24 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 10, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Homeless seek an elusive safe refuge in the subways
BY BEN FRACTENBERG, GABRIEL SANDOVAL
AND JOSE MARTINEZ, THE CITY
Th is story was originally published on Oct. 8,
2019 by THE CITY.
Th e beating deaths of four homeless men sleeping on
the streets of Chinatown early Saturday shocked the city.
But for some New Yorkers without a permanent home,
the killings confi rmed an unease that has them avoiding
city streets and shelters overnight, afraid for their safety.
Many fi nd refuge in the subways. But life underground
is getting tougher.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced plans to
hire 500 new MTA cops to deal with various issues.
Meanwhile, as THE CITY reported last week, the NYPD
is now using surveillance cameras to keep tabs on the
homeless in a dozen stations.
Against this backdrop, THE CITY spoke with some
people who regularly seek shelter in the subway system.
Here’s what they told us:
‘MY SAFE HAVEN’
Joseph Brown seeks shelter in the Times Square station
on Monday. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Word about the killings of the four men didn’t reach
Joseph Brown until Monday.
When the news spread Sunday, Brown was busy dealing
with the loss of clothing he said was stolen while he
was sleeping.
“Now I’ve got to start all over again,” said Brown, 52,
who tugged a suitcase and a shopping cart at the 42nd St.-
Port Authority station.
He doesn’t like shelters. And won’t sleep on sidewalks,
like the men who lost their lives Saturday.
“Th at’s unsafe,” Brown said. “I go on the train. Th at’s
my safe haven.”
Still, he added: “Th e subway is dangerous, too.”
LESSONS FROM 35 YEARS
Donna Moody-Scott has been staying in Penn Station
for 25 years. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Donna Moody-Scott, who said she’s been homeless
for 35 years, noted it took her a decade to stop worrying
about being hassled by cops. As she put it, she learned to
say “the hell with the police.”
She said she’s been staying in Penn Station on and off
for a quarter-century. Th e 60-year-old won’t go to a shelter,
saying she’s through being harassed by homeless men
and shelter workers.
“Th ey say they want to protect you, but you can be
raped in the shelter,” Moody-Scott said.
SICK OF ROBBERIES
Peter Johnson is able to access Atlantic Ave-Barclays
Center. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Peter Johnson sometimes stays at the Atlantic Ave.-
Barclays Center station. Th at’s because the elevator there
can accommodate his wheelchair.
Johnson, 58, said he’d been living at an accessible shelter
in Greenpoint, but left for safety reasons.
“Th ey’re always stealing and robbing people,” said
Johnson, a former kitchen worker. “Th ey robbed me
three times in there — took two cell phones and a pair
of shoes.”
SAFE ON THE SUBWAY
Gavin Darden says he shift s between staying on the
street and subways. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Gavin Darden sat on a platform bench at the Forest
Hills-71st Avenue station in Queens, wearing tattered
shoes and keeping a large suitcase close to him. “Just
some toiletries,” he explained.
Darden, 32, said he split his time between the streets
and the subways: “I just come down here to watch people,
to walk around, to ride the trains.”
He won’t go to city shelters.
“I don’t need any help down here,” Darden said.
‘IT’S COLD OUT THERE’
Trillion Star says he has been battling homelessness for
nine years. Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
A man who goes by “Trillion Star” said he’s had mixed
dealings with the police.
But he said he appreciates the kindness of some offi cers
he’s met aft er falling asleep on the train and winding up
at the end of the line.
“Th ey just want to know if they can get me a coffee,
something hot,” he said. “Because it’s cold out there
sometimes.”
Th e 38-year-old Queens native said he “couldn’t even
dream” he’d ever be without a home. But aft er nine years,
he’s got his subway routine down.
“I like to be off the street at night,” he said.
‘IT’S JUST A HOME’
Carl Robinson says he’s been homeless in New York
since 1985. Photo: Gabriel Sandoval /THE CITY
Carl Robinson was glad to share his observations from
a platform bench at the 34th Street-Herald Square station,
but not his age. Th e burly, bearded man, who uses
a cane, said he didn’t want to deal with any “age discrimination.”
Robinson, who noted he’s been without a home since
1985, said homeless people became “public enemy No.
1” during former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s administration.
While he prefers the trains to the street or shelters, “No
place is safe in the world anymore.”
Robinson said there’s “a very simple solution” to homelessness.
“It’s called a home,” he said. “It’s just a home, nothing
complicated.”
Th is story was originally published by THE CITY,
an independent, nonprofi t news organization dedicated
to hard-hitting reporting that serves the people of
New York.
Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Joseph Brown seeks shelter in the Times Square station on
Monday.
Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Donna Moody-Scott has been staying in Penn Station for 25
years.
Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Peter Johnson is able to access Atlantic Ave-Barclays Center.
Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Gavin Darden says he shifts between staying on the street and
subways.
Photo: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Trillion Star says he has been battling homelessness for nine
years.
Photo: Gabriel Sandoval /THE CITY
Carl Robinson says he’s been homeless in New York since 1985.
/WWW.QNS.COM
