Legislature candidates Phara Souffrant-Forrest and Jabari Brisport, and Claire Valdez, who’s running to replace Nydia Velázquez in New York’s 7th Congressional District.

“It’s basically the Parrot’s Republic of Astoria,” Stergiou wrote in a post, referring to the neighborhood’s nickname, “the People’s Republic of Astoria,” which alludes to its status as a hub for left-wing politics. “The volunteers knock doors, but the parrots quietly confirm what they decided weeks ago.”

But beneath Stergiou’s satire, there’s nuanced commentary on the unending New York City struggle between old timers and transplants and how that struggle affects local governance.

“The point is there’s some kind of driving force of nature that is affecting our politics,” Stergiou said. “The DSA seems so strong here it seems like sometimes people don’t have a choice because they’re just so active that it’s like, there’s gotta be something that’s keeping all these candidates coming. It’s the monk parrots.”

On a more serious note, Stergiou, who describes himself as democratic socialist-leaning, has little sympathy for Astorians who complain about transplants bringing their politics to the neighborhood but then refuse to engage in politics themselves. Whether these socialist newcomers are transplants or not, the kind of canvassing and grassroots campaigning that has become NYC-DSA’s trademark is a highly effective strategy for political mobilization, Stergiou points out. The old timers could take note.

“Native New Yorkers who are fed up with things, they complain a lot but they don’t participate,”  Stergiou said. “If everyone participated then maybe the change you want would happen, instead of just saying, like, oh,  the transplants are here and they ruined everything. It’s like, well, they just participated.”

MoMA PS1’s Sordid Past

BQE Admin on March 12, 2026

The building houses MoMA PS1 was opened as a school in 1892. Photo via iloveny.com

The art institute is a monument to LIC’s corrupt, charismatic mayor. 

GEOFFREY COBB | gcobb91839@aol.com

Author, “Greenpoint Brooklyn’s Forgotten Past

LONG ISLAND CITY  — The massive red brick building that occupies an entire block at Jackson Avenue is easily Long Island City’s most dramatic. More like a citadel than a former school, PS 1 with its massive gables and beautiful ornamental terra cotta stands out against the sea of monotonous glass and steel skyscrapers that have sprung up in the area like mushrooms after a spring rain.

Exuding nineteenth century majesty and elegance, PS 1 is one of the most successful repurposed buildings in the city, but few of its visitors are aware of the structure’s fascinating early history. Its beautiful terra cotta floral motifs were the creation of the nearby New York Architectural Terra Cotta Company, a legendary firm whose work graces many of the city’s most beautiful buildings. The building was once even more majestic. When it opened in 1892 it boasted a stately clock tower, a bell and capacity for a thousand students.

The school was the crown jewel of one of the most colorful characters in the history of New York City Politics, Patrick “Battle Axe” Gleason, the last mayor of an independent Long Island City before LIC was absorbed into the five-borough metropolis in 1898. As flamboyant and charismatic as he was corrupt and deceitful, Gleason earned his nickname when he and his fire department wielded axes to cut down a Long Island Railroad wooden fence that blocked residents of LIC from reaching their waterfront without purchasing a ticket.

Many of Gleason’s supporters were Irish immigrants who lived in squalid tenements and toiled in LIC’s many factories and refineries. Gleason reckoned that if parents saw the elegant school he had built for their children, they would vote for him, but the reality was different.  Many LIC residents expressed shock and indignation at the astronomical cost of building Gleason’s First Ward School, $225,000, a massive sum in 1892.  The terra cotta masterpiece, which nearly bankrupted LIC, became a massive source of patronage and kickbacks for the shifty Gleason. Accusations of graft and corruption made headlines in several newspapers. The scandal surrounding the First Ward School helped to secure Gleason’s defeat in the 1892 mayoral election.

Fascinated by this architectural gem, I searched for hours in vain trying to discover the architect of the school. In desperation, I turned to the Guru of Long Island City history Mitch Waxman, who informed me that no one knew for sure. Many of Long Island City’s records were lost or destroyed when the area merged with New York City, so the identity of this talented architect remains a mystery.

