Queens leaders urge city to address crime spike at Kew Gardens hotel
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BULLET HOLES RIDDLE THE ENTRANCE OF THE UMBRELLA HOTEL IN KEW GARDENS. PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIEL ROSENTHAL
By David Brand
The bullet holes in the front door were the last straw.
Five Central Queens elected officials have urged Mayor Bill de Blasio to convene various city agencies and address a spike in gun violence and drug sales at the Umbrella Hotel, located across from Queens Borough Hall and the Queens Criminal Courthouse.
“The events we have witnessed over the last several months at this location have crossed the line from quality of life issues into safety concerns for the people we have the privilege of representing,” the elected officials wrote in a letter to City Hall. “Simply put, we need your administration to coordinate a multi-agency response to the problems at this location.”
The hotel has been the scene of two shootings over the past six weeks, prompting U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, State Sen. Leroy Comrie, Assemblymembers Daniel Rosenthal and Andrew Hevesi and Councilmember Karen Koslowitz to send the letter to de Blasio.
The shootings, first reported by the Eagle, took place July 3 and Aug. 9. The victims survived both attacks, but gunfire from the most recent incident punctured the revolving door of the once-quiet hotel.
“The situation is extremely dangerous,” Assemblymember Daniel Rosenthal told the Eagle after a meeting at Queens Borough Hall Aug. 13. Representatives from the NYPD’s 102nd Precinct and Queens Community 9 showed up, but several other agencies blew off the meeting, Rosenthal said.
“There have already been two shootings and the fact that we had a meeting and that most city agencies decided not to show is reckless and unacceptable,” Rosenthal said.
Rosenthal and the four other lawmakers have specifically requested a summit with the Department of Buildings, Fire Department, NYPD, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Human Resources Administration.
The Mayor’s Office has not responded to emails seeking comment.
The COVID-19 pandemic curtailed business at the Umbrella Hotel, which usually caters to airport travelers and people, like expert witnesses, visiting the nearby courthouse. Rosenthal said the hotel lowered rates, allowing people to reserve blocks of rooms for parties.
Those parties prompted complaints of public urination, excessive noise, drug use and sales, littering, and “violation of public distancing and mask wearing guidelines,” the elected officials wrote in their letter.
The Umbrella Hotel has not responded to requests for comment.
