Patricia Adams/The Forum Newsgroup
After receiving several complaints about the situation, The Forum went out to see if we could locate the woman. At 2:30 Tuesday afternoon, on the north side of the street at 157th Avenue, we did observe a white female, approximately 35-45 years old, wearing a black leather skirt and blue printed sleeveless blouse.
The woman approached several vehicles, including ours, asking for a dollar. During the time that we observed her, she approached 24 cars in total and collected $4.00—providing every bill was a single—in six minutes.
When traffic moved, the woman walked back and forth and was seen approaching people on the street, presumably to ask them for money but no one was seen giving any.
Outside we met up with passersby who were familiar with the situation. Susan S. goes to Gold’s Gym and the pharmacy at 157th Avenue several times a week and has seen the woman before. “She’s pushy,” she explained. “You feel bad for people because times are tough and this is a generous neighborhood. But then when you start seeing people act a certain way, you gotta watch.” And John Livonia who frequents nearby New Park Pizza says he saw the woman in the store asking for money while people are ordering. ”They asked her to leave nice,” said Livonia, “and she did. But then she asked me for money when I walked outside.”
While we only caught up with this woman on Cross Bay Boulevard in Howard Beach, there are confirmed sightings of the same woman at Woodhaven Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue.
Deputy Inspector Thomas Pascale, Commanding Officer at the 106th Precinct told The Forum that this was the first time he was advised of the situation and confirmed for us that it is a violation to walk through traffic and ask for money. The Inspector said his cops would begin observation of the area and that anyone who observes the behavior should call 911 immediately.
We caution our readers to avoid exchanges with individuals who are asking for money and ask that you call the police right away.
If you want us to look into something for you, email your request to ask the Forum at forumsouth@gmail.com. We’ll certainly give it a shot!
By Patricia Adams