The school served as an educational institution until 1963, when a precipitous drop in the area’s school aged population forced the closure of Gleason’s showcase and it became a New York City Board of Education warehouse. For years, it sat vacant, a forlorn elegant white elephant slowly succumbing to neglect, a ghost of its former self in a neighborhood that had seen better days.

The building was slated to be sold by the city to as a factory site, but thankfully the sale never occurred. In 1972, the Institute for Art and Urban Resources Inc., a non-profit founded by visionary Alana Heiss, purchased the derelict building to provide studios and exhibition space for the city’s artists. In 1976, after extensive renovations, Heiss opened the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, greatly increasing the institute’s exhibition and studio capacity. P.S.1 helped spark a revival of LIC and in 2000 P.S.1 began its formal association with New York’s Modern Museum of Art, becoming MoMA PS1.

In the last quarter century,  MoMA PS1  has become world famous for its experimental, site-specific art shows, hosting landmark exhibitions like the recurring “Greater New York” survey, James Turrell’s long-term installation Meeting, and other critically acclaimed installations, including retrospectives for Mike Kelley and Maria Lassnig, and thematic exhibitions like Into Me/Out of Me and WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution. One of the oldest nonprofit contemporary art spaces in the US, P.S.1 serves as a mecca for emerging artists, innovative installations, and immersive exhibitions, drawing visitors from around the world.

The school played a role in the final chapter of the Paddy Gleason story. Though Gleason was a highly controversial figure amongst adults, he was loved by the area’s children. When he died in 1901, his funeral procession was slated to pass by the school. When the students’ demand to pay their final respects to Gleason was dismissed by the principal, they staged a massive walk-out, demanding that they be allowed to stand outside the school and say a last goodbye to its patron. Fearing a revolt, the principal relented and hundreds of youngsters lined Jackson Avenue to mourn Gleason. Gleason might have wildly overspent on his showpiece school, but future generations can thank him for building this elegant LIC landmark.

Upscaling Queens: Local Leaders Brainstorm Ideas for the Future of the World’s Borough

BQE Admin on March 12, 2026

At a symposium at La Guardia Community College last Thursday, elected officials and business leaders discussed challenges and opportunities facing Queens. 

BY COLE SINANIAN 

cole@queensledger.com 

LONG ISLAND CITY — “The City and the State are broke. The Feds? Who the hell knows what the Feds are doing. Our destiny is in our hands.”

This was Queens Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Grech’s message to the several dozen business leaders, politicians, students and members of the public gathered at La Guardia Community College’s Performing Arts Center on Thursday, March 5. They had come to hear Grech, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, City councilmembers Julie Won, and more than a dozen local leaders discuss visions for a more equitable Queens at a symposium hosted by the Center for an Urban Future.

Grech’s message of economic independence for Queens in the face of unreliable City, State, and Federal governments resonated throughout the half-day event, where several speakers highlighted the importance of nurturing a local tech industry while investing in community development and taking care of an aging and housing-insecure population. The concept of a Queens where one could “live, work and play” without ever having  to cross borough lines — a key focus of the Richards Administration — also underpinned the discussion.

“I think all of us can relate to that coming out of the pandemic,” Richards said. “We were all stuck in the house. We got to learn where our parks were. We got to work on our cultural organizations, and we want to strengthen the fabric of those organizations as we move forward.”

Richards, a former City councilmember, was elected Borough President in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Key to his economic agenda was to “build back better” by not only restoring Queens’ pre-COVID economy, but by addressing inequities moving forward. Seated across from Center for an Urban Future Executive Director Jonathan Bowles, Richards pointed to several recent affordable housing developments as examples of his “build back better”  plan in action, including the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan — a 230-block rezoning approved by the City Council in October that would add nearly 4,000 permanently affordable homes to the Jamaica neighborhood.

But there’s still work to be done. More than one-quarter of Queens renter households spent more than 50% of their income on rent in 2023, according to an NYU Furman Center study.

