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The Herald Courier, Friday, June 17, 2022
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Devane working to enhance street safety Continued from Page 1 According to court documents, Lennon acknowledged he had consumed alcoholic beverages before driving. Devane told News 12 he is proposing a “no left turn” sign where the car attempted to make a left-hand turn out of, along with a speed camera on Jericho Turnpike, installing a traffic light and potentially making the S. 3rd Street a oneway road. “In the city, when I know there’s a speed camera, I slow down and I see the corresponding traffic slow down,” Devane said. “And I think that would have a deterring effect as well on Jericho Turnpike. Devane said that he has spoken with officials from the state’s transportation department and plans to discuss the proposals further, according to the report. A department spokesperson told News 12 that they will “take any requests from local officials regarding potential safety enhancements,” reiterating that safety is a “top priority.” The three backseat passengers of the Lincoln—Marlene Lu and Ho Hua, both of Queens, and Tu Nguyen from North Carolina—were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and two other passengers in the Lincoln were taken to local hospitals and were in stable condition, officials said. Efforts to reach officials on their current status were unavailing. Officials said the women were leaving a Sweet 16 celebration at the venue prior to the crash. Police said Lu was the mother of the host of the Sweet 16 party, while Hua was the host’s aunt and Nguyen the host’s cousin. Lennon was charged on Monday with three counts of second-degree manslaughter, seconddegree assault, second-degree vehicular assault PHOTO BY JESSICA REN and driving while impaired, police said. His preliminary blood alcohol content of .88% was A memorial for the three women killed in a car crash in late May stands outside The Inn at New Hyde Park. higher than the legal limit of .08%, according to the documents. Lennon was ordered to return to court on Inn who opened the door for the guests and saw Ryder said the police department plans on startEfforts to reach a representative from The May 25, but efforts to reach law enforcement of- them leave the spot Saturday night, told News- ing an initiative to “take back” the roads and Inn at New Hyde Park or officials from the Nasficials for a further update were unavailing. day the crash “sounded like a bomb went off.” crackdown on traffic infractions such as speed- sau County Police Department for further comMichael McCutchen, a security guard at The Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick ing and drunk driving. ment were unavailing.
Female cadets file complaints of assault, harassment Continued from Page 4 “I knew immediately that I had been raped,” she said. “I was a virgin and had been saving myself, and as soon as I woke up I could feel that I was very sore and knew exactly what had happened.” Hicks said she knew at least five women out of the 50 in her class who were raped during their Sea Year. The second complaint was filed by another female cadet, under the alias “Midshipman-Y,” who said she was warned by another female cadet who completed work on the Alliance Fairfax ship that the nearly all-male crew was filled with “creepy” individuals. The cadet warned Midshipman-Y, an 18-year-old at the time, that she should not work out in the presence of men, refrain from wearing shorts and engage in any behavior that men could misinterpret as “provocative,” according to the complainant. Midshipman-Y, in the complaint, said she endured unwanted sexual touching and advances along with sexualized jokes. Her experience was so harmful to her that she said she began to sleep in the bathroom clutching a knife. The
bathroom, she said, was the only door that could not be unlocked by other crew members who had master keys. Midshipman-Y’s direct supervisor, the chief mate, allegedly treated her worse than other male counterparts, constantly belittling her and made her do tasks outside of her job description, according to the complaint. The chief mate’s alleged discriminatory behavior became too much for her to deal with, she said, and feared the harassment would continue until she was eventually raped. The midshipman requested an emergency evacuation. Maersk’s designated person ashore allegedly told her “this can’t keep happening,” once she informed them of her evacuation request. The midshipman said she endured panic attacks and suffered “debilitating emotional distress” as a result of the harassment and ultimately took a leave of absence from the academy, located in Kings Point. She had not returned to the academy as of Tuesday and said she is unsure if she ever will be able to, according to the complaint. “What happened to Hope and Midshipman-Y was both foreseeable and preventable
I KNEW IMMEDIATELY THAT I HAD
BEEN RAPED. I WAS A VIRGIN AND HAD BEEN SAVING MYSELF, AND AS SOON AS I WOKE UP I COULD FEEL THAT I WAS VERY SORE AND KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED.
Hope Hicks U.S. MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMY MIDSHIPMEN
by Maersk,” Steven J. Kelly, partner at Sanford Heisler Sharp and counsel for plaintiffs said in a release. “Maersk acknowledged that it owes a special duty of care to USMMA cadets, yet even after the Sea Year program was reinstated in 2017, Maersk failed to implement and enforce adequate policies and procedures to protect these young women.” Maersk Line Ltd. is an organization that provides U.S. flag transportation, ship management and maritime technical services to the govern-
ment and various commercial customers. Based in Denmark, the U.S. subsidiary works closely with the academy for its Sea Year program, as previously reported by CNN. After Hicks’ allegations were publicized in October, the academy suspended its Sea Year program. The program, which dates back to 1942, has a sea period of 135 days for sophomores and 265 days for juniors. Midshipmen earn roughly $1,000 a month during their time at sea, working on commercial vessels and becoming educated on labor relations in the ocean shipping industry, according to the academy’s website. The allegations from the cadetsare not the only ones the academy has faced over the years. In June 2016, former Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx suspended the Sea Year program after allegations of sexual harassment, assault, hazing and bullying. Four years later, the Department of Justice agreed to a $1.4 million settlement with a former male member of the academy’s soccer team. The man, whose name was not disclosed, alleged he was hazed and sexually assaulted at the academy in 2016.
