8 TIMES • SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com Maspeth shelter war Maspeth shelter protesters plan to take up mayor on advice to picket Gracie Mansion BY ROBERT POZARYCKI [email protected] @robbpoz Don’t go to his home, go to my home instead. That was the advice Mayor Bill de Blasio gave on Sept. 16 to those protesting the proposed homeless shelter at a Maspeth hotel who picketed outside the Brooklyn home of Human Resources Administration Commissioner Steven Banks last week. In an interview with The Courier, Robert Holden, president of the Juniper Park Civic Association (JPCA), said his group and the Maspeth Middle Village Task Force (which organized the protest) wants to take up de Blasio on his challenge and is planning protests at both City Hall and Gracie Mansion. The group is working with others across the city opposed to the city’s ongoing shelter practices. He also defended the protest outside Banks’ home, noting that it was a “very successful” demonstration that raised public awareness over the Maspeth proposal. “If he’s going to bring these homeless shelters and affect our homes, we’re going to bring it to him,” Holden said. “All’s fair in love and war, as they say.” In an interview with WNYC-AM radio on Sept. 16, de Blasio charged that the protest, which drew three busloads of people from Maspeth opposed to the planned shelter at the Holiday Inn Express on 55th Road, was designed to intimidate Banks and the rest of the city from doing its job. The statements sparked an incredulous reaction from Holden. He pointed out that de Blasio had been involved in similar protests against city agencies before becoming mayor. “Since when are peaceful protests equivalent to ‘intimidation and threats’?” Holden asked. “The First Amendment guarantees the right of public assembly. As I recall, it was Mayor de Blasio who made sure he got arrested protesting the closure of Long Island College Hospital (in Brooklyn) while chanting, ‘No hospital, no peace.’” De Blasio was the city’s public advocate at the time of that particular protest. The anger at de Blasio isn’t limited to protesters. On Sept. 16, state Senator Joseph Addabbo called upon the mayor to directly address inquiries he made regarding details about the Maspeth shelter proposal which have, to date, been unanswered. Addabbo indicated that the lack of details regarding the plan led to numerous rumors being circulated about its use, “causing the real status of the plan to remain unknown by those it would affect the most.” “I truly believe that by improving the cooperative effort with elected offi cials and community residents, we can better address and serve the needs of those desperately seeking shelter,” Addabbo wrote in a letter to Mayor de Blasio. He requested a response to his correspondence by no later than Sept. 21. In the meantime, the task Community Board 5 voted against the proposed homeless shelter at the Holiday Inn site in Maspeth. force is planning to march this weekend outside the Long Island home of Harshad S. Patel, who owns the Holiday Inn Express. The Maspeth Middle Village Task Force argues that, because of past attempts to bribe a public offi cial, Patel should be disqualifi ed from doing business with the city. “We are protesting at Patel’s house in Floral Park next,” said Tony Nunziato, chair of the Maspeth Middle Village Task Force and Republican candidate for the 30th Assembly District seat. “If the players here won’t come and Photo: Anthony Giudice/RIDGEWOOD TIMES talk to us, we’ll show up on their doorsteps.” Earlier this month, Patel announced that he was withdrawing his support of the plan, but the city indicated negotiations for the shelter were ongoing. Board 5 votes down the proposal BY ANTHONY GIUDICE [email protected] @A_GiudiceReport The proposed homeless shelter at the Holiday Inn Express at 59-40 55th Rd. in Maspeth got an overwhelming thumbs down from Community Board 5 (CB 5) during the advisory body’s meeting on Sept. 14 at Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village. Members voted 33-4 in favor of the board’s resolution to oppose the homeless shelter and recommendations to Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) on how to handle the city’s increasing homelessness crisis. CB 5 formally recommended four ways that Mayor de Blasio and the HRA/DHS should consider to better deal with the city’s homeless population. The board suggests that the city should try to fi nd reasonably sized apartments for homeless individuals and families and subsidize the rent for a period of time instead of paying to house people in shelters and hotels; renovate vacant apartments under the jurisdiction of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA); acquire and renovate abandoned and vacant residential buildings; and prioritize quality mental health services, substance abuse prevention and intervention services, and education and employment training to prevent people from becoming homeless in the fi rst place. Sarah Feldman, one of the board members who voted against the resolution, gave a heartfelt speech about her experience as a teen when she and her family suddenly found themselves without a home and the damage that did to her family. In 2001, Feldman and her family were visiting New York City when a major fl ood destroyed her family’s home in Houston, Texas, leaving them basically homeless. Feldman said she and her family were lucky that they found places to stay, but many others were not so lucky. “I know there’s a lot of stuff going on in Maspeth and I understand where you’re coming from, and I’m for you guys, but I will say give some dignity to those people who are homeless, to the kids because they are going to have a hard time in their schools, their grades are going to falter and their families might fall apart because they don’t have a place to stay,” Feldman said in a shaky voice. “I am for all of you in Maspeth … just have some empathy for those people. You do not know them. It could happen to all of you. You could have a lot of money, you could have a nice home, but it could happen to you.” The fate of the Holiday Inn site is currently in limbo. Last week, the owner of the hotel, Harshad Patel, said he was backing out of a deal with the city to convert his establishment into a homeless shelter, but no city agency has released an offi cial statement regarding the future of the plan.
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