Richards reiterated his support for Mayor Mamdani’s proposed Sunnyside Yards redevelopment — which would add 12,000 units of affordable housing to Sunnyside — but criticized the mayor’s proposed 9.5% property tax increase to help close the City’s $5.4 billion budget gap. He argued it could further restrict Black New Yorkers —  who’ve already struggled to own property due to racist policies like redlining — from accumulating wealth.

“It’s unfortunate that where I’m from, a house can go for 700,000 and in Brooklyn, you can have a brownstone that’s worth $5 million and they’re paying less taxes,” Richards said. “It’s very inequitable.”

He continued: “ We couldn’t get a mortgage in a lot of instances. So when you see everyday black New Yorkers who finally obtain a home, this is a pathway to upward mobility for their children to pass something down.”

William Jourdain, executive director of the local nonprofit Woodside on the Move, used his speech to draw attention to the elderly population of Queens, many of whom live month-to-month and are struggling under climbing costs of living. He told the story of his mother, a proud union member and longtime worker in the city’s hospitality industry, who, after being forced into early retirement by the pandemic, now must take money from her son in order to stay afloat amid ever rising living costs.

“But here’s the question that keeps me up at night: What about the seniors who don’t have someone like me?” Jourdain said. “They are the workers who kept the city running. They built New York. The least we can do is make sure they can afford to live in it.”

A 2023 study from the Center for an Urban Future counted 400,000 Queens residents aged 65 and older, some 14% of whom live below the poverty line—  the fourth highest of any county in New York State.

Jourdain urged the City and State to create a dedicated housing subsidy for the elderly to ensure they’re spending no more than 1/3 of their income on rent. Such a subsidy, Jourdain said, could “mean the difference between stability and eviction, between groceries and prescriptions.”

As far as public infrastructure, Richards called for 1% of the City’s budget to go to parks funding, and vowed to spend $17 million to rebuild the Playground for All Children in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Both Richards and Bowles agreed that the park in general could use some work. On rainy days like Thursday, Flushing Meadows gets muddy and flooded, with areas remaining unusable for days after, Bowles noted, which is indicative of broader parks disinvestment.

Much of Thursday’s discussion revolved around Queens’ nascent tech industry, with several  speakers brainstorming ideas on how to both cultivate a local hi-tech job market through investments in education, and attract tech investment from elsewhere to Queens.

CUNY’s Queens College Campus, as Grech pointed out, graduates more computer science majors than any other school  in the CUNY system.

City councilmember Julie Won — who once worked for IBM — highlighted the need to embrace the AI boom without losing jobs to automation, something she argued could be done by “upscaling,” or training employees in every industry for the kinds of higher level positions that cannot be automated.

“We cannot allow this narrative of the world telling us, every single one of us is going to become obsolete, that the AI, the robots are going to take over, and we’re all going to be sitting here wondering to ourselves, where did we go wrong?” Won said.

Grech, meanwhile, proposed utilizing partnerships between private capital and public investment to invest in local tech startups. Queens is churning plenty of young tech talent, Grech, argued. Now, it’s  up to government and business leaders to invest in them.

“The rest of the world ain’t waiting for New York to figure out our stuff,” Grech said. “The rest of the world is plunging ahead.”

Residents Allege CODE Nightclub Brings Chaos to Steinway

BQE Admin on March 6, 2026

In the past year, NYPD’s 114th Precinct has issued summonses at CODE for parking violations, underage drinking, public urination, and disorderly conduct. Photo by Cole Sinanian

By COLE SINANIAN 

cole@queensledger.com 

STEINWAY — Astoria resident Jenny was hesitant to sign the lease for her apartment on Steinway Street. The Nashville native moved to the city in September to be close to her adult sons, and was drawn to Astoria for its lively dining scene, rich culture and quieter streetscape compared to Manhattan.

But when she asked her broker if CODE — a nearby nightclub located at 20-30 Steinway — was loud or disruptive, the broker accused her of being a “difficult tenant.” Despite her reservations she decided to sign the lease. She will not be renewing it.

“I will be leaving in September,” Jenny said. “I won’t live here any longer because of CODE.”

The nightclub, which opened in 2023, has made headlines recently for its loud weekend parties that reach into the early morning, often sending intoxicated patrons to spill into the surrounding residential streets when the club closes at 4am Thursdays-Sundays. Neighbors describe street fights, underaged drinking, drag racing, drunk driving, shouting and constant honking that makes it hard to sleep. Ineffective enforcement, meanwhile, has brought little relief despite hundreds of police summonses and 311 complaints, neighbors say.

The nightclub also operates a valet service, which residents allege blocks bus stops and parking spots, and has at times led to potentially dangerous situations.

“The valet, I’ve seen them push people that couldn’t stand up in a car to drive,” Jenny said. “They’re entitled to have a club, I get it,” she continued. “It’s just the congregating, the cars, it’s like everyone that comes out and gets in a car wants to lay on their horn, or they’re racing.  It’s almost like 20th is a drag strip.”

Police with the 114th Precinct have issued 170 summonses for parking violations and eight criminal court summonses since the start of 2025, according to information provided by a spokesperson for the NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Public Information (DCPI). On January 1, 2026, officers responded to a 911 call for underage drinking at CODE, resulting in two criminal court summonses. On December 27, 2025, officers conducted a noise inspection using a decibel meter in several locations around the establishment, yielding negative results. More recently, on March 1, 2026, officers from the 114th conducted an inspection at CODE, resulting in 12 criminal court summonses, as well as two summonses for public urination.

Jenny declined to give her full name for fear of doxxing and harassment. On February 16, the local Fox5 news channel aired a segment on CODE, during which neighbors described piles of vomit on the street in the morning and accidents caused by club patrons drunk driving. The names, license plates, and addresses of the neighbors interviewed were revealed during the segment, causing alarm among some Astorians on the internet.

“They doxxed the neighbors, first and last names,” wrote one Reddit user. “Then showed their apartment buildings, license plates, and even zoomed in on a second story window.

CODE management did not respond to the Journal’s requests for comment. Property record database ACRIS shows that the property is owned by the private equity firm Simon Equity Partners. The building that’s now CODE was previously a club called Central, which Queens Community Board 1 District Manager Florence Koulouris described as a “Mediterranean upscale lounge.” Koulouris said her office rarely received complaints about Central, which went out of business during COVID.

Koulouris urged concerned residents to call 311 with their complaints about CODE. This way, she said, authorities can use the threat of fines to compel CODE management to comply with local law. But Koulouris  also acknowledged the difficulty in enforcing noise complaints and disturbances that occur outside of CODE premises. The community board can only revoke the business’s liquor license, for example, for violations occurring on the property itself.

“The issues are from patrons who left the scene, but it didn’t happen on the premises,” she said. “When you’re talking about a liquor license, the effect of the liquor license has to be within the doors of the premises. If it’s happening in the street, it’s a different agency.”

Fantasy Interiors on Steinway to Close After 75 Years

BQE Admin on March 4, 2026

Photo via Google Maps.

By COLE SINANIAN 

cole@queensledger.com

STEINWAY  — On a recent Friday afternoon on Steinway Street, two women recognize each other at the checkout line of Fantasy Interiors, a home decor and custom drapery business founded in 1951.

“You look familiar,” the older one says to the other. “I was your monitor at PS 6 on Steinway Street!”

“That was years ago!” the other woman says.

Behind them, glass shelves once stacked with linens, towels, toilet seats, shower heads, and all manner of home decorations lay empty. As the older woman heads towards the door, she turns around to look one last time, as if to say goodbye.

“To the staff of Fantasy!” she says. “To health and happiness!”

After 75 years in business, Fantasy Interiors will be closing for good in the coming weeks. For owner Robert Last, the decision to close the beloved store was not an easy one. But with rising business costs, a local economy that never fully recovered from the pandemic, and a new generation of shoppers more inclined towards online shopping than brick-and-mortar stores, Last says the store no longer makes economic sense. While Last will continue to sell custom drapery to clients out of his workshop above the store, Fantasy Interiors’ iconic blue and white storefront will soon become a thing of Steinway Street’s past.

