News & Updates
Elmhurst Hospital gets $17 million boost from Council
Several years after being at the center of the COVID-19 pandemic, Elmhurst Hospital this week was on the receiving end of a $17.5 million investment from several members of the City Council.
The funding, which was earmarked for the hospital by Queens City Councilmembers Shekar Krishnan, Linda Lee, Lynn Schulman, Speaker Adrienne Adams, the Queens Delegation and Brooklyn Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse, will go toward a number of projects aimed at improving the hospital’s facilities and increasing its ability to serve Western Queens residents.
The $17.5 million in funding will be used to pay for six projects.
Advocates inform migrants of their rights at workshop in Queens
“We want our immigrant constituents to know they have rights, their rights are protected, they have legal services to help them,” City Councilmember Shekar Krishnan, who represents Queens neighborhoods including Jackson Heights, said.
This class comes as the first U.S. military flights carrying migrants to Guantánamo Bay were set to depart Tuesday.
Queens leaders launch bold seven-point plan to tackle crime and revitalize Roosevelt Avenue
Council Member Shekar Krishnan, Assembly Members Steven Raga and Catalina Cruz, and several local advocates gathered in Jackson Heights Wednesday to launch a new seven-point plan to make Roosevelt Avenue safer and brighter.
Krishnan, Raga, Cruz and a number of local business owners, workers and parents gathered at the Manuel de Dios Unanue Triangle beneath the 7 train at the intersection of Roosevelt Avenue and 83rd Street to launch the plan, which calls for licencing and regulation of hotels and massage parlors, improved street lighting along Roosevelt Avenue and improved cooperation between city agencies working in the area.
The plan aims to clamp down on prostitution, shoplifting, trash pile-ups, and other quality-of-life and public safety issues along the Roosevelt Avenue Corridor.
A $1 million effort: Gov. Hochul and Queens officials work to curb crime and boost safety on Roosevelt Avenue
Gov. Kathy Hochul, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and several Queens elected officials gathered at Queens Borough Hall Tuesday to announce $1 million in funding to address illegal activities on Roosevelt Avenue.
Hochul and Richards were joined by Assembly Members Jessica González-Rojas, Catalina Cruz and Steven Raga, Assembly Member-elect Larinda Hooks, Council Member Shekar Krishnan and several non-profits at Borough Hall on Tuesday.
Hochul announced discretionary funding support for local organizations including AIDS Center For Queens County (ACQC), Korean American Family Services Center, Commonpoint Queens, and New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE). Each organization received $250,000 in funding to support a variety of initiatives.
New Queens playground designed by students also mitigates flooding
Recess is an important part of the school day.
Some students in Jackson Heights, Queens, have a few more reasons to be excited to get outside.
It’s more than a playground at I.S. 145 in Jackson Heights.
The band and artists can play on the stage while athletes exercise on the turf.
Students helped transform the area on their school grounds along Northern Boulevard at 79th Street. The grounds have new colors and equipment.
The benefits go deeper than the surface.
Queens officials announce long-term plan to clean up Roosevelt Avenue
Queens elected officials and community leaders on Wednesday announced a new seven-point plan to crack down on crime and clean up Roosevelt Avenue.
Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul recently launched their own a 90-day initiative called "Operation Restore Roosevelt," deploying New York City Police officers and state troopers to crack down on illegal activities. In just the last several weeks, they have raided and shut down several suspected brothels and unlicensed vendors.
Local leaders say while the city's plan is just a temporary three-month crackdown, their plan offers a longer-term quality-of-life solution.
Council Member Krishnan calls on Mayor Adams for reversal of childcare budget cuts during Woodside daycare visit
City Council Member Shekar Krishnan (D-25) joined childcare workers and advocates at a Woodside daycare Thursday to advocate against city-wide budget cuts for early child care.
Krishnan and the advocates toured the Woodside Friends Daycare, located at 60-10 Roosevelt Ave.
