Rockaway Ground Report: Day One - Mott Avenue, Redfern, and the Fight for Justice and Dignity

By Von S. Del Valle (Queens Borough President Candidate 2025)

Date: Monday, April 21, 2025

VonNYC: Innovating Our City Joins Forces with the Olive Brance (Jovon terell ross for Mayor 2025)

Today we walked the streets of Rockaway, Queens—not as outsiders, but as community listeners. Our path led us through Mott Avenue, past housing developments, busy corners, and forgotten blocks. We were here to scout, yes—but more than that, we were here to witness. To document what’s broken and push forward a plan for what can be healed.

🏦 Stop 1: Mott Avenue - Student Safety & Public Disorder 🚨

Mott Ave Train Station A Train Stop in Summer

In broad daylight, students poured out of school and onto Mott Avenue. We watched as two separate groups began play fighting—but it was rough, uncontrolled, and spilled into the streets. This wasn’t just play. It was a symptom: of a lack of supervision, of structured programs, of community investment in our youth.

We first saw a police officer standing at the corner in front of the McDonald’s, which has become a hotspot where teenagers often act out and gather in large, restless groups. His presence there spoke volumes—it’s a known zone of tension, where public safety meets youthful chaos.

We spoke to a local police officer from the Dominican Republic. Javon asked him what neighborhood needs the most love.

His answer was direct:

“Redfern. This neighborhood is ignored. The people can tell they’re being ignored. They don’t need infrastructure—they need service. Real service.”

I asked the officer if he was Dominican after I saw it noted on his NYPD badge—which was cool. We briefly spoke about the club collapse in the Dominican Republic this month.

We also witnessed one group of teenagers yelling back and forth to one student of a totally different group of kids. One kid yell, “God gave me free will,” and the other says, “Being gay is not good.” A minor disruption with new high schoolers—but it was amazing to see these incidents happen. We are in places no other politicians are—the ones who know the real NYC and not the fake one you see on TV. Real New Yorkers, real problems.

A resident near us commented, “Donovan done fattened up and forgot he was ever hungry.” The manager nearby burst out laughing, saying, “Girl, I know you lying.” But it hit me—it's true. Starting in politics is like paying your dues. You dedicate yourself and your life to the people. You remember it’s by you—the people—who know the people and the people's problems. The true path to innovation is knowing the problem. Living through the problem is even better. The solution is there—now speak to the people.

🏡 Stop 2: Supportive Housing Near Redfern 🏢❤️

Next, we visited a newly opened supportive housing building a block down from the Redfern Projects. Inside, we met with the assistant director. Mental health support came up quickly.

She admitted:

“There are organizations trying to help, but it doesn’t seem to be working.”

As we left her office, a resident waved us into a common area. He introduced himself as someone helping run the tenant association.

His words hit hard:

“Some residents have weapons. They make others feel unsafe. I’ve done 20+ years in prison—I can’t even defend myself legally. But I still want to help.”

He invited us to a Thursday tenant meeting. He was open, honest, and living proof of how broken systems fail returning citizens and put stress on those trying to do right.

We also spoke to a tenant leader about the organizations meant to be helping with mental health and crime. She was frank—

“It’s not helping. One tenant stabbed another and that tenant is still living here. So is the victim. These programs don’t solve problems. They don’t do enough.”

This aligns with what the assistant manager told us. Other tenants expressed feeling deeply affected and moved by these violent incidents. A broken service system is failing everyone.

🧃 A Moment of Faith: Uplifting a Community Elder 🙏💬

At the NYCHA management office, a woman slowly approached the front desk with her walker, visibly exhausted. She had just come from a doctor’s appointment, receiving difficult news about her kidneys. At first, she paid us no mind.

But after a moment, we began talking. I was there with my wingman Javon, and we spoke to her about holding onto faith. She shared how a friend recently offered her $50 after seeing her struggle—but she turned it down, not wanting to accept charity.

I told her a story:

A man caught in a flood prays for God to save him. A small fishing boat paddles up and offers help. He declines—he’s waiting on God. Then a boat with a small motor comes, and again he refuses. Days later, he dies. In heaven, he asks God, “Why didn’t you save me?” God replies, “I sent the fishing boat and the motorboat. sometimes the smallest of blessings are just his sign of saying i hear you, she yes Hunny now that i think about it i wish i took the 50$ and smiled.”

After hearing that, her eyes lit up. She stood taller. She walked away with her head high.

That moment? That’s what community is about.

She also said Sanders was more of a caring, loving politician who met with the community. She remembers seeing him at Mott Ave station shaking everyone’s hand and making people feel valued. Donovan was a very skinny kid, she said, who was interning for Sanders back in the day. She said there needs to be better programming for the older adult community, which is now the new name for senior citizens in NYC. (NYC changed the name—just for you New Yorkers out there—and I learned that while working at 311.)

🌇 Stop 3: Redfern Projects - Forgotten, Polluted, Disconnected 🏚️😷🌫️

We walked into the Redfern Projects and spoke to residents and the management office. The consensus:

Donovan, the current Borough President of Queens, unveils plans to construct the Redfern Center, which has remained vacant for years.

“We feel forgotten by Donovan.”

Donovan, once said to have worked with Senator Sanders, is now absent from the people he once claimed to serve. The biggest issues?

🔊 Noise pollution from JFK Airport flights overhead at all hours.
🏭 Air pollution from the Inwood Material Terminal (aka Haugland Group), which residents say is a source of long-term respiratory problems.
🏢 Community centers that were built but have never opened their doors to the people they were supposedly built for.

🏗️ The Mystery Building: Who Was This Built For? 🏢💸

We want to know: who had the money to build a full structure that sat untouched for years—without ever opening its doors to a single resident? The building looks finished, but no New Yorker has been inside. No families served. No programming. No lights on. It raises serious questions—are these community funds truly for the residents, or are we just padding contractor pockets while people suffer outside? If a building stands empty in the middle of a crisis, then it's not a resource—it's a monument to failed priorities.

These aren’t minor grievances. These are systemic injustices.

When asked about Hurricane Sandy, one resident responded with a big "Ohhh Sandy..." and explained how the waters flooded many residents out. Even a lot of rain can flood certain areas. During Sandy, the waters were wild—damaging the community center and many apartments, shutting the Rockaways down.

We spoke about the importance of New Yorkers planning for the worst, especially knowing where to go and what not to do, and staying prepared with food and supplies. Because it’s easy for communities like this to be forgotten about in times of emergency.

petitioning unrolling in the rockaways for Innovate NYC Independent committee

🌍 Clean Air is a Human Right 🍃⚖️

The air around Redfern and Mott Ave isn’t just unpleasant. It’s unhealthy. Residents near the Inwood Material Terminal breathe in dust, industrial fumes, and particles that no family should have to live with.

Clean air isn’t a luxury—it’s a right. If this was happening in SoHo or Astoria, it would be a scandal. But in Redfern? It’s just another ignored injustice. This must be addressed through: