More Controversy Over "Sean Bell Way" Renaming

Three years before voting to rename a street in of honor an unarmed 23-year-old who was killed in a barrage of police bullets, a Queens Community Board rejected an application to rename a street in honor of a police officer killed in the line of duty. So following the board's controversial vote in favor of "Sean Bell Way," the family of deceased officer John Scarangella has again applied for a street renaming to memorialize the slain cop. But the chairwoman of Community Board 12, Adjoa Gzifa, opposes the renaming. "For every police officer that puts on a uniform and carries a gun, if they should perish in the line of duty, does that mean we have to rename a street for them?"

Gzifa, who was one of just two members of the board who voted against the "Sean Bell Way" renaming, told the Daily News she opposes the Scarangella bid because street renamings have "gotten out of hand." She added: "There are so many others ways to honor someone's name without putting up a street sign." But the family of the Scarangella, who was gunned down during in a 1981 traffic stop, says the board should vote to honor the deceased cop — especially in light of the group's "Sean Bell Way" decision. "It's not really about my father himself, but what he did for his community and what Sean Bell did for his community. It's a big difference," said Scarangella's son, Thomas Scarangella, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority cop.

The initial application to rename a section of Baisley Boulevard in front of the 116th Precinct after Scarangella was rejected because the board decided that the officer didn't meet the "local criteria" — meaning his contribution to the community wasn't large enough to warrant a street renaming. The proposal, which has the backing of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, Councilman Leroy Comrie, and Sean Bell's fiancee Nicole Paultre Bell, is slated to go before the board's transportation committee next month. "Someone losing their life — especially if he served the city — he definitely deserves to have a street named after him," said Paultre Bell. "He deserves the honor, just like Sean deserved the honor."

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By Ben Muessig in News on January 18, 2010 10:40 AM

Comments [rss]

Thinky Think

Why the hell would shaun bell get a street? What heroic feat did he accomplish am I missing something. I guess everytime the cops shoot some one they can get a street(not saying the gun down is always right).

S.K.

Perhaps such street renamings will discourage trigger-happy cop behavior.

inoyourider

I cannot believe that we're going to rename a street for Sean Bell.

Guest

if all the streets get renamed, don't be surprised if the whole city becomes a little more depressed.

Chillinoncentral

I cannot believe that some are comparing street-renaming-worthiness between a model officer and a drug dealing thug... this is not a black/white issue... this is about a perverted sense of emotionally fueled nonsense. A lot has already been made of Sean Bell's interest in "doing the right thing" (getting married to the mother of his child). Personally, I don't think either should merit the changing of a street's name, but I will certainly hold Officer Scarangella's day-in-and-day-out contributions as a peace-maker (to his death) in much higher esteem than Sean Bell's interrupted intent of marriage.

tnuc

Street names should be reserved for people who accomplish great things for the community and/or make history. When you think of queens you think of brewer, rufus king, lefferts, sutphin, francis lewis and roy wilkins, all names that contributed society in a positive way, and made Queens what it is today. Scarangella put his life on the line for the people for Jamaica NY and was unfortunately gunned down during a traffic stop following a burglary. I guarantee that there is no other street in the world named after a drug dealing thug black, white or any other race, so this should not be the first.

starrygordon

Politicians and other people with a lot of time on their hands like street renaming because it does almost nothing and costs almost nothing. No one actually uses the new names anyway, but everyone can take pride, etc.

Yes, the Community Board has double standards. What a shock!

kleinpeter

So, it's ok to name a street after a criminal who died by cops hands, but not cops who die by criminals hands?

Outter Burrougher

the person they quoted who opposes the naming also opposed the Sean Bell naming. i may not agree with her, but I respect that she is NOT being hypocritical and honestly feels that street namings, in general, should not go forward.

kleinpeter

I'm not criticizing her. I'm criticizing the board and the constant double standards. I agree with her. The renaming streets shouldn't be something on which they're wasting valuable time and tax payers money. But it's still b.s.