During the tour, Krishnan called on Mayor Adams’ administration to reverse its proposed $170 million in budget cuts to the city’s early care and education (ECE) and youth services systems. Members of the Campaign for Children (C4C) advocacy group were also in attendance and echoed Krishan’s call to the administration to address childcare needs and enrollment accessibility. The advocates cautioned that the cuts could burden already struggling working families that spend up to 63% of their annual income on childcare services.
Jackson Heights community rallies against illegal smoke shops near schools
Several elected officials representing Jackson Heights rallied with dozens of parents, school children and teachers on May 1, calling for urgent enforcement against Haze Land, located at 37-07 82nd St., an illegal smoke shop that recently re-opened after being shut down by the Sheriff’s department.
Haze Land sits in the heart of the neighborhood, within close proximity to multiple schools, churches and the Queens Public Library Jackson Heights branch.
Council Member Shekar Krishnan called on city and state agencies to immediately shutter the shop, as well as bring enforcement against a growing list of illegal cannabis stores that have opened across the neighborhood.
Elected officials and mental health advocates gather in Elmhurst to celebrate restoration of mental health funding
Elected officials and mental health advocates gathered in Elmhurst on Friday to celebrate the council’s decision to restore $2 million in funding for Mental Health Clubhouses across the city.
The clubhouses provide critical services and support for New Yorkers living with serious mental illnesses but faced closure after the Adams administration announced a plan to consolidate the clubhouses into larger central locations of 300 patients or more earlier in the year, cutting off funding to the more intimate spaces that the clubhouses provided.
Elected officials and mental health advocates gather in Elmhurst to celebrate restoration of mental health funding
Around 400 people gathered at the New York Immigration Coalition’s (NYIC) Key to the City event in Jackson Heights on Saturday.
The event aimed to connect New York’s immigrant community with organizations offering essential services and information.
Held at Paseo Park/34th Ave Open Street on Sept. 21, the event featured more than a dozen organizations advocating for immigrants and asylum seekers in New York City. Attendees had access to information and services from nonprofits specializing in education, healthcare, and immigration law.
Free swim lessons begin in Jackson Heights
Standing poolside at the Garden School in Jackson Heights Monday afternoon, Councilmember Shekar Krishnan (D-Jackson Heights) announced the launch of a pilot program that will provide 2,600 New York City second-graders with free swim lessons.
The effort, known as Wave Makers, is the result of a public-private partnership between the city and several nonprofit organizations, including Asphalt Green, the YMCA of Greater New York, the Gray Foundation and Commonpoint Queens, all of which will be providing the lessons at various sites across the city, with a focus on areas lacking access to pools and aquatics instruction.
Shekar Krishnan: First Indian American NYC council member advocates for immigrant communities
Shekar Krishnan, the first Indian-American elected to the New York City Council, speaks about his work representing diverse immigrant communities. He discusses his advocacy for housing, green space, and combating discrimination. Krishnan also shares his efforts to address issues faced by Indian Americans and taxi workers, while celebrating his Indian heritage and its influence on his role.
CM Krishnan holds Jackson Heights town hall to tackle ‘Moped Crisis’ at Paseo Park
A Jackson Heights town hall, organized by Council Member Shekar Krishnan (D-Jackson Heights) on Thursday, zeroed in on the issue of illegal moped use in the newly opened linear park on 34th Avenue.
Public testimony centered on residents’ fears over mopeds, defined as small motorcycles or motorized scooters that go up to 40 miles per hour. They say mopeds are overrunning the bike lanes in 34th Avenue’s Paseo Park, where they are legally barred from entering.
We’re halfway through swim season and still not all New Yorkers have access to their community swim spot. The recently repaired Astoria Pool is only able to accommodate a third of its capacity due to a lifeguard deficit. Brighton Beach has red flags indicating no guard is on duty even at peak hours.
On the most sweltering summer days in New York City, New Yorkers escape to the water.
But for a city surrounded by water, a shocking number of New Yorkers can’t swim. And when they head to our pools and beaches to cool off every summer, the results can be tragic.
