DA announces program to deter unwanted activity from Jamaica businesses

A new program will issue trespassing warnings to people conducting unwanted activity outside of local Jamaica businesses Photo via Google Maps

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, the NYPD, members of the Jamaica business community and local electeds announced a new program to keep illegal activity and unwanted ruckus away from local businesses without making immediate arrests.

“Our store owners and shopkeepers have been greatly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. We want to do everything we can to help them make a strong comeback, and that means deterring disruptive, unwanted activity in and around their businesses,” Katz said in a statement.

Here’s how the program works: participating businesses in Jamaica can file a form with 103rd Precinct to place a notice on people who engaged in “unwanted, disruptive activity,” in or outside of the business. Once a form is filed, an NYPD officer will issue the person or people in the complaint with a trespass notice. If the person returns to the business or continues the unwanted activity, they will be arrested, according to Katz.

The DA’s office did not respond to request for comment about what behavior qualifies as “unwanted” or “disruptive.”

“By instituting a clear warning notice prior to any legal enforcement, this program is an equitable way of addressing the problem without necessarily putting more people in the system,” Katz said. “Patrons of Jamaica stores and restaurants should be able to go about their business without fear or harassment.”

The program is welcomed by local elected officials, including City Councilmembers Adrienne Adams, who serves as chair of the Council’s Public Safety Committee, and I. Daneek Miller.

“Our small businesses in Southeast Queens deserve peace and safety, especially when they are confronted with criminal activity in and around their storefronts,” Adams said. “This new initiative, led by Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, will bring together community stakeholders to address long standing concerns while also offering warnings to those who engage in the illegal activity.”

Miller said the program is needed as downtown Jamaica continues to grow.

“We must keep pace in our efforts to improve public safety in and around these bustling corridors,” he said. “I am grateful to have an ongoing dialogue with local business owners, our Jamaica BIDs, NYPD, and the Queens DA's office, and appreciate their responsiveness in this matter to mitigate something that has been a burden on the community for so long.”

The program has support from the Jamaica Center Businesses Improvement District.

“In the last year and a half, our merchants have dealt with a lot of upheaval due to the pandemic: significant loss of business, changing State and City regulations, ever-changing worker safety obligations and more,” said Jennifer Furioli, the executive director of the Jamaica Center BID. “The last thing our businesses need as they try to recover is the added stress of individuals who boldly set up shop inside our community’s stores and restaurants solely to conduct illegal activity, throw parties, harass and threaten workers and drive away customers.”

“We’re pleased that our local leadership, the DA and the 103rd Precinct listened to the advocacy of our BID and merchant community to address this disruptive and unproductive behavior by launching this new initiative,” she added.

All of the initial participating businesses are chain restaurants located along Parsons Boulevard, including Dunkin, Subway, Golden Krust and Popeyes, according to the BID.