Since it was announced that the temporary homeless residents of The Lucerne Hotel would be heading south, a group of downtown New Yorkers have formed a new Facebook group to oppose the relocation.
HOMELESS LUCERNE HOTEL RESIDENTS MUST LEAVE
The new downtown Facebook group is called Downtown NYCers for Safer Streets. While the similarly named Upper West Siders for Safer Streets (and the West Side Community Organization, which formed from the Facebook group) are happy that these residents will be moved out of The Lucerne Hotel, members of the downtown group are not.
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“We have formed this group as concerned residents of the Lower Manhattan neighborhoods in response to the announcement that the Radisson Hotel New York Wall Street located at 52 William Street, New York City, New York 10005 will be converted into a permanent homeless shelter. This shelter is expected to receive over 240 homeless men from the The Lucerne Hotel in the immediate future. This will not be a temporary “COVID-19 homeless shelter” as Mayor Bill de Blasio has mentioned over and over again — this will be permanent.”
In confronting the hotel shelter situation, the downtown group admins also echo two of the complaints which were made by members of Upper West Siders for Safer Streets: that neighborhood residents were not given advance notice of the relocation, and that they already have too many shelter sites (stating that 10 downtown hotels have already been converted into shelters).
The about section concludes with a list of email addresses and phone numbers for concerned downtown residents to reach out to.
While the Facebook group is private, they’ve also created a website – downtownnewyorkers.com, as well as Instagram and Twitter pages.
On the Upper West Side, UWS Open Hearts Initiative is continuing to support the Lucerne residents, though they are expected to be relocated downtown by October 5.
We would like to bring some quality meals to the residents of The Lucerne to show them community support and love. Please donate (tax deductible) to @feedthefrontnyc and select “From UWS Open Hearts Initiative” in the designation label. Many thanks!https://t.co/PLQDWwhkcD
— UWS Open Hearts Initiative (@UWSOpenHearts) September 29, 2020
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In the announcement of the award, Coalition for the Homeless wrote that “For those who have been reading the news lately, it might seem counterintuitive that the Coalition for the Homeless is recognizing a group from the Upper West Side with our fifth annual Compassionate Communities Award.”
They continued by recognizing how “The mighty group of volunteers from the Upper West Side Open Hearts Initiative have organized rallies, art events, donation drives, and press conferences since they launched the initiative in the middle of August, right as the anti-shelter sentiment was reaching a boiling point. Their tremendous energy and organizing in support of people experiencing homelessness in the midst of a public health crisis – and in the face of vociferous hostility from some of their neighbors – is an example of compassion for all communities.”
Where’s the Downtown Open Hearts Initiative when you need them?
They are being formed right now.
Why am I not at all surprised by this!!!
Looks like they had good “training” by the uptown elitists. Will be illuminating to see where the homeless folks will be shipped off to next and how often they are bounced around.
/s
As a social worker, I know that unhoused people who live in shelter facilities do not contribute to safety issues in the community by and large. As an Upper West Sider, I saw no evidence that the people in our neighborhood hotels contributed to safety concerns. People in shelter facilities are managed to the teeth, with curfews, having to sign in or out, prohibited from having overnight visitors, the list goes on. The inhospitable atmosphere created by these Facebook groups is saddening. Where were Upper West Siders for Safer Streets in the face of Ravel motorcycles disobeying traffic laws?
A social worker compering motorcycles disobeying traffic laws to hotels being used to house homeless men, drug addicts, sex offenders, and recently released hardened criminals …. please tell me what is wrong with this picture ?
Clear:
“A social worker compering motorcycles disobeying traffic laws to hotels being used to house homeless men, drug addicts, sex offenders, and recently released hardened criminals …. please tell me what is wrong with this picture ?”
I didn’t read the comparison as being between motorcycles and homeless men in shelters. I read it as someone seeing a name ending in “Safer Streets,” and and wondering why a group with that name would not be concerned about the lawless and immediately dangerous scooter riders. The two are not mutually exclusive; “safer street” should mean just that, and reckless scooter riding should be as much an issue as homeless people who may or may not be making streets less safe.
For anyone interested in the FiDi, please join our group Friends of FiDi https://m.facebook.com/groups/635611787389186?tsid=0.9387578652521251&source=result
This is disgusting, anyone opposing sheltering homeless near them should leave this city. 🙂 Makes me ashamed to be a NYer
The opposition has obviously been solely to them being unhoused brown and black men. Had they been pregnant and/or drug addled, mentally deranged criminal women, especially of color, the welcome mat would have been unconditionally extended. Typical uws phonies.
UWSmom:
“Had they been pregnant and/or drug addled, mentally deranged criminal women, especially of color, the welcome mat would have been unconditionally extended.”
Although I’m not sure about the mentally deranged, I actually saw this exact comment from people writing on this and other boards when other articles were published. So, yes, many people will “accept” only CERTAIN homeless populations, but not others.
🙁