“We pretty much hit a wall when it started to get around COVID and everything kind of changed,” Last said. “The economy changed and peoples’ buying habits changed and unfortunately, we’re I guess a sign of the times.”

Fantasy Interiors has been a mainstay on Steinway since the 1950s. Last’s father Melvin and grandfather Harry opened the initial location in 1951 on 28th Street. Its arrival to Astoria was almost an accident, Last says. The men had always dreamed of opening a business together, hence the name— it was their “Fantasy. After taking a wrong exit they ended up on Steinway Street and were charmed. It was the perfect spot for their business, full of bustling retail activity and eagerly window-shopping pedestrians.

At eight years old Last began helping his father out in the store. The neighborhood was different then, Last said. He recalled the communal energy among the shopkeepers, how he and his family slowly got to know the tight-knit community of businesspeople around Steinway Street.

“All the merchants knew each other, which was really nice,”  he said. “Everybody was in the same boat. You had somebody to lean on, if you saw somebody in the neighborhood you just chatted.”

Fantasy founders Melvin Last (left) and Harry Last (right). Photo via Robert Last.

Neighbors that stuck out included Sokol’s, a toy store; Eisenberg’s, another store that sold houseware and home decor; and Schatz Steinway, a longtime paint store that closed in 2024. As a kid working long summer days in the Fantasy workshop with his father, Last would save up his money and walk across the street to pick out a toy at Sokol’s at the end of each week.

The Last family took well to the neighborhood. Repeat customers returned to Fantasy again and again, drawn not just to the ample selection of home decor and custom drapery, but also to the genuine personal attention and sense of community the family provided their customers. It’s the sort of genuine connection seldom found at big-brand department stores, Last said, and part of what’s kept Fantasy alive for so long amidst an ever-shifting streetscape.

“We felt it was important to give that personal help,” he said. “People do need a connection. It makes a difference in how you feel about what you’re buying.”

The store grew and within five years the family moved Fantasy to its current location at 30-32 Steinway St. Since his father passed away, Last has inherited the family business and accrued a variety of loyal clients for his custom drapery business. Last’s work can be found throughout the city, at restaurants like Red Sorghum in Long Island City and Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse in Bayside and Midtown, as well as at art galleries like Chelsea’s Hauser and Wirth and concert venues like the Midnight Blue jazz club on 19th Street in Manhattan.

But during COVID-19, things at Fantasy took a turn. Without much of an online business, pandemic quarantines took their toll. Tariffs also contributed to the economic strife, Last said. Some of the wholesalers he buys materials from have doubled their prices as a result of tariffs on foreign goods. Suppliers are also prioritizing higher-volume sales, refusing to sell anything but bulk purchases, in quantities far larger than what smaller businesses like Fantasy needs. And with his longtime focus on face-to-face personal connection, Last said he’s been reluctant to shift to an online-focused business model, a position that’s made it hard to stay profitable in 2026.

There’s a cultural element too. With a tightening economy, climbing rents and a cyber-centric  world, people are more transient and money is always tight, meaning the demand for high-quality, custom-made home decor is on the decline.

“Younger people just do things differently,” Last said. “People spend more money on rent and they don’t have that much disposable income. They’re also moving around quite a bit more. They know that they’re renting more than owning— they don’t really want to spend a lot of money on curtains or comforters or anything.”

Customers can still visit Fantasy  until inventory runs out. Last said he will stay open for another few weeks, after which point he will shift his focus to his custom business and continue to work with existing clients. Last expressed gratitude towards his workers and customers for having stuck with his father and grandfather’s “Fantasy” all these years.

“I just want to thank everyone,” Last said, “all the people that have responded, all the people over the years. We appreciate it and I think my staff appreciates it. I know that I do and it’s made a difference in me.”

Fire on 30th Ave Injures Two Firefighters

BQE Admin on March 4, 2026

Photo via Lefteris Hasapis.

