Suffolk County Police First Squad detectives are investigating a two-car crash that killed a man in West Babylon yesterday evening.
Alfred Bayard was driving a 2013 Jeep Wrangler eastbound on Sunrise Highway at approximately 6:30 p.m. when his vehicle collided with a 2004 Dodge Ram that was also traveling eastbound on Sunrise Highway at the Hubbards Path overpass.
Bayard, 53, of Barnyard Lane, Setauket, was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner.
The driver of the Dodge Ram, Nicole Limbach, 25, of Ronkonkoma was transported by West Babylon Rescue to Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip where she was treated for minor injuries.
Both vehicles were impounded for safety checks and the investigation in continuing. Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to call the First Squad at 631-854-8152.
Three Village booster club hosts eighth annual outing
Golfers take practice shots prior to the start of the the eighth annual golf outing at St. George’s Golf and Country Club. Photo by Kevin Redding
By Kevin Redding
Feeding upwards of 50 hungry, growing boys is a gigantic undertaking.
According to head coach Chris Boltrek, the Ward Melville football team receives a meal before each game.
“Before every game, we give them a meal, so that they don’t go through school all day without eating, and then have to play a game at night,” he said.
The school also provides the team with new equipment to make sure the players are properly suited up and stay safe each game.
None of that would be possible if not for the school’s booster club, and on Aug. 1, the Three Village community grabbed their golf clubs once more in an effort to raise money for the Patriots.
Golfers tee off in support of the Patriots. Photo by Kevin Redding
“It’s a great fundraiser for the kids,” said Boltrek, who is one of the event’s main organizers. “This helps provide us with things that we otherwise wouldn’t receive, whether it’s uniforms or meals or whatever else the athletes might need.”
The eighth annual golf outing at St. George’s Golf and Country Club commenced at 10 a.m., as roughly 100 parents, educators and community members hopped in their carts for a day of golfing, fundraising and friendly competition. They were all there with one thing in mind: supporting the football team.
“Football is a sport I think few people understand unless they’re in it,” the head coach said. “They might not realize just how big a deal it is when we talk about practice equipment, or how much a sled costs, and how much a shoe costs. Those are huge expenses. It’s about trying to give these [athletes] the best possible experience they can have.”
Last year’s fundraising efforts bought the team new uniforms and practice equipment, and it’s a huge advantage. This year, the outing raised over $10,000, which will go toward sideline replay equiptment.
Before Boltrek took over the team, the Three Village Football booster club had been running the outing for six years with the previous coaches at the helm. For Boltrek, it’s important to build a football-friendly environment in an area that isn’t traditionally known as a football community, and this event shows Three Village’s strides to be a little more gridiron-oriented. It brings everybody together to rally behind a common bond.
Christina Stavropoulos, director of the booster club, couldn’t agree more. Doing everything under the sun to help benefit the football team, she loves seeing the community rally behind them in whatever way they can.
“What’s even better is so many alumni are here — some that played, and some that didn’t, but had friends who did,” she said. “It’s wonderful to see the kids all coming back from college just to play golf and help their school out.”
Gift certificates and bottles of wine donated from local businesses were raffled off.
Ward Melville head football coach Chris Boltrek gets in the zone during the golf tournament. Photo by Kevin Redding
“There are corporate sponsors here and, of course, we love all the corporate sponsors, but there are local businesses as well,” Stavropoulos said. “They have the 50/50 raffle; the Chinese auction baskets. We have donations from different restaurants, parents. It’s all part of the fundraising effort. Everything is for the kids.”
Before hitting the green, the golfers, donning Ward Melville’s green and gold logo on their hats and shirts, took some practice swings and shots in the warm-up section. Many talked football and the importance of playing multiple sports in school, and how the golf outing helps with that.
“My kids are in the district and one plays football,” said resident John Treder. “This is good for the school. I think the better teams the high school can put out, like with more money to buy equipment and extra coaches, the greater things will be for the kids. It will bring [them] more spirit, you’ll get more people at the games. It gives them the tools to win.”