Last summer, 19-year-old Amadou Thiam – home for summer break after his freshman year at Skidmore – drowned at Jacob Riis Park in the Rockaways. 15-year-old Markel Artis, a Bronx high schooler, drowned at Coney Island Beach. The list goes on.
As Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Parks and Recreation, and as President and CEO of the YMCA of Greater New York and Co-Chair of the NYC Citywide Lifeguard & Aquatics Taskforce, we have seen firsthand the water safety challenges our city faces. Every year, we lose too many New Yorkers to drowning.
JACKSON HEIGHTS, Queens (WABC) — In the past two weeks, more than 8,700 immigrants have been arrested and nearly 6,000 of them have been deported, with the Tri-State area seeing its fair share of raids as well.
On Tuesday, a group gathered in Jackson Heights, Queens to make sure immigrants know their rights if ICE agents come knocking on their doors.
“These are our most protected spaces because law enforcement cannot enter there without a judicial warrant,” said Natalie Alper of NY Immigration Coalition.
Krishnan tackles water safety issues
Legislative package calls for pool atlas, longer beach season and more
Councilmember Shekar Krishnan (D-Jackson Heights) last week introduced a legislative package designed to improve water safety across the city.
The four-piece proposal includes Intro. 988, which would create a searchable map of city pools with detailed information on their hours and programs, and Intro. 275, which would lengthen the season for city pools and beaches and extend their hours of operation. (The latter bill was introduced earlier this year.)
Elmhurst Hospital gets a booster shot
Elmhurst Hospital Center got a shot in the arm. And Frank D. O’Connor Playground got a breath of fresh air.
On Monday, just outside the main entrance to NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, City Councilman Shekar Krishnan (D-Jackson Heights) and other top city and Queens officials announced major investments for the medical center and the Frank D. O’Connor Playground, which sits across the street.
The hospital will get $6 million for a new infectious diseases clinic and $5 million toward improvements to the main entrance, as well as for a new cooling tower. The projects will likely enter the design phase next year, with construction estimated to commence in fall of 2023 and finish nine to 12 months later.
51 Council Members in 52 Weeks: District 25, Shekar Krishnan
The majority of the New York City Council members are new and are part of a class that is the most diverse and progressive in city history. Over the next year Brian Lehrer will get to know all 51 members. This week, Councilmember Shekar Krishnan talks about his priorities for District 25, which includes the neighborhoods of Elmhurst and Jackson Heights..
Five-point plan for NYC Parks unveiled
Councilmember Shekar Krishnan (D-Jackson Heights) gathered along with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Councilmembers Sandra Ung (D-Flushing) and Mercedes Narcisse (D-Brooklyn) and more at the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Unisphere on Monday to present his five-point plan for expanding New York City parks.
Jackson Heights councilmember blasts protesters who demonstrated against drag story hour outside his home
Queens Councilmember Shekar Krishnan has slammed a group of protesters who demonstrated against drag story hour outside his home in Jackson Heights on January 16.
Krishnan said that the handful of protesters — who carried signs that read “Stop taking children’s innocence away” and “Let kids be kids” — had engaged in “disgusting behavior.”
NYC mayor under new pressure to break Trump’s golf deal with city, scrap Saudi-backed event
A little more than a month before a Saudi-backed women’s golf series is scheduled to hold a New York City tournament at a course run by former President Donald Trump’s company, top City Council officials are pushing Mayor Eric Adams’ administration to void the city’s contract with the Trump Organization and scrap the event.
Saudi-Tied Tournament Causes Push to Void Trump’s N.Y.C. Golf Contract
City Council leaders asked Mayor Eric Adams to end the Trump Organization’s contract to run a city-owned golf course in the Bronx and to cancel a tournament next month.
Councilmember Krishnan Cuts Ribbon on New Dog Run in Jackson Heights
A dog run officially opened in Travers Park today after years of local advocacy.