By COLE SINANIAN 

cole@queensledger.com

ASTORIA — A two-alarm fire broke out in the basement of 44-09 30th Ave in Astoria Tuesday night, leaving two firefighters injured.  

The fire department received a call at 5:52pm February 24 of a fire in the basement of the building, whose ground floor is currently occupied by Arber’s Barbershop. According to a New York City Fire Department (FDNY) spokesperson, the fire was under control by 7:05pm. Two firefighters were transported to Weill Cornell Medicine with minor injuries. 

In a video provided by Lefteris Hasapis — who serves as president of the “Hephaestus” Pan-Lemnian Philanthropic Association, a Greek social  club  located next door — several firefighters can be seen breaking down the door at 44-09 30th as smoke billows from a second story window. 

It is unclear how the fire reached the second floor, but Reddit users on r/astoria described the scene on Tuesday evening: 

“There are like 7 blocks of fire trucks, kind of insane,” one wrote.

“Everyone made it out ok, but several apartments are ruined and others need to be repaired from the damage made during the fire fight process,” wrote another, who said they lived in one of the neighboring apartments. 

NYC Department of buildings issued an order to vacate all four of the building’s dwelling units in a notice posted on the door dated February 24, citing fire, smoke and water damage sustained throughout the building’s structure. 

“A 2-story , mixed use, non-fireproof building sustained extensive fire, smoke and water damage throughout with charred structural members, broken windows at exposures 1 and 3 at second floor, residential level & roll down gate at ground floor level defective in addition to sections of the roof missing leaving the structure open to the elements,” the notice read. 

“These conditions have therefore rendered the ENTIRE building unsafe to enter and/or occupy,” it continued.  

During a Queens Community Board 1 meeting at Astoria World Manor on February 17th, Captain Joe Delligatti of the FDNY’s Fire Safety Administration urged the public to make sure their homes are stocked with working smoke detectors and to devise fire escape plans. 

“Like we have fire drills at school, we should have fire drills at home also,” Delligatti said. “In a fire, because it produces so much smoke, you can’t see your hand in front of your face. So having that plan is so important.” 

A&E Tenants Brave Cold to Demand Housing Justice

BQE Admin on February 24, 2026

La Mesa Verde Tenants Union helped neighbors stay safe amid plunging temperatures and faulty heat in their building, tenants say. Photo by Cole Sinanian.

Tenants rallied in a blizzard against the notorious landlord as heating outages and crumbling infrastructure push them to the brink. 

By COLE SINANIAN | news@queensledger.com

JACKSON HEIGHTS — “What do we want? Housing justice! When do we want it? Now!” 

Clad in an enormous fur hood that nearly obscures her face, Mirela Bulagea leads the few dozen of her neighbors before her in the chant as she squints against the blowing wind and snow in the courtyard of her Jackson Heights apartment building. 

If you’d told Bulagea a year ago that she’d soon be speaking at a press conference as one of the lead organizers for the newly inaugurated La Mesa Verde Tenants Union, the Romanian-born mother of two might not have believed it.  But for Bulagea and her neighbors at La Mesa Verde, a six-building apartment complex along 90th and 91st St in Jackson Heights, the union is a necessity. Landlord A&E Real Estate Holdings is among the city’s most negligent, having topped public advocate Jumaane Williams’ annual “Worst Landlords” list in 2025 with 4,872 open HPD violations across its 181-property portfolio.  

At La Mesa Verde, this means chronic heating failure broken elevators, rat and roach infestations, and damp, black mold-covered walls that have brought health problems and despair to the property’s tenants,  leaving them with no choice but organize a union in the hope that together, they can force A&E into compliance. 

“We all have to work hard to make payments for rent,” Bulagea said. “All we demand is for them to provide decent living conditions for everyone.” 

‘We Won’t Back Down’

At the press conference, held February 22 amidst a once-in-a-decade blizzard, tenants described unlivable conditions and demanded that A&E address the hundreds of HPD violations across La Mesa Verde’s six buildings. 

“We’re here today because our  landlord has left us in freezing and unsafe conditions and we’re tired of them ignoring us,” said Ivonne Calderon, a mother of two originally from Mexico.

