Posted on September 9, 2020 at 9:08 pm by West Sider
Signs from a rally in support of the shelter on Wednesday. Photo by Carol Tannenhauser.
The reactions to the city’s decision on Tuesday to remove 283 homeless men from The Lucerne Hotel on 79th Street came fast and furious.
Opponents have been portrayed as rich and powerful NIMBYs who bullied the mayor into giving in with threats of lawsuits. Councilmember Helen Rosenthal wrote on Twitter that “It’s a sad day when the threat of lawsuit gets city hall to reverse a decision. What message does this send that groups who can afford to hire high-powered lawyers R the ones who will get their way.”
Mayor de Blasio said at a press conference that he had visited the shelter recently and thought conditions around it were “not acceptable,” without going into detail. He had spent several weeks downplaying concerns about the shelter.
A press conference and rally took place in front of the hotel on Wednesday morning, featuring speeches by members of the UWS Ope Hearts Initiative and politicians including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Helen Rosenthal and state assembly member Linda Rosenthal (no relation to each other).
Williams called for the decision to be overturned.
Affordable housing is a citywide crisis. Homelessness is a citywide issue. Moving a shelter off a block or out of a neighborhood isn’t solving the issue, it’s hiding & ignoring it. Uprooting people in need isn’t a solution, it’s a major problem. This decision should be reversed. pic.twitter.com/Mm0wdvwGgK
— Office of the Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams (@nycpa) September 9, 2020
“It is sad that in our neighborhood, a bastion of great privilege and of liberal family values, that the temporary presence of these homeless individuals moved here in the midst of a public health crisis of unprecedented proportions, divided our community so intensely and caused some to respond with fear and anger,” Linda Rosenthal said.
The West Side Community Organization, which had pushed to have the homeless men moved, responded with gratitude to the mayor for the decision on Tuesday, saying in a statement that “the decision to move 300 troubled individuals out of the Lucerne Hotel into state-accredited shelters where they will receive on-site support and treatment was an important step for all New Yorkers.” But members of the Facebook group that spurred the nonprofit reacted angrily to the depiction of them as heartless, writing “shame on you” in coordinated Twitter posts to Helen and Linda Rosenthal.
Members have written op-eds saying their opposition to the shelter is about safety not race. Their lawyer, Randy Mastro also put out the statement below.
We are thankful to the city for working with us and others to provide the city's homeless population with covid safe facilities and the resources they need. This is a win-win! @savetheuws pic.twitter.com/XB0i8851fu
— West Side Community Organization (@westsideco_org) September 9, 2020
Project Renewal, which runs the shelter, also put out a statement, saying the men “deserve better.”
“Last night we learned that our staff and clients are being moved from the Lucerne to another location. Through all of this, the health and well-being of our clients is, and has been, our number one priority. These men, many of whom have suffered trauma and been disadvantaged all their lives, deserve better. So do our 50 staff members who have worked around the clock to ensure clients had a smooth and successful transition. Finally, there have been numerous supporters and new friends we have made in the neighborhood. We are grateful to each of them, especially Council Member Helen Rosenthal, Borough President Gale Brewer, Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, Mark Diller and CB7, and the many compassionate and caring residents who see our clients as humans deserving of our collective support.”
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Bitter Taste Lingers on All Sides After City's Decision to Remove Homeless Men - westsiderag.com
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