A representative from Endzone Sports, a Seaford-based football equipment store and proud sponsor of the event, was especially supportive of the team.
“We’re for Melville football,” said Anthony Polo, a representative with the organization. “They have a good coach, nice people involved, and we’re excited for the kids. We’ll do anything for the kids. We want to give back to the school and make sure they’re well-equipped, well-supported in the program and encourage their extracurricular activities. It gives them something to look forward to.”
Beyond the football field, there’s a consistent overall feeling of unity among Three Village because of the team’s growing success.
Charlie Fernandez, coach of the girls’ varsity volleyball team at Ward Melville, wouldn’t have missed the outing for anything, extending his support for Boltrek and the team.
“The best thing that happens at Ward Melville is when we have a good football team,” said Fernandez. “It makes everything better for everybody. It just fires the school up, gets everybody excited. You start seeing all the green and gold around and as the coach of another team, it’s good for us, too.”
A vintage European car from a previous event at the Stony Brook Community Church. Photo from Malcolm Bowman
Stony Brook Community Church, 216 Christian Ave., Stony Brook will host the 12th annual Vintage European Sports Car and Motorcycle Show on the lawn in front of the church on Saturday, Aug. 13 from noon to 4 p.m. This popular, free event, for all ages, will display a wide variety of interesting cars and motorbikes from all over Europe. There will be a People’s Choice vote for the best cars and bikes along with live music by the Barking Men and food and refreshments for sale. All proceeds go to the outreach of the church and the scholarship fund of the annual children’s Performing Arts Camp. Rain date is Aug. 14. For more information, call Malcolm at 631-751-1381.
Those visiting the exhibit can hop on this Harley and inside its sidecar for an interactive 'ride.' Photo by Kevin Redding
By Kevin Redding
For as long as they’ve been around, motorcycles and their riders have encapsulated the American spirit. Beyond the fact that anybody straddling a chrome-plated hog immediately becomes unanimous with “cool,” the motorcycle has always represented independence, escape, toughness, rebellion and freedom. Unlike drivers encased in their cars, bikers glide down the open road with a ferocious and liberating intimacy with themselves and all that surrounds them, surveying the world in a constant state of high-speed danger and adrenaline all at once. The ultimate thrill seekers, the motorcycling community is certainly a breed apart from the rest. And they’ve helped shape American culture as a result.
Whether it was Steve McQueen jumping over barbed wire fence on his iconic Triumph TR6 Trophy in “The Great Escape” or Peter Fonda cruising on his “Captain America” Harley Davidson in “Easy Rider,” the allure of hopping on a chopper and putting the pedal to the metal has sustained generations.
The times may have changed and the bikes might look different, but motorcycle culture is still alive and well and is currently being celebrated in Stony Brook Village.
The rare 1911 Harley Davidson is one of the oldest bikes on display at the Motorcycles and the Open Road exhibit. Photo by Kevin Redding
Devoted bikers and nonbikers alike can go explore Motorcycles and the Open Road, a summer exhibit that will run through Sept. 5 at the Ward Melville Heritage Organization’s Educational & Cultural Center. Building on the success of its two previous motorcycle exhibits, the center offers over 50 bikes on display and will contain a completely different batch than the ones seen last year, with the exception of a crowd-pleasing 1911 Harley Davidson.
Visitors will be treated to a wide variety of motorcycles throughout history — ranging from 1904 to 1997 — as well as iconic artwork by David Uhl, bronze sculptures by Jeff Decker and vintage memorabilia like helmets and signs.
The earliest bikes on display are a 1904 Rambler courtesy of Jim Giorgio, which looks like a regular bicycle with a motor attached, and a 1907 Indian, which once belonged to Henry Wing Sr., one of the founders of the Antique Motorcycle Club of America. This particular bike is known for its “camelback” look.
