Brown: Bell Case Belongs In Queens
BY RICHARD GENTILVISO

"I am running for re-election this year," Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown said in responding to a question. Brown, a public servant for nearly 50 years, is seeking his fifth term in office come next November. "If so, I will be the longest serving D.A. in Queens," he said. "That is something I look forward to."

"This, as you probably know, has been a busy time in our office," Brown said at the March meeting of Community Board 1 at the Astoria World Manor. "The Sean Bell case has taken up a considerable amount of our time." On the previous day, the Queens D.A. held a news conference announcing the indictments of three NYPD detectives in the fatal shooting of Bell and the wounding of two other men last November in Jamaica. The trial isn't expected to begin until 2008.

"There's little I can say about it," Brown said concerning the Bell case. "I want to be very careful about what I say and what I do. I do not want to prejudice this case as it moves forward."

Brown did say he felt very strongly that the case should stay in the borough. "This is a case that has to be tried in open court in Queens County-I don't want to see this case moved to Albany or anywhere else," he said. In 1999, the trial of four NYPD officers charged with fatally shooting Amadou Diallo in The Bronx was moved to Albany.

"This is our case, we've got to concern ourselves with it, we've got to address it as residents of this [Queens] county," said Brown.

In a second presentation, plans to complete Hallet's Cove Apartments, a senior housing residence at 27th Avenue and 14th Street, this June were announced. "We're really excited about it," said Linda Pardon of D & F Development Group.

A lottery process to determine who gets each of the 58 one-bedroom units will be held. Lottery applications will begin by the end of April and must be completed by the middle of May. Once applications are in, members of the board will participate in the lottery process, said board member Mary O'Hara, chair of the housing committee. The opening is planned for the middle of June.

Residents must be age 62 and up, or if handicapped, age 55 and up. Income requirements for a single-person household are between $24,800 and $29,760, and for a two-person household, between $28,350 and $34,320. Monthly rents range between $660 and $780 with gas and heat included but electricity costs billed separately. Although all of the units are one-bedroom, half are high-end units. The apartments are all rent stabilized. Laundry facilities and a community room are on the first floor of the building.

"Every day we get calls from people asking us for affordable housing," said District Manager George Delis. Delis advised anyone who is interested in an apartment at Hallet's Cove to see if they qualify for federal Section 8 housing assistance. "You may be eligible," he said.

"What Section 8 does is pay for that part of the rent that the tenant cannot afford," Delis said. Applications for Section 8 assistance are available at the Ravenswood Houses Management Office, 2l-10 35th Ave. The telephone number is 718-729- 5621.