Hundreds Try To Oust Local Leader After 9/11 Memorial Ride Change

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — After a 9/11 tribute organized by the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps, in honor of former corps member Richie Pearlman, was rerouted at the last minute, locals are channeling their outrage into an attempt to oust their community board leader.

The 6th annual "Run for Richie" 9/11 Memorial Motorcycle Ride, which took place on Sept. 12, began at the Queens' Aqueduct Racetrack and followed an organized route to Ground Zero — one that was supposed to take a detour past Pearlman’s Howard Beach home, where his parents reportedly still live.

But Betty Braton, the chairperson and district manager of Queens Community Board 10, which encompasses Howard Beach, raised concerns about the motorcycles overwhelming residential streets, which ultimately routed the course away from Pearlman’s family home.

“I understand that I’m the Wicked Witch of the West this week,” she told the New York Post, which first reported the story.

“My job is to deal with community issues. Concerns were raised. I expressed the concerns, which were valid,” she said, alluding to reported concerns that the parade would disrupt church and synagogue services.

Community boards, however, have no official role in the permit process, meaning that Braton passed the concerns along to the NYPD, which ultimately put up a roadblock on the route.

“Due to the size and magnitude of this parade, which includes thousands of vehicles, rerouting the parade down a residential street would pose traffic and safety hazards to the residents,” the NYPD told Patch of its decision to skip the Howard Beach detour.

“The current route was planned with safety of the participants and the community in mind,” the agency added.

An organizer, Paul “PJ” Marcel, however, told the NY Post that the NYPD told him before Labor Day that the route change was basically authorized. He credits the change to Braton.

“She is the head complainer of the neighborhood,” Marcel told the NY Post.

The change, and years of frustration, prompted Marcel to start a petition to remove Braton from the community board, which she has headed for 29 years. As of Tuesday the petition has garnered over 800 of its 1,000 desired signatures.

Read the full New York Post article here.