“[The motorcycles] are very artistic, and there’s a lot of historical importance between different decades and different manufacturers,” said Stephanie Ruales, special events coordinator for the center. “Older generations obviously love seeing them because it reminds them of something they maybe grew up with. And the younger kids … can’t really deny that the bikes are just cool to look at. I think when you start in the early 1900s and see what they were and what they evolved into, older and younger generations can appreciate them,” she added.
As visitors continue through the gallery, they will notice the aesthetic evolution of the motorcycles. Heading into the ’30s and ’40s, manufacturers bulked up the bikes, spruced up the designs and started engineering the motorcycles for what the public may have wanted at that specific time. Motorcycle brands were, and still are, constantly changing year to year due to ever-evolving styles, so it’s fascinating to see the gradual change over the course of the 20th century.
Among the most noteworthy bikes on display are a 1931 Indian Four, which is a rare Depression-era motorcycle that scored a 97 out of 100 at its judging at the Antique Motorcycle Club of America, making it quite the elite ride; a 1934 Harley Davidson, which was featured at Harley’s factory in Milwaukee in 2003 for its 100th anniversary; and a 1950 BMW R51/2, which came in the aftermath of Germany’s ban on producing motorcycles of any sort post-World War II. Even though the ban was ultimately lifted, all of their designs, blueprints and schematic drawings were gone and they had to start from scratch, left to use surviving prewar parts to build a new bike.
Aside from Suzukis and Ducatis, fans of newer designs will enjoy the 1982 Honda CX500 Turbo, which looks like something straight out of a sci-fi film. “[All of the motorcycles] come from Long Island. They all come from different Long Island collectors and private owners. We also have a dealership that was very gracious to loan us some of their bikes as well. And people are very enthusiastic about putting their motorcycles on display for everyone to appreciate,” said Ruales.
One of the more unique displays is the “Precious Metal,” a custom motorcycle made by Copper Mike from Lindenhurst and chosen by Lady Gaga to be onstage at her “Born This Way” album release at Union Square in 2011.
Visitors can also take part in a virtual ride of sorts, when they sit down on an old Harley and inside its sidecar and cruise past the rolling hills of Ireland, which is projected on the screen in front of them.
Not being a motorcycle enthusiast is no reason to skip this exhibit. “We get people that come in and say they don’t know anything about the motorcycles … and they come through and find something they can appreciate,” said Ruales.
The Ward Melville Heritage Organization will present Motorcycles and the Open Road now through Sept. 5 at its Educational & Cultural Center, 97P Main Street, Stony Brook. The exhibit, partially sponsored by Astoria Bank, is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, and $3 for children under 12. For a full schedule of exhibit events, call 631-689-5888, or visit www.wmho.org.
Dima Kozakov. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook University
A high five becomes a natural celebration after a home run because the hitter and the celebratory teammate are standing on their feet and are looking directly at each other. What if gravity didn’t keep our feet on the ground and our heads in the air? We might slap a hand into a foot or a foot into an elbow, sharing a nonverbal exchange with a different meaning.
Proteins inside our bodies don’t have the same gravitational and physical limits. They can and do come together in a soup of cytoplasm, blood, plasma and other mediums. Some of the time, those exchanges, like the high fives, communicate a message in the ordinary course of life. In other circumstances, however, those protein-protein interactions can lead to diseases like cancer.
Researchers around the world have studied these interactions using a variety of tools, trying to combat signals that contribute to damaging and life-threatening conditions.
Dima Kozakov, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics and faculty member of the Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology at Stony Brook University, has spent several years creating a general way to model the mechanical details of how two proteins interact. This tool could become useful for researchers who are studying problematic interactions.
Leading an international team of scientists, Kozakov, who is also a faculty member at the Institute for Advanced Computational Science at SBU, created a new algorithm to model protein interactions. This algorithm accelerated how to model particular protein-protein interactions to identify harmful couplings. Kozakov and his colleagues recently published their findings in the prestigious journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Applications of this technology include helping to design therapeutic proteins and speeding up vaccine design. If, for example, the interaction of a pair of proteins contributes to disease, scientists may want to design some other protein that is safe for the patient that will interact with one of the proteins. This additional coupling can avoid the more harmful protein connection.
