Long Island Voters Disagree Whether Trump Deserves Credit For Lower MS-13 Gang Violence

Should Trump take full credit for the decline in MS-13 related murders? [View this email in your browser]( [Politics Brief from WNYC + Gothamist] [Keep friends and family informed. Forward the Politics Brief.]( Long Island Voters Disagree Whether Trump Deserves Credit For Lower MS-13 Gang Violence By Annie Todd BETH FERTIG / GOTHAMIST / WNYC In the late 1990s, Tom O’Hara was an emergency services manager for Suffolk County when he started hearing about the gang MS-13. He was also coaching baseball in Brentwood, a largely Latino hamlet in the middle of Long Island, and many of his players at Roberto Clemente Park were being targeted by gang members who wanted them to sell drugs. “They knew because they go to school with them,” he recalled. “And within a year I was making my exit strategy from that park.” O’Hara said they got out of the park and picked a new location. He feels lucky that they left when they did. In the coming years, MS-13 became synonymous with gruesome killings and shootings in Suffolk and in neighboring Nassau county. In the past decade, at least [52 deaths on Long Island]( have been attributed to MS-13, according to Newsday, including the murders of [two high schoolers]( in 2016. Trump vowed to crack down on illegal immigration and MS-13 when he was running for president in 2016. The next year at a speech at Suffolk Community College in Brentwood, Trump warned gang members, “We will find you. We will arrest you. We will jail you, and we will deport you.” Since Trump took office, federal arrests of suspected gang members went up, as did deportations. Last December, Suffolk County District attorney Timothy Sini announced a multi-agency takedown of almost 100 gang members, from nine different cliques in Suffolk County. Today, the gang and its cliques, or sub groups, are still out there. But Suffolk police say MS-13 homicides have steadily decreased, from 11 in 2016 to just one last year. There have been none so far in 2020. O’Hara, now 60 and retired but still coaching baseball, said local law enforcement deserves a lot of credit, but so does Trump. However, others around Long Island and Brentwood say local law enforcement, federal prosecutors, and the FBI deserve all of the credit. Lenny Tucker, who helped found the Brentwood Association of Concerned Citizens in 2013, said local activists made an impact, as well as local law enforcement agencies who were working with the federal government under former President Barack Obama. “I'm not going to give Donald Trump none of that credit,” he said. Angela Restrepo, owner of take-out shop La Arepa, said Trump has enabled hatred against Latinos with his “poisonous” talk about gangs. But she said the Democrats didn’t do enough to help her community when they were in power. Restrepo believes that the Democrats' platform should focus on providing immigrants with more resources and helping kids stay away from gangs. “It has to be a big change and I’m not sure if either of the parties are willing.” [Read Beth Fertig's reporting on immigration debates before the election.]( Andrew Cuomo, The King Of New York Most New Yorkers a few months ago might have characterized Andrew Cuomo's response to the COVID-19 pandemic as surprisingly effective as he managed to bring the state back from the brink. During his press conferences over seven weeks, Cuomo used science and data to present what New Yorkers were facing while the federal government continued to lag in its response. "In the land of the incoherent, the silver-tongued man is king," writes Nick Paumgarten in a recent profile about New York's Italian-American-in-Chief in The New Yorker. As much grief as Cuomo gave his [daughter's Boyfriend]( during his daily press conferences, in a way, Cuomo became America's boyfriend whether you liked him or not. But how did Cuomo come out unscathed in the past six months when there was constant bigfooting of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, the inability to take responsibility for the high rates of COVID in nursing homes across the state, and the shuttering of [small businesses]( His new book on his COVID-19 response, out this week, might answer some of those questions but Cuomo might be testing his luck as positivity rates begin to rise around the state, even prompting a two-week shutdown in parts of Brooklyn and Queens. The governor has said this book isn't [a victory lap]( and he's been [criticized]( for acting as if the pandemic is over. The Republican Governors' Association [tweeted]( Tuesday: "The Reviews Are In: Cuomo Lambasted For Book Touting His Pandemic ‘Leadership’ 33,000 Deaths, Over A Million Out Of Work, Thousands Of Businesses Forced To Close On Cuomo’s Watch.” [(The New Yorker)]( Everything You Need To Know Ahead Of Election Day Today is the last day to register to vote in New Jersey. New Yorkers had until last Friday to register to vote. In the final weeks before Election Week, WNYC and Gothamist have teamed up with [City Limits]( and [Gotham Gazette]( to compile a [2020 voter guide.]( All you need to do is enter your address above and the guide will show you the information that will be on the ballot in your district, including overviews of key races and profiles of all the candidates in them. In addition, WNYC's Brigid Bergin has created a two-part voter FAQ for New Yorkers that covers everything from problems with [absentee ballots]( [how to send your absentee ballot]( (remember two stamps!), where to check for your early voting polling place, and more. Nancy Solomon has also created an [FAQ]( for New Jersey voters. Remember, early voting in New York starts on October 24th and ends November 1st. You have until October 27th in New York and October 23rd in New Jersey to request your absentee ballot. New Jersey is encouraging all voters to vote by mail and either mail their ballots in or drop them off at their polling place's dropbox. How Trump Set Back “The Most Important Infrastructure Project” In The Country EDWIN J. TORRES / NJ GOVERNOR'S OFFICE This story is part of a [WNYC/Gothamist series]( exploring policy differences between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden. The stories will focus on their position and specifically how those policies will affect the New York City region. Once hailed "the most important infrastructure project" in the county by former President Obama, the Hudson River train tunnel united Republicans and Democrats across New Jersey and New York. In 2015, both states agreed to pay for half of the "Gateway" project to stop the tunnel from collapsing with the federal government picking up the rest of the tab. Six years later, the project has been delayed and now is estimated to cost $13 billion. Gateway is made up of three main pieces. The first is replacing the century-old Portal Bridge in New Jersey over the Hackensack, a notorious choke point for NJ Transit and Amtrak because of its tendency to get stuck in the open position. Then there’s building a second tunnel under the Hudson between New York and New Jersey, and repairing the existing tunnel, which was [badly damaged]( by Hurricane Sandy. Trump campaigned on fixing infrastructure and in his election speech spoke about rebuilding highways, bridges and tunnels. And at the beginning of his presidency, it looked like Gateway was moving along as Elaine Chao, Trump's Transportation secretary, told members of Congress it was at the top of her agenda. This bipartisan deal, which many thought should have been an easy lay up for the president, collapsed as Trump seemed to walk away from it for no logical reason. Steven Cohen, the chairman of the Gateway Development Corporation, said the project unraveled gradually throughout the first year of the Trump administration. Then, in the fall of 2017, the federal representatives for the project just stopped showing up to meetings. Gateway became a pawn in Trump's [political game to garner support for his tax reform package.]( By contrast, former Vice President Joe Biden is [Mr. Amtrak.]( He used the passenger train to commute to Washington when he was in the Senate and now he’s using it for [campaign travel.]( He recently gave his full support to the [Gateway project](. "It's about each area in the nation making up for shortcomings in other areas. How many times have you as New Yorkers bailed out the farmers in Iowa or Nebraska?" Biden said, according to NJ.com. "What happens every time we talk about what our needs are?" [—Reporting by Stephen Nessen]( Where Trump’s Tax Returns Meet The Mueller Investigation The lead prosecutor on Robert Mueller's team says he has issues with the way the Russia probe was conducted. Plus, he gives his take on Trump's newly public tax documents. Support WNYC + Gothamist Make a donation to support local, independent journalism. 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