Pejorative terms such as NIMBY and racist are often used to dismiss the legitimate concerns of local residents. It is most likely that those who seek to delegitimize these concerns do not live close to the shelter. Local residents who live within a 5 block radius of the shelter will tell you that since the shelter has opened their cars have been broken into repeatedly.
They will tell you about being confronted by aggressive panhandlers. They will also tell you that they witness public urination and defecation regularly. They will also tell you that they have found used heroin needles and empty heroin packets in their backyards and on the sidewalks in front of their homes. They will tell you that they are afraid that their young children will pick up used needles or accidentally step on them. They will also tell you of being threatened with unprovoked violence while riding a city bus home with their children.
When you speak to local residents (even in private), they will NOT tell you that they are afraid of seeing a black or Hispanic man on their block, or whatever stereotypical fear others want to impose on them. Whether you speak to Greek, Italian, Dominican, Ecuadorian, Filipino, Colombian, Irish, Guyanese, Albanian, Indian, Moroccan, Egyptian, or Chinese residents; they will all recount the same types of incidents and how they are often afraid for theirs and their family's safety. Shelter residents are not being assaulted or verbally threatened by local residents. There have been no angry protests at the shelter. The shelter residents have not been denied any rights in this neighborhood.
The homeless residents are not being targeted by police. There is NOT an increased police presence in the area. The representatives of the 114 frequently deny that these things are happening at all, or that they could have anything to do with the shelter opening. This is very frustrating to local residents who have been victims of crime.
To deny that shelters can be homes to criminals, drug-addicts, and the mentally ill; as well as hard-working families needing temporatry help, is naive. These are the types of issues that residents want to see addressed. Here is a sampling of shelter issues in NYC.
http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20141006/chelsea/peace-officers-sent-into-homeless-shelter-that-neighbors-call-war-zone/slideshow/558210#slideshow-carouselhttp://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Stepdaughter-Beating-Death-Brooklyn-Homeless-Shelter-Brother-New-York-City--279800982.htmlhttp://gothamist.com/2014/10/25/mother_charged_with_murder_of_4-yea.phphttp://www.westsiderag.com/2014/06/19/amid-protest-bratton-ends-raids-on-upper-west-side-homeless-sheltersAlso, just to set the record straight....the Westway is not a DV (domestic violence) shelter or 'women with children only' shelter. It is a family residence with men, women, and children (from infants to age 17). It is also not a Queens-specific shelter. All NYC shelters are open to anyone who presents at the intake office as homeless regardless of their NYS residency or citizenship status. Also, outstanding warrant checks are not performed prior to shelter placement.
Topic: Westway Motor Inn-Homeless Shelter (Read 9929 times)