Scientists also sometimes know that two proteins interact, but they don’t know how. Proteins often have large surfaces with many potential connections. Researchers might need to know “how two bodies come together,” Kozakov said. Proteins are flexible three-dimensional objects that consist of molecules. In modeling the interactions, Kozakov can find the three-dimensional way these proteins come together.
Computational modeling is less expensive than running experiments. At this point, the computer system needs as its starting point the three-dimensional structure of the proteins. That, Kozakov said, is much easier than determining the structure of a protein complex.
The next step is to work on methods where scientists don’t need the structure but only the chemical formula, which they can find through the amino acid sequence. Kozakov and his collaborators will use the information on the structure of similar proteins to build the models. “We’re developing a methodology that will work with the models,” Kozakov said. He described his approach as “physics based,” in which he solves a statistical mechanistic problem by using an energy function that can account for different environments.
“In principal, we can modify our energy function to account for different environments,” like changes in pH, temperature or other variables that might affect how two proteins come together. Given the way Kozakov and his colleagues designed the model, it can account for all possible configurations of two almost rigid proteins coming together.
Kozakov is also in discussions with Brookhaven National Laboratory to explore the results of small-angle X-ray scattering. The benefit of this approach is that he doesn’t need proteins in a crystalline structure, which is a requirement of crystallography. While small-angle X-ray scattering provides less information than crystallography, Kozakov said he and his colleagues can develop it in combination with other techniques where it would be equivalent.
Kozakov has been developing models since 2007 or 2008 to understand these interactions. The project in his recent paper took three years to finish. The program takes 10 to 15 minutes to run on a personal computer. Before, this kind of effort required a supercomputer.
Kozakov believes there could be other applications of this technology, where scientists could model candidate protein drugs in real time to see how the drug interacts with the protein of interest. The first version of the program came out about a year and a half ago and it took the intervening time to perfect it, he said.
Born in Eastern Europe in a region that used to be part of the Soviet Union but is now on the western border of the Ukraine, Kozakov lives in Stony Brook with his wife Olga Kozakova. The couple has a six-year old son, Platon. Kozakov’s grandparents were scientists: his grandfather, Mikhail, was a university professor and his grandmother, Nina, worked at the university. He grew up surrounded by books on physics. He “had fun, digging into antiquities books” and thought the science presented an “inspiring environment.”
As for his work, Kozakov has a big picture view of his efforts. “I want to make something useful to the community and to the world,” he said. “I want to do what I can to help.”
Marty Buchman, a cyclist for over 40 years, and owner of Stony Brookside Bed & Bike Inn, rides down a path at Sylvan Avenue Park in Miller Place. Photo by Desirée Keegan
By Desirée Keegan
It has been more than 30 years in the making, but by 2018, cyclists in the Town of Brookhaven may finally have a new 10-mile route to ride from Port Jefferson to Wading River.
The Rails to Trails Conservancy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to preserve land strictly for recreation and transportation, proposed to use old North Shore railroad track locations and pave the way, literally, for a bike path.
Railroad tracks used to lay behind Sylvan Avenue Park in Miller Place, which is where the proposed trail will run through. Photo by Desirée Keegan
Marty Buchman, who lives in Stony Brook and opened the new Stony Brookside Bed & Bike Inn, has been a member of Rails to Trails for 20 years and cycling for over 40.
“It means everything for us cyclists,” Buchman said of the project. “There is no joy like riding on a bicycle trail. The trail will bring economic development, health, jobs — I can’t understand why it took so long to get this started, but I’m absolutely overjoyed. I can’t wait. I’ll be here the first day.”
He has frequently rode along the Greenway Trail, which connects Setauket and Port Jefferson Station, and said that the usage and the joy people get out of the trail is exciting to see. He added that he knows the new trail, which will connect Port Jefferson Station, Mount Sinai, Miller Place, Sound Beach, Rocky Point, Shoreham and Wading River, will have the same impact.
