New York Desk

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The New York Sun

QUEENS


MAYOR SAYS INFANT’S DEATH WAS UNPREVENTABLE


Mayor Bloomberg said yesterday he believes inspectors could not have prevented the August death of an infant at a Forest Hills day-care facility.


“I don’t think any kind of regulation or enforcement would have stopped that,” Mr. Bloomberg told reporters yesterday. “This was just terrible judgment on the part of the woman who ran that day-care center.”


In August, 6-month-old Matthew Perilli was smothered in a crib by older children, who authorities say piled toys on the boy. His death has raised questions about state and city oversight of day-care centers. On the day of Matthew’s death, two inspectors visited the facility, run by Heather Zlotshewer.


The inspectors heard loud noise coming from the upstairs bedroom where Matthew rested, but took no action. Later, after the inspectors left, the boy was found unconscious. In his comments yesterday, Mr. Bloomberg did not fault the inspectors. He said that regulating day-care facilities is difficult and complex, and said the city cannot do on-site inspections “all the time.” The mayor said: “It was really an accident but the inspector happened to be in that day-care center that day. The child probably would have been dead regardless and it’s a great tragedy.”


– Staff Reporter of the Sun


OFFICIALS FEAR GRAFFITI WAR SETBACK


A pair of elected officials and handful of civic groups from Queens questioned the Police Department’s recent merger of the anti-graffiti task force with the transit bureau’s vandals squad, and asked whether the internal move was only the tipping point in a city-wide effort to cut back on measures aimed at preventing tags of spray paint.


Citing notices that anti-graffiti funding had been cut from the city Department of Transportation, Council Member Tony Avella said “secretive” efforts to reduce budget spending on graffiti enforcement would place an additional burden on property and business owners, who often have to hire painters to cover up unwanted scrawl.


Rep. Anthony Weiner, whose district includes Queens and parts of Brooklyn, added that the Police Department’s planned merger with the transit bureau unit is a setback in the effort of “winning the war on graffiti.” Mr. Weiner also said that the new internal dynamic would “upset the authority’s current chain of command.”


The Police Department, in turn, has attempted to assuage concerned council members by claiming that the merger of both units – to be called the Citywide Vandals Task Force – would translate into 13 more cops to chase vandals, and would provide more oversight of anti-graffiti efforts.


– Staff Reporter of the Sun


BROOKLYN


STRIP CLUB OWNER ACCUSED OF SEX INITIATION RITUAL


The owner of a scandal-plagued strip club located in an industrial section of Sunset Park, Brooklyn, was arrested Friday night after complaints by a teenage dancer that she was raped by club staff as part of an initiation ritual. Michael Arab, the 40-year-old manager of the club, Sweet Cherry, was arrested in a police raid involving at least a dozen officers and charged with endangering the welfare of a child and unlawful dealing with a child, the police said. The charges are misdemeanors.


Calls to Mr. Arab and Sweet Cherry were not returned.


Detectives were first alerted to the alleged rapes at the club after a 17-year-old runaway woman from Virginia claimed that all of the club’s dancers were forced to have sex with club staff as part of an initiation-like ritual, according to the New York Post.


– Staff Reporter of the Sun


MANHATTAN


SHARPTON TURNS 50 WITH STARS AT THE APOLLO


The Reverend Al Sharpton celebrated his 50th birthday yesterday with speeches, musical acts, and a rendition of “Happy Birthday” with James Brown and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs on stage at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. Mr. Brown performed at the afternoon program, which also featured gospel singers and the rappers Doug E. Fresh and Foxy Brown, who paid tribute to the preacher, former Democratic presidential candidate, and political fixture. “He says what he feels, he means what he says, and he acts on it,” Ms. Brown said. “He has marched, has been jailed, and many times maligned in his fight for recognition of the downtrodden.”


– Associated Press


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