The new run is the first to open in the heart of Jackson Heights and comes in response to a surge in dog ownership. There is an existing run under the BQE on 69th Street, but it is privately operated and not central to Jackson Heights.
Council members look to increase funding for Drag Story Hour, refuse to cower to far-right protesters
After being targeted at his office and home over the past few months by a group of far-right protesters vehemently opposed to Drag Story Hour events, City Council Member Erik Bottcher said Thursday that he’s looking to increase funding for the program in the coming fiscal year.
One Percent of the Budget for Parks? A Bargain, Says a Nonprofit
New York spends less on its parks than other major cities. Now is not the time to cut funding for them, says New Yorkers for Parks.
Advocates demand higher pay rates for app-based delivery workers
Advocates and elected officials will rally Friday to push for a higher pay rate for app-based delivery workers.
The Adams administration is considering setting a minimum wage for delivery workers at $17.96 an hour beginning this year. It would then increase to $19.96 by 2025, plus an adjustment for inflation.
But last fall, delivery workers had already secured a wage hike — the first of its kind in the nation — that would have brought wages to $23.82 by 2025.
How Our Parks Can Save Our City
New York City’s parks literally saved lives during the pandemic. In my community of Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, our open spaces allowed us to escape the physical, mental, and social constraints of quarantine into fresh air.
Today, our parks, pools, playgrounds, and plazas are places of reconnecting and healing for a community pushing forward from its days as the epicenter of a global crisis.
Coming to your New York City borough: A new ‘co-named’ street
One was a centenarian, formerly enslaved. Another was a beloved abuela, killed inside her Brooklyn home. Another was the renowned and controversial leader of the Nation of Islam. Benjamin Prine. Juanita Caballero. Elijah Muhammad. They are just a few of the passed-on New Yorkers whose names were recently authorized by City Council to live on – on co-named street signs in the communities they graced in life.
Homes of council members who support Drag Story Hour vandalized
Three members of the City Council who support Drag Story Hour programming had their houses vandalized by protesters, according to a press release from the City Council.
“In recent months, anti-LGBTQIA+ protesters have descended on these family events, attempting to get into our libraries to disrupt them while shouting homophobic and transphobic slurs at performers and attendees,” the press released from Speaker Adrienne Adams and Councilmembers Shekar Krishnan (D-Jackson Heights), Erik Bottcher (D-Manhattan) and Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn) stated.
Queens Councilman Shekar Krishnan says real power lies with the people
New York City aims to address lack of public swimming pools in communities of color
New York City says it’s addressing an issue impacting communities of color: a lack of public access to swimming pools.
There are 16 City Council districts that don’t have public pools, and the hope is for more kids to learn how to swim ahead of summer.
Some consider the city a public pool desert.
How New York City’s Trees and Shrubs Help Clear Its Air
As advocates are pushing the city to plant more trees, new research shows the role of urban greenery in absorbing carbon emissions.
Andrew Reinmann looked past the buildings on a recent afternoon in Harlem and focused instead on the trees. Along St. Nicholas Terrace, Dr. Reinmann noted rows of London planes and oaks embedded in cement. In a park dotted with river birches, he saw a savanna.
Renewed push for NYC to cut ties with Bronx golf course licensed to Trump
Councilmember Shekar Krishnan, chair of the council’s committee on parks and recreation, says it’s long past due for the city to terminate the license it has with the Trump Organization regarding the public golf course Trump Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx.
34th Avenue is An Opportunity to Undo Decades of Unjust, Racist Policies
Immigrant neighborhoods like Jackson Heights and Elmhurst deserve access to open space, clean air, and safe streets just like any other part of this city. Prioritizing these goals in communities like ours will undo glaring racial and environmental injustices that stretch back to the era of Robert Moses and even before.
Jackson Heights community celebrates opening of new dog run at Travers Park
Councilman Shekar Krishnan and NYC Parks Queens Borough Commissioner Michael Dockett unveiled a brand-new dog run at Travers Park Thursday morning, June 30, in response to a surge in dog ownership over the past several years.