“If you build it, people will come,” he said. “I’ve been cycling since I was 16, and when I ride, I feel like I’m 16 again. I feel like I’m connected to the world around me. I sometimes ride 30 miles to work.”
U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley), Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker (D-Mount Sinai), U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (R-NY), Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) and Brookhaven Town Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R) all helped give the proposal life, advocating for the project over the years in an effort to secure funding.
According to Zeldin, converting the rails into a bike trail had been discussed in 2001 when North Shore advocate Mike Cosel spoke to then-legislator Martin Healy about the idea, which has long been stalled since then. Though the projects roots date back much further than that. The previous allocated funding for the project sat for over five years, and was in danger of being cancelled and repurposed, so local officials worked over the past 19 months across party lines to restore the funding so the project could move forward.
Cyclists would no longer have to share the road with cars once the Rails to Trails project is completed. Photo by Desirée Keegan
“Living on Long Island we are blessed with so many natural treasures, including our renowned parks and beaches, many of which are connected through our scenic biking and hiking trails,” Zeldin said. “Long Island’s trails are an important part of our local community and economy, connecting our residents and visitors to our beaches, parks, local farms, festivals, wineries, restaurants and other destinations, while providing an option of healthy recreational activity and transportation. In addition to improving quality of life and livability, trails help to protect our environment through conservation and by reducing traffic and pollution on our roads.”
The $9.51 million project, according to the congressman, will be 80 percent federally funded, with Brookhaven Town covering the remaining 20 percent.
“We’re going to take this and make this something that people can enjoy,” Romaine said. “This will be a great addition to what we have to offer for recreation in the Town of Brookhaven.”
For experienced cyclists, skateboarders, walkers or even first-time riders, safety was a main concern for all parties involved in approving the trails.
“Unfortunately Suffolk has the very dubious honor of having the highest fatality rates of cyclists on the road,” said Robert DeVito, president of the Suffolk Bicycle Riders Association and director of the Nassau-Suffolk Bicycle Coalition. “We constantly go out riding, whether in a group or alone, always concerned [about safety]. With people today utilizing their phones more and more in their car, it’s really become an issue. We need safer areas to ride.”
The project will also provide an economic boost, as shops could set up along the trail. Anker said the goal is to create ecotourism where along the trail, community members and visitors can stop at the various hamlets, whether it be just to buy a bottle of water, to sit and eat dinner or even visit the Tesla Science Center.
Ashley Hunt-Martorano, director of marketing and events for Citizens’ Climate Lobby, talks about her excitement for the Rails to Trails project. Photo by Desirée Keegan
According to Ashley Hunt-Martorano, director of marketing and events for Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a non-profit organization focused on national policies to address climate change, it will also help create a safer place for cyclists to travel during ozone days, when county or state officials determine it’s not safe for bike riders to be out on their bikes.
“The more people get outdoors and engage in their community, the more they’re paying attention to the changes we’re seeing in our planet,” she said. “I have really fallen in love with riding my bike, and I love riding my bike on Long Island. I visit places I’ve never went before in my car. There are certain areas where it’s just gorgeous.”
Although there’s still more time to wait and see if the plan will come to fruition, for now, many locals are excited to hear there may be a plan in place.
“This project has always had tremendous support from all of the surrounding communities,” said Rock Point resident Jeff Carlson, who is president of the Rocky Point Civic Association. “We’re really happy that this is finally getting somewhere.”
Additions address safety for students who walk to school
Workers excavate the east side of Mud Road to prepare for sidewalk installation. Photo by Donna Newman
This fall, the streets near the Paul J. Gelinas Junior High School will be safer for students who walk to school. The Brookhaven Town Highway Department is nearly finished installing sidewalks on Mud Road, a frequently used route for students who walk to school.
