Jackson Heights Life

From Councilmember Danny Dromm's newsletter:

Manny "the Wrong Man" Balestrero Way
 
Saturday, September 27th
Noon - 2PM
73rd Street & 41st Avenue, Woodside
 
Christopher Emmanuel "Manny" Balestrero shot to unsought fame after his arrest on January 14, 1953 outside his home in Elmhurst, Queens. After three witnesses identified Manny as the person who robbed a Prudential Insurance Company office, he was charged with two armed robberies and, despite his innocence, brought to trial. He was later exonerated after another man confessed to the crimes that Manny was wrongfully accused of committing. His story, which highlights how the criminal justice system can fail law-abiding New Yorkers, captured the imagination of renowned artists such as Alfred Hitchcock, who captured Manny's story by shooting "The Wrong Man" on the streets of Jackson Heights, Elmhurst, and Woodside, where the actual events occurred.
 
In honor of his life and the impact his experience had on the community, I am having the city name the southwest corner of 73rd Street and 41st Avenue "Manny 'The Wrong Man' Balestrero Way".
 
For more information & to RSVP, please contact Yessika Giraldo at ygiraldo@council.nyc.gov or 718-803-6373 Ext. 205
 
Special Thanks to: CB4Q District Manager Christian Cassagnol and Community Board 4 Queens.

And for the following week, join us for the re-naming of the next block, 73rd and Roosevelt, as "Avenue of the Pigeon Shit and the Giant Human Urine Puddle."
Food and beverages provided by that handouts guy in the pickup truck.