You are reading

Kew Gardens Residents to Hold Protest Calling for Hotel to be Shut Down Following Shootings

Umbrella Hotel, at 124-18 Queens Blvd. (Google Maps)

Aug. 18, 2020 By Allie Griffin

Civic leaders and Kew Gardens residents are holding a protest Sunday to call on city hall to shutter a Queens Boulevard hotel where two shootings have taken place over the past two months.

The Queens Coalition for Solidarity, a local civic group, will rally Sunday to demand the city to shut down the Umbrella Hotel after a slew of illegal activities and loud parties inside its rooms has rocked the neighborhood.

The protest will be held at Queens Borough Hall, across from the troublesome hotel and is set to take place from noon to 2 p.m..

The hotel, located at 124-18 Queens Blvd., was the scene of two recent shootings — one on July 3 and one last Sunday, Aug. 9 that left the front door with multiple bullet holes.

Residents and local elected officials said the Umbrella Hotel has become a breeding ground for illicit activities since the pandemic began — and they want city hall to step in. They say there have been numerous assaults and other illegal activities.

“Our health and safety come first,” the Queens Coalition for Solidarity said in a Facebook Post. “We will demand City Hall shut down this dangerous and irresponsible hotel once and for all.”

The hotel’s vacancy rate soared since March as its typical clientele were people attending nearby court hearings or tourists. Room prices dropped as a result around April and people began taking advantage of the cheaper room rates. They rented out multiple rooms and threw large parties during the pandemic, according to neighbors and Assembly Member Daniel Rosenthal.

“People started to rent out four or five rooms for extremely cheap prices and they essentially started to use [the hotel] as an unofficial nightclub,” Rosenthal said.

The Queens Coalition for Solidarity and Rosenthal said there have been reports of prostitution, assault and narcotics at the hotel as well.

The Assembly Member has received calls from constituents with complaints about people setting off fireworks from the windows of the hotel. He said calls to his office began as quality of life concerns but quickly escalated to public safety concerns when Umbrella Hotel became the scene of two shootings.

“Thankfully no one got hurt, but how many bullets can we dodge?” Rosenthal said.

He called an emergency meeting on the hotel last week at borough hall. He said the hotel management was invited to the meeting, but didn’t show up along with multiple city agencies.

“It’s unacceptable. It’s time for the mayor and city hall to step up and take this situation seriously,” Rosenthal said in a video posted to Twitter. “There have been two shootings there. I don’t know what else needs to be done for them to realize how serious of a situation this is.”

Neither the Umbrella Hotel manager or owner were available for comment.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

5 Comments

Click for Comments 
Democrats running this city into the ground

Criminals own the street now thanks to mayor, his council like Koslowitz, Donovan Richards (running for Queens borough president in November), liberal legislators like Ginaris who pushed for no bail law. Innocent citizens can’t walk on the street or take the train without fear of being assaulted. This used to be a nice quiet family neighborhood, hotel/homeless shelters emptying of jails destroying quality of life for law abiding New Yorkers. Done voting Democrat.

Reply
80s mom

Mayor, governor, civil right group, Queens coalition and assembly members !!!!! Someone help us on 76st to 80th and Rootsevelt Ave Jackson heights. Prostitutes walking the streets like its Times Square in the 80s amongst other crimes. 3 body bags last Friday on 80th street at 10pm while the ave was full of bar goers.

Reply
Typical NIMBY

Close it as a hotel and turn it into a penitentiary!!! Two problems solved at once!!!

6
3
Reply
KG Resident

We tried so hard to prevent this hotel from being built in the first place. The owner of the site couldn’t believe that we couldn’t see what a great benefit this would be to the community. So first it was a homeless shelter and now this. Some benefit.

15
Reply
FoHi

And to add insult to injury, the residents of Kew Gardens face the looming construction of a mega jail across the street, thanks Bozo and CoJo!!

14
Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Rego Park sex offender pleads guilty to charges of sexually exploiting young girls on Long Island: Feds

A convicted sex offender from Rego Park pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and admitted to soliciting and receiving sexually explicit images and videos from four young girls during a plea hearing in the federal courthouse in Central Islip on Friday. Anthony Pangallo, 41, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years’ imprisonment and up to 50 years in prison.

According to court filings and statements during the plea proceeding, Pangallo was initially arrested on May 20, 2021, at his Rego Park residence, on state charges filed in Westport, Connecticut. Those charges, which remain pending, involved a 15-year-old victim whom Pangallo met online and manipulated into sending him sexually explicit images of herself.

Queens Together launches ‘Unofficial US Open Dining Guide’ encouraging fans to sample restaurants along the 7 line

Aug. 20, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

The US Open returns to Flushing Meadows Corona Park this Sunday, with more than 1 million attendees anticipated to take mass transit to the iconic annual tennis event. With hundreds of thousands of fans set to take the 7 out to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, there is a world of delicious local eateries lying beneath the elevated train tracks should any fan wish to stop en-route to the US Open.

Can Queens’ food scene thrive with both trucks and restaurants?

Aug. 19, 2025 By Jessica Militello

In Jackson Heights at 4 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon, Roosevelt Avenue is buzzing with energy as commuters file in and out of subway cars and onto the street and cars and trucks grapple to get down the busy road. The street is filled with rows of shops and restaurants, along with food carts, street vendors and food trucks along the avenue. The almost-but-not-quite the weekend lag leaves hungry commuters faced with another choice to make throughout their day and the array of food truck options in busy areas like Jackson Heights offers customers convenience and delicious food without breaking the bank, two features that can feel vital, particularly with rising costs of living and pressure from inflation.