“I am grateful to have finally brought this project to fruition, as residents have been requesting additional sidewalks in the area for the last decade,” Brookhaven Town Highway Superintendent Dan Losquadro (R) said. “In 2014, a year after I took office, school district administrators requested a traffic study, while noting 118 students walked to and from Gelinas Jr. High School. Clearly, this pedestrian safety project was warranted.”
The entire project, which will include the paving of Mud Road, will cost $300,000 according to Losquadro, add ding the undertaking will ” help to ensure the safety of students and pedestrians.” The cost includes the sidewalks, retaining walls, a drainage system, a crosswalk and electrical signal work.
A decorative pole with flashing LED lights, activated by pushing a button, will enable pedestrians to halt traffic to cross the street.
Sidewalks were added in front of the school building and to the south. On the west side of Mud Road, sidewalks extend from the school to Brandywine Drive.
Previously, sidewalks had been installed in the fall of 2008 — heading north from the school and west along Christian Avenue to the spot where it meets Friends Road — to accommodate a blind child living in the neighborhood who walked that route to school.
The groundwork for the current project predated the formation of a grass-roots advocacy group called Sidewalks for Safety, founded by Annemarie Waugh in July 2015.
“It’s really wonderful that the town is putting in the sidewalk outside Gelinas!” Waugh wrote in an email. “I hope the sidewalk will go all the way around the treacherous corner on Mud Road, so children walking to and from Gelinas will be safe. I really hope the town will put in many more sidewalks, especially around all the schools and on the busy main roads, so we can have a healthy walkable community.”
Sidewalks for Safety was established by Waugh to raise awareness for pedestrian concerns throughout the Three Village area and to lobby local politicians to affect change. The organization mounted a petition on Change.org to gather signatures from supporters for submission to Brookhaven Town. That website garnered nearly 700 signatures, and the group has obtained more than 500 others on paper.
“Annemarie has been very active in trying to get folks on board with helping improve walkability,” said Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket). “I think she is certainly working hard on raising awareness. I talked to her about what I did on Nicolls [Road]. I think most people don’t understand that they drive on roadways that have different levels of government responsible for them.”
Waugh and her group have ramped up their awareness-raising efforts.
“More recently we have been engaged in educating local politicians, school officials and Three Village residents with a newsletter,” she said. “We attended Earth Day at Stony Brook University … and joined with Scout Troop 1911 to collect signatures at the shopping center on 25A.”
Sandy Pearlman lived in Setauket, graduated from Stony Brook University
Sandy Pearlman. Photo from Ronni Hoffman
By Susan Risoli
Who wouldn’t want more cowbell? Samuel “Sandy” Pearlman — who may or may not have inspired the classic “Saturday Night Live” skit about the song “Don’t Fear the Reaper” — had a fever for living the creative life. The former Setauket resident, Stony Brook University alumnus, and celebrated record producer-lyricist-executive, died last week in California at 72. His friends remember a man whose imagination raced ahead while urging everyone else to keep up.
“He was a philosopher-king,” said Norm Prusslin, an SBU professor who first met him on campus in 1969, when Pearlman was managing a local band he called Soft White Underbelly. In this bunch of guys he met at his father’s pharmacy in Smithtown, Pearlman found musicianship that could turn his stories and poems into records. He loved to write about astrology, architecture, mythical figures and all manner of futuristic things, Prusslin recalled.
Blue Öyster Cult recorded “Don’t Fear the Reaper” in 1976. The song, written not by Pearlman, but by the band’s lead guitarist Donald Roeser a.k.a. Buck Dharma, was a track on the “Agents of Fortune” album recorded at New York City’s Record Plant. Pearlman co-produced the album. So … was he in fact the record producer parodied by Christopher Walken in the SNL skit?
Bassist Joe Bouchard said it’s possible.
“Sandy had that look, yeah,” he said, with a chuckle, of the leather jacket and dark glasses worn indoors.
“He was always very happy in the studio — excited to get the band to do their best.”
— Joe Bouchard
More important was Pearlman’s success at pushing artists to go just a bit further.
“He usually said he wanted more energy during recording,” Bouchard said. “He was always very happy in the studio — excited to get the band to do their best.”
