Serving New Hyde Park, Floral Park, Garden City Park, North Hills, Manhasset Hills and North New Hyde Park
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Friday, March 19, 2021
Vol. 70, No. 12
N E W H Y D E PA R K
GUIDES TO SCHOOLS, CAMPS PAGES 23-42
ABUSE VICTIM SUES ST. MARY’S
BLAKEMAN TO CHALLENGE CURRAN
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Unity Party sweeps Devane elected as NHP mayor BY R OB E RT PELAEZ The Village of New Hyde Park has two new trustees who were elected on Tuesday. Madhvi Nijjar and Arthur Savarese, who ran on the New Hyde Park Unity Party Line, defeated incumbent Trustee Richard Pallisco and Bassam Khoury for the two seats. Nijjar is a 20-year resident of the village who works in the mental health and human services fields, teaching others who aspire to work in the same profession. Nijjar earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from John Jay College before receiving a master’s in social work with a major in psychotherapy from Adelphi University. Savarese works in marketing and sales and has served on the board for and coached local Little League teams, and Jones is a trial attorney for the Scahill Law Group in Bethpage. Nijjar received 482 votes, Continued on Page 61
PHOTO COURTESY OF OFFICE OF LEGISLATOR JOSHUA LAFAZAN
Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan (I-Woodbury) outside the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building during the “Stand Up to Hate” rally on Sunday, with many elected officials and community leaders coming together to condemn anti-Asian incidents. See story on page 2.
Rallying against anti-Asian acts Local officials, community members gather at county seat to call for justice BY R O S E W E L D ON Local officials and community leaders led by Nassau County Legislator Joshua Lafazan (IWoodbury) attended a “Stand Up to Hate” rally with hundreds
of people to condemn increases in bias incidents and violence against Asian-Americans in the age of COVID-19 last weekend. Lafazan’s office coordinated the event, held on the front steps of the Theodore Roosevelt Executive and Legislative Building on Sunday, with Gordon Zhang, president of the Long Island Chinese American Association, and Farrah Mozawalla, executive director of Nassau County’s Office of
Asian American Affairs. “It’s on all of us to speak out in a loud, unified, and categorical voice to demand an end to this violence,” Lafazan said during the rally. “We know that we cannot drive out hatred with more hate. As Dr. [Martin Luther] King taught us many years ago, only love can do that. Which is why when you look at this crowd – and you see Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Jews standing together – when you see people
of all different races and backgrounds standing together, when you see people of all different ages standing together, there can be no mistaking that love and unity is the answer.” “We stand with our brothers and sisters. As Asian-Americans, we are all in this together,” Mozawalla said. “No one should be made to feel unsafe, uncomfortable or feel like they do not belong. It is important for us to reContinued on Page 53
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