Council candidates propose plan to license delivery apps and end exploitation
“Our deliveristas, our essential workers in this city, are from Black and brown communities devastated by COVID and they have been so exploited when it comes to wages,” Krishnan said. “We need to help essential workers get the protections they deserve and end the exploitation.
Shekar Krishnan Racks Up Another Endorsement, Wins the Support of John Liu
“Shekar’s passion for the Elmhurst and Jackson Heights community is unmatched and his record on the issues speaks for itself,” Liu said in a statement. “Candidates like Shekar make history for the right reasons by winning progress for the people they represent with bold action and boundless care, and I’m excited to see him bring that leadership to the City Council.”
Vigil in New York honors victims of Atlanta shooting and anti-Asian violence.
“We are so devastated and pained after what happened, knowing it’s a continuation of a long line of hate and violence against the Asian-American community,” said Shekar Krishnan, a Democrat running for City Council who organized the vigil as a community event. “We are here today to send a message that we will not be silenced. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.”
Protesters rally against proposed budget cuts at Elmhurst Hospital
Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz joined City Council candidate Shekar Krishnan, union representatives and members of the New York State Nurses Association at Elmhurst Hospital to protest Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed $600 million budget cuts to public hospitals.
“With the primary election date scheduled for June 22, 2021, the Jackson Heights Beautification Group is introducing candidates seeking New York City Council seats in Districts 21, 22, and 25. In this episode, we introduce you to Shekar Krishnan, who is running in District 25.”
“Just because public attention is on it now does not mean that it has not been happening for so long to our Asian-American communities,” activist Shekar Krishnan said.
Jackson Heights community mourns victims of Atlanta shooting, denounce anti-Asian hate
Shekar Krishnan, a community activist and candidate for Jackson Heights City Council who organized the vigil, said anti-Asian hate and violence has existed long before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Opinion: Flushing waterfront rezoning reveals the failure of NYC’s land use process
Op-Ed by Shekar Krishnan
“As we face the unprecedented triple crises of affordability, public health, and racial justice, the proposed Flushing rezoning fails to address any of the urgent needs of our Queens communities.”
Queens congresswoman endorses Shekar Krishnan for Jackson Heights City Council seat
Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez has endorsed civil rights attorney Shekar Krishnan’s candidacy for City Council in District 25, which represents Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, less than a week after he announced his campaign.
Community leader, attorney launches bid for City Council
A longtime community activist and civil rights lawyer kicked off his campaign for City Council last week with an announcement at Travers Park.
Shekar Krishnan announces candidacy for western Queens City Council seat
Community activist and civil rights attorney Shekar Krishnan launched his campaign for the 25th New York City Council representing Jackson Heights and Elmhurst, a seat currently held by Councilman Daniel Dromm who is term-limited in 2021.
Community leader, attorney launches bid for City Council
A longtime community activist and civil rights lawyer kicked off his campaign for City Council last week with an announcement at Travers Park.
Travers supporters take it to the street
Jackson Heights residents say a car dealership is creating unnecessary traffic near Travers Park, putting kids in danger.
After major backlash over planned Jackson Heights tower, community board gives proposal the thumbs down
More than a hundred people packed a room at Elmhurst Hospital on March 13 to express their opposition to a proposed 13-story, mixed-use building on 82nd Street in Jackson Heights.
Why Queens Is the Center of the Nation’s Progressive Movement
Peralta reunites with mainline Democrats as Ramos stays in race
Two days after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the renegade Independent Democratic Conference had dissolved and reunited with the mainline Democrats in Albany, state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) declared it an historic moment that has put the Democratic Party in a position to take over the majority in the Senate for just the second time in more than 50 years.
Dozens of residents, pols protest Peralta
State senator’s political brethren say that the IDC must disband
Community decries car entrance plan
Activists don’t want Koeppel Mazda to use entrance on 78th Street
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