Pearlman worked with other artists, producing the Clash’s breakthrough 1978 release “Give ‘Em Enough Rope.” He also produced the Dictators — a punk band many consider to be a sonic link between the Stooges and the MC5, and bands like the Ramones and the Sex Pistols — and he managed Black Sabbath.
Pearlman lived on and off in a house on Main Street in Setauket, a few doors down from the Emma S. Clark Memorial Library. Prusslin said he had been hired to teach philosophy at SBU, but plans were curtailed by the cerebral hemorrhage Pearlman suffered in December of last year.
Longtime friends Robert Duncan, and his wife Roni Hoffman, saw Pearlman often. Duncan said Pearlman was especially proud of “Imaginos,” a project started as a poem and turned into a song circle album.
Although Blue Öyster Cult played on it, “Sandy always referred to it as his ‘solo record,’” Duncan said. “I think he would say that was his crowning achievement, when that record came out.”
Pearlman was always “the smartest guy in the room,” Bouchard said. “He knew that if you just do a pop song, it’ll be gone in a year. If you do a song with a little more depth to it, it’ll have some staying power.”
Drug busts are becoming more common in Suffolk County. Above, drugs and other items seized during one such bust. File photo
It is no secret that Suffolk County, New York State and the United States as a whole have a rapidly growing opioid, and especially, heroin problem on their hands. Suffolk County is frequently sited as one of the places in New York most susceptible to drug busts and overdoses. It is a complex problem that sometimes feels like plugging holes in a sinking ship with bubble gum to lawmakers and uniformed police officers charged with lessening the impact of drugs on the community.
To the Suffolk County Police Department’s credit, they haven’t shied away from trying some outside the box methods to combat heroin and opioid addiction. In April, Suffolk County Crime Stoppers launched an anonymous narcotics tip phone line to help enlist the community in rooting out drug users and sellers in their vicinity.
The tip line helped lead to the arrest, in June, of two brothers living in Mount Sinai who had a treasure trove of weaponry, bomb-making instructions, cash and drugs in their home. In July, 24 people were arrested in connection with a drug ring in Hauppauge that yielded four kilograms of heroin and fentanyl.
The success of the hotline, which has received more than 900 calls since its inception, proves that the onus is on all of us to do our part in alleviating our community’s drug problem.
The department hosted a benefit concert at The Emporium in Patchogue July 28 to raise money for rewards given to those who provide tips to the hotline that result in arrests, and it’s imperative that we continue to support this resource as it has already proven its worth. That’s not to say that without the reward money, you shouldn’t say something if you see something. Community members hold most of the power in their hands to help our officers in cleaning up our streets.
Until we as a community recognize that this is a problem for everyone, even if the overdosing teen down the street isn’t a family member, the bubble gum approach will not stop the ship from sinking.
Federal government deems Suffolk one of 29 places in nation to successfully address issue
Veterans salute a memorial in Northport Village on Memorial Day. Photo by Victoria Espinoza
By Victoria Espinoza
Long Island has joined the ranks of only a select few regions of the United States in bringing an “effective end” to veteran homelessness.
The community has a “systematic response in place that ensures homelessness is prevented whenever possible, or if it can’t be prevented, it is a rare, brief and nonrecurring experience,” according to the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.
North Shore legislators and organizations have worked together for the past several years to get an estimate on the number of homeless veterans living on Long Island and to make sure they are aware of all resources available to them.
In June 2010, U.S. President Barack Obama (D) signed the Opening Doors bill, which approved a comprehensive federal 10-year plan to end and prevent homelessness. The bill was the first of its kind in the United States.
“I thank God everyday there are people that have the compassion to fight for us.” — Todd Shaw
The strategy focuses on many different subgroups of the homeless population, and the first to be tackled was homeless veterans. The goal was to see an end to veteran homelessness by 2015 in accordance with the federal plan, and that is what Suffolk and Nassau counties have achieved.