The Queens Ledger toured Calderon’s two-bedroom apartment in December as part of an investigation into conditions in the building. The walls in her living room were covered with peeling and bubbling paint, while rat and cockroach infestations had forced her to pack all of her food and kitchen  supplies into airtight plastic bins. 

Calderon, who pays around $1,300 a month, described calling A&E’s emergency maintenance hotline, only to be sent to voicemail or told to wait for a callback that never came. 

“We’ve paid our rent, but we haven’t received the basic living conditions that we’re owed,” Calderon said in Spanish at Sunday’s conference. “We’re united, and we won’t back down until our homes are safe.” 

As her neighbors aired their grievances outside in the snow, Emily Benko, who had planned to speak at the conference as one of the union’s lead organizers, sat coughing at a friend’s house, sick with bronchitis. The 34-year-old carpenter has been without heat since the last week of January in her one-bedroom rent-stabilized apartment, for which she pays $1,999 monthly. 

In an interview, she explained that when her heat first went out during late January’s cold snap, she left small cups of water around her apartment to gauge the temperature. After just a few hours they had all frozen, she said. When she came down with bronchitis last week, Benko decided to take her dog and cat to a friend’s house until her condition improved. 

“Basically I’ve just been living in my bedroom for a month because it’s smaller and I just keep the heater on and keep the door cracked,” Benko said. “I was afraid if I went outside for too long, I wouldn’t be able to get warm again.” 

Inconsistent heating, broken elevators and moldy walls are problems in A&E buildings throughout Queens. Earlier this month, the Ledger spoke to tenants at 32-52 33rd St in Astoria, where the heat would turn off nightly in some apartments, causing the temperature to drop into the 50s during some of New York’s coldest days in years. 

Several tenants at the press conference complained of an old and faulty heating system, leaving corner apartments like Benko’s cold while others swelter. La Mesa Verde was built in 1927, while its two boilers were most recently renovated in 2008 before A&E acquired the building, according to an A&E spokesperson in an email statement via PR firm Rubenstein Communications. The spokesperson explained that only one of the two boilers is reliably functioning, and that management has already invested $400,000 in a replacement boiler to address heating issues. The new boiler was supposed to arrive on February 23, the spokesperson wrote, but the blizzard had delayed delivery.

“Our boiler service company has attempted several different repairs since January to restore service to the down boiler and has determined that the boiler is approaching the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced,” they wrote. “Upon this determination, an emergency permit was filed to begin the boiler replacement work immediately.” 

The spokesperson continued: “With only one of the two boilers servicing the property fully functioning, some apartments are being over-heated and others under-heated. We were losing pressure and steam was escaping through the damaged boiler. Welding crews were dispatched to seal off the steam headers that were connected between both boiler plants. Until the work is completed for the ultimate solution of replacing the out of service boiler, we continue to work on steam balancing for the properties to provide more even heating levels to all units.”

La Mesa Verde Property Manager Jenna McKeegan did not respond to requests for comment. 

Ivonne Calderon in her kitchen, where constant infestations have forced her to store everything in airtight containers. Photo by Cole Sinanian.

Strength in Numbers 

Emily Mervosh lives at 35-65 86th St, a different A&E building just a few blocks away from La Mesa Verde. She attended the Sunday press conference in solidarity with La Mesa Verde tenants, and described similar conditions at her building. Like at La Mesa Verde, lack of adequate heating, mold, peeling lead paint, collapsing ceilings, chronic infestations and unresponsive management has led tenants at Mervosh’s building to organize a union, which she said she hoped would one day coalesce into a city-wide A&E tenants union. 

“We are slowly building, and we want to collaborate with other buildings like Mesa Verde,” Mervosh said in an interview. “Because there really is strength in organizing, strength in numbers. So we’re trying to organize as many A&E buildings as we can.”

