NYC block where car meetup turned violent to get speed bumps — but locals wonder if it’ll be enough
A Queens neighborhood that saw a rowdy car meetup turn violent has been told it will get speed‑bumps, but residents are uncertain whether that will stop the problem of people speeding through the area.
Queens City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino said that, after four years of requests, she received a verbal pledge from Queens Department of Transportation (DOT) Borough Commissioner Nicole Garcia that speed‑bumps would be installed near 141st Street and 11th Avenue. “I have never spoken to my commissioner like this before. I demanded, demanded, I will not tolerate this,” she told The Post in a passionate statement.
A DOT representative could not confirm that the bumps will indeed be put in place. The spokesperson said that the agency was “looking into potential safety options and re‑evaluating the locations” where the illegal gathering had happened last weekend. Paladino shot back, “they can look into all they want.” “I can promise you I’m going to make more noise than anybody has ever heard before, and I can guarantee there will be speed‑bumps in Malba,” she added.
The call for speed‑bumps came after an illegal meetup on Sunday night at South Drive and 141st Street. According to video, participants were racing, doing donuts, and lighting fireworks – even setting a car on fire. The chaos turned violent when the homeowner Blake Ferrer was beaten and kicked by an angry crowd that broke his nose and rib cage; his wife Melissa was punched in the face after the couple confronted the unruly crowd on their property.
Melissa Ferrer told The Post that, while she supports the idea of traffic calmers, she’d rather people just behave in a more respectful way. “We are definitely, obviously, for the speed‑bumps,” she said on Wednesday. “I don’t think I should have to drive everywhere with speed‑bumps. I think people should be more civil.” “How about we just go back to the basics? Everybody should go to church, have some respect for people,” she added, urging a return to “the basic rhythms of life.”
Neighbors of the Ferrers were shocked by the assault. Long‑time resident Teresa Maher, 81, worries that even with the new speed‑bumps the violent drivers might return. “I don’t know if it would help, but it should do something,” she said. “I hope they get them, because they’ll probably come back again.” Having lived in the neighborhood for more than half her life, Maher was “shocked” by the fiery violence she’d never seen before.
A resident named Lulu, who was out for a walk the following Wednesday, noted that speeding cars have been a problem since last summer. “The neighborhood was so beautiful, but times are changing,” she said. “Of course they’ll come back if there are no consequences to bear.”
George Katakalides, a food distributor who lives in the area, complained that the city seemed to take action only after injuries occurred. “People complained before and nothing happened. People got hurt and something had to be done,” he said. He also expressed a wish that residents could arm themselves, saying, “If every one of my neighbors had a gun, they might stop that kind of trouble.” His granddaughter, 27‑year‑old Katerina Katakalides, recalled growing up in an area where cars raced at “80 miles an hour.” “Since I was a kid, and even six years ago, people would be coming down the wrong way, 80 miles an hour, racing. This has been happening my entire life. This is the first time anyone has paid attention,” she said. “I fall asleep to the screeches. It’s not as peaceful as you think it is. To live in Malba is to live among recklessness.”
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