Shelter residents lock themselves
in hotel rooms as eviction begins
BY DEAN MOSES
Individuals experiencing homelessness
who have been taking temporary shelter
at a hotel on East 40th Street between
8th and 9th Avenue were scheduled to be
removed from the premises Friday morning,
July 2, but some refused to go.
The mood outside the three-star Four
Points by Sheraton hotel was one of bitter
defeat as unhoused men lugged rucksacks
and towed suitcases onto the sidewalk,
where a school bus waited to transport
them to congregate shelters. The rear of
the vehicle swiftly became jam-packed
with garbage bags and duffl e bags as the
belongings were haphazardly heaved into
the bus.
The removal comes after the shelter
residents spent much of the COVID-19
pandemic inside the hotel — one of fi ve
locations in Hell’s Kitchen being emptied as
the city closes its temporary hotel housing
program.
During the dawn of the novel coronavirus,
many rough sleepers were temporarily
housed inside unused and vacated hotels,
which created a rift in the community. Now
that virus infection rates are at an all-time
Shelter residents drag out garbage bags filled with clothing.
low and tourism is once again returning
to the Big Apple, hotels plan to once again
house city visitors. However, some shelter
residents say they’re being moved to the city
outskirts, taking them far from work and
their support systems, while also putting
them at risk to the COVID-19 variants.
Some 25 shelter residents of Four
Points by Sheraton are locking themselves
in their rooms and refusing to be moved
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
again, according to a source close to the
individuals.
“I am locking myself in, I have squatters’
rights. I can’t come out or they will try to
force me out,” Anthony Campbell told
Schneps Media via phone.
Being locked in, Campbell said he is
afraid, alone, and at a loss as to what to do
next. The hotels provided Campbell and
others a sense of stable security, much like
transitional housing; however, now that it
is all being swept away in a tidal wave of
removals, Campbell feels like he is caught
in the undertow.
“I also tried to reach out to some of my
comrades that decided to protest with me,
but I am getting no response,” Campbell
explained.
Many of those being moved allege that
the city had well over 16 months to help
them fi nd permanent, if not transitional,
housing but instead, they say they’re being
placed on the back burner of recovery.
However, according, to aspokesperson
for NYC Department of Social Services-
Department of Homeless Services (NYC
DSS-DHS), in 2020 alone city agency staff
assisted 19,000 New Yorkers in moving out
of shelter to permanent housing.
“Over the past year-plus, our invaluable
frontline staff, provider partners, and outreach
teams have gone above and beyond
amid unprecedented circumstances to protect
and support the New Yorkers experiencing
homelessness who we serve. This includes
adapting quickly at the height of the pandemic
and temporarily relocating thousands of individuals
from shelters to commercial hotels to
provide them with the same protections from
the virus as individuals who were fortunate
enough to be able to socially distance at home
during this crisis,” a NYC DSS-DHS spokesperson
said in a statement.
Read more on amny.com.
BOE releases updated results for local races
BY ZACH GEWELB
The city’s Board of Elections (BOE)
on Tuesday night, July 6, released
updated results from its preliminary
ranked-choice voting (RCV) calculations
for the Manhattan borough president race
and local City Council contests.
Results had been expected to be released
earlier, but following tabulation errors in
the mayoral race, the BOE elected to hold
off on revealing results for the local races.
According to the newly released results
for the borough president race, Mark
Levine currently holds the top spot with
53.7 percent of the vote (99,643 votes)
following seven rounds of RCV counting.
Brad Hoylman sits in second place with
46.3 percent of the vote.
Results are not yet offi cial — the BOE
expects to have certifi ed results by July 12.
In addition to the borough president
race, the BOE released preliminary results
for all of the City Council races in
Manhattan.
See the unoffi cial results below.
City Council District 1
Christopher Marte currently holds the
top spot among Democratic candidates,
having received 60.5 percent of the votes
(10,698 votes) following eight rounds of
RCV counting. Jenny L. Low fi nished in
second with 39.5 percent of the vote. Other
candidates include Susan Damplo, Sean C.
Hayes, Tiffany Johnson-Winbush, Susan
Lee, Gigi Li and Maud Maron.
City Council District 2
Incumbent Carlina Rivera received 72.4
percent of the vote (15,310 votes) with Erin
FILE PHOTO
Hussein trailing behind at 26.8 percent ,
according to Tuesday night’s results from
the city’s Board of Elections.Since there are
only two candidates in the race, a rankedchoice
voting count was not triggered.
City Council District 3
Erik D. Bottcher currently holds the
top spot among Democratic candidates,
having received 71.5 percent of the votes
(16,793 votes) following seven rounds of
RCV counting. Leslie Boghosian Murphy
fi nished in second with 28.5 percent of the
vote. Other candidates include Phelan D.
Fitzpatrick; Marni Halasa; Aleta A. LaFargue;
and Arthur Z. Schwartz.
City Council District 5
Julie Menin currently holds the top spot
among Democratic candidates after securing
56 percent of the vote (12,010 votes)
following six rounds of RCV counting.
Tricia M. Shimamura fi nished second with
44 percent of the vote. Other candidates include
Billy Freeland, Rebecca N. Lamorte,
Kim Moscaritolo, Christopher A. Sosa and
Marco A. Tamayo.
City Council District 6
Gale Brewer currently holds the top
spot among Democratic candidates after
receiving 54.9 percent of the vote (21,363
votes). Other Democratic candidates in the
race include Maria Danzilo (14.8 percent
of the vote); David Gold (4.7 percent); Sara
Lind (13.1 percent); Jeffrey Omura (9.9
percent); and Zachary Tov Weiner (2.4
percent). Because Brewer secured more
than 50 percent of the vote, a rankedchoice
voting recount was not triggered
in this race.
4 July 8, 2021 Schneps Media
/amny.com