In January, the Mamdani Administration ordered A&E to immediately correct outstanding violations at 14 properties across Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, and announced a $2.1 million settlement with the company that would go towards restitution to tenants for the alleged harassment brought by A&E’s neglect. Neither La Mesa Verde, 35-65 86th St, nor 32-52 33rd St were included in the settlement.

Founded in 2011 and led by Douglas Eisenberg and Margaret Brunn, A&E has been hit by recent financial troubles. In February 2025, PinusCo. reported that A&E faced foreclosure proceedings on a $506.3 million J.P. Morgan Chase loan backing a 31-property portfolio. Meanwhile, in order to purchase the 32-52 33rd Street property in Astoria, the company took out a $22 million loan from the now-defunct Signature Bank, which folded in 2023. A&E now owes the $22 million to Spanish bank Santander, which acquired Signature’s debt, according to online databases ACRIS and Signature Portfolio Dashboard.

In an email statement sent to La Mesa Verde tenant organizers, Jackson Heights City councilmember Shekar Krishnan condemned A&E’s neglect and pledged solidarity with La Mesa Verde tenants.

“As neighbors, you all have stood up for each other and looked after one another day after day,” Krishnan wrote. “And we will hold A&E — one of the worst landlords in our city, who has been especially neglectful in Jackson Heights — accountable.” 

He continued: “A&E’s greed has gone unchecked for too long and while the recent settlement is a step in the right direction, as Chair of the Oversight and Investigations Committee and the representative of the most A&E buildings in the city, I will keep fighting for tenants’ rights and an end to A&E’s neglect.” 

A&E had more than 4,000 open HPD violations as of the end of 2025. Photo by Cole Sinanian.

‘We’re All Working Class People’

According to Benko, tenants at La Mesa Verde began organizing last summer. Both of the building’s elevators had broken in March, forcing many tenants to climb multiple flights of stairs daily— a potentially dangerous physical burden for the building’s elderly and disabled tenants. 

Benko credits one of her neighbors, a woman named Celina della Croce, with igniting organization efforts at La Mesa Verde. She said della Croce, who did not attend Sunday’s press conference, had previously worked as a professional labor organizer and is now a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) — a socialist political organization with chapters nationwide. 

Della Croce gathered a group of tenants and fellow PSL organizers to canvas La Mesa Verde, going door-to-door with flyers for the nascent tenants union and urging neighbors to unite against their negligent landlord. Meetings were held in building lobbies and group chats were formed, which Benko said have been instrumental in both forcing A&E to make necessary repairs and keeping each other safe as temperatures dropped and conditions in the building worsened. 

“If it wasn’t for the tenants association, people would have died,” Benko said. 

On cold days, neighbors with heat used the group chat to offer up their space heaters to those without. It was through one of these tenants’ group chats that Benko met Bulagea, whom she now considers a friend. Bulagea had responded to Benko’s post in the chat about some Swiffer pads she was giving away. The two women met in the lobby to exchange the pads, and ended up bonding over their shared struggles. 

“You don’t have to be best friends with your neighbors,” Benko said, “but you might as well take advantage of the proximity. We’re all working class people.”

More than 100 tenants at La Mesa Verde have signed onto a lawsuit against A&E seeking both immediate corrections to outstanding violations and restitution for alleged tenant harassment brought by A&E’s negligence. Lawyers with Communities Resist — the legal nonprofit representing La Mesa Verde tenants in the case  — gathered retainers from tenants, while the union’s organizers coordinated mass 311 calls in an attempt to address the building’s most severe violations as quickly as possible. 

Benko said it was these coordinated efforts through the union that pushed A&E to fix one of the elevators, which has now been working since early January. The other elevator, however, remains broken. 

“It feels like we have some power,” she said. “It feels like when they break the law now, they’re not gonna get away with it as easily.”

At  Sunday’s press conference, Communities Resist attorney Christos Bell urged tenants to continue organizing, both with regards to the legal case and in their day-to-day lives.  

“We are trying to do our best to compel them to make the necessary repairs in this building, but it’s not just about legal cases,” Bell said. 

“By ourselves, we’re not gonna be able to win,” he continued. “But together, that’s when we have the power to win.”

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