In 2014, the Mayors Challenge to End Veterans Homelessness was announced, which helped unite local leaders with organizations within their communities to help tackle the problem together. It also helped give specific parameters of what a community must do to achieve an “effective end” rating from the Interagency Council on Homelessness.
Politicians worked with North Shore organizations including the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, the United Veterans Beacon House and more.
Mike Giuffrida, associate director of the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless said the coalition has been working with other groups to whittle down a master list with names of 748 homeless Long Island veterans in the hopes of reaching zero by the 2015 deadline set by Opening Doors.
Once they had the list, the coalition and other nonprofits started informing homeless veterans of the resources at their disposal. Giuffrida said members of the nonprofit and veterans themselves help with letting other vets know their options.
“We always have veterans doing veteran outreach, some of whom were also formerly homeless,” Giuffrida said in a phone interview.
Legislator Steve Stern announces Long Island’s achievement in supporting and working with homeless veterans. Photo from Stern’s office
Todd Shaw is one of those volunteers. He served in the Army for 13 years, from 1975 through 1988, and found himself without a residence for about five months in 2014. At the time he was being treated as an inpatient at the Northport VA Medical Center, where he learned about Liberty Village, a 60-unit apartment complex in Amityville that provides housing exclusively for veterans.
“Timing is everything,” Shaw said in a phone interview of the circumstances that led to him applying and later being accepted into Liberty House. “It’s a very liberating thing to have a safe haven, a place to come home to at the end of the day.”
The 61-year-old veteran said he enjoys volunteering with the Long Island Coalition for the Homeless because he is able to give back.
“I come from a strong patriotic family,” he said. Both of his parents served in the armed forces. “I feel good by doing good. I thank God everyday there are people that have the compassion to fight for us.”
Frank Amalfitano, president and CEO of United Veterans Beacon House, another organization that specializes in homeless veteran outreach, said members of the nonprofit go into communities, visiting abandoned buildings, train stations, woods and fast-food restaurants to find veterans and offer them shelter and continuing care options.
Amalfitano said offering homeless veterans different options is crucial, because “you don’t want to set people up to fail. Some veterans come in and they have an income but emotional problems, or they don’t manage their money well.”
Because each case is different there are permanent, temporary and emergency housing options, according to Amalfitano. He also said some homeless veterans are not interested in any of the services, however they are continually revisited in case they change their minds.
“In some cases there may be a lack of trust, they feel safer out in the woods than they do in a shelter,” he said. “But at least now they know in case they get sick or change their minds.”
Suffolk County seeks to help house veterans. File photo
The president said United Veterans Beacon House can now accommodate any veteran within 24 hours — in some cases even quicker than that.
Giuffrida said by December 2015, the goal was to have housed 748 veterans. By the deadline 799 homeless veterans were given shelter and services. “Just last month we housed our 1,000th veteran,” he said.
He clarified that declaring an “effective end” does not mean there are zero homeless veterans on Long Island.
“This means there is a system in place [where] we can move any veteran that becomes homeless into a house in 90 days or less,” he said.
But he is excited with the progress that has been made. “We want the veterans in our communities to know we have a relentless dedication to them,” he said.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D), a veteran himself, was one of many North Shore leaders that stepped up to the plate to help support local agencies.
“Our veterans served with dignity abroad, when they come home they should, in turn, be provided the dignity of adequate shelter for themselves and their families,” Bellone said in a statement.
Suffolk County Legislator Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills) has worked on legislation to help end veteran homelessness, including the Housing Our Homeless Heroes Act, which allows for zombie homes, or tax-defaulted properties in Suffolk County to be redistributed to veterans.
He said he’s proud of this achievement: “It sends the important message that we will always make sure our veterans have the support they need.”
Stern also commended the efforts of the various local organizations.
“This is an extraordinary accomplishment, one that reflects the dedication and tireless work of agencies … that have increased availability of housing for those who have sacrificed so much to serve our great nation and their families,” he said.
Only two states and 27 other communities in the country have reached this status.
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