Residents furious over prison in their backyard

The nondescript building located at 182nd Street and 150th Avenue in Jamaica, which is actually a prison, is in the middle of a firestorm and has locals outraged.
City Councilmember James Sanders, Jr. held a community meeting where 50 residents voiced their concern over the prison and discussed ways about how they could have it removed from their community.
The prison started as a place where people awaiting deportation would be held. Then when the GEO group - a Florida based company in charge of running private jails all over the world - took over the Jamaica facility, they leased it to U.S. Marshals and now low-and medium-risk offenders occupy the prison.
“If they’re so proud of their prison put your name on it,” Sanders said. “You would not know it is a prison.”
Representatives for the GEO group did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Sanders and other community members led protests against the prison when the renewal of GEO’s lease came up for review. They thought they were going to get the prison removed, but GEO now has a year-by-year lease, and it is trying to sign a 20-year lease with government officials.
“We had them beat, but we let up the pressure,” Sanders said.
Sanders called on community members to contact their federally elected officials. He also told the crowd to reach out to their community boards and get their fellow residents involved in the protests and letter-writing campaigns.
The biggest concern with the prison is what happens if something goes wrong, according to Sanders
“Imagine they get out of jail,” he said. “The little piece of glass is not going to keep them out.”
Rebecca Morgan is one of the residents most affected by the prison. She lives along 146th Drive just a few blocks from the penitentiary.
“I hope they didn’t exist,” Morgan said. “Close it down. Burn it down. Do something about it.”
Morgan said she is afraid that if someone gets out of jail they will come to her house and harm her. She said because she is elderly and she lives alone, it is a fear she has to deal with almost daily.
Also located near the prison is P.S. 251 a school for kindergarten through 3rd grade.
Nicola Blake-Powell said she first heard about the facility in September and it worried her because she has a six-year-old who attends the school.
When she first heard about the prison, Blake-Powell said she was shocked to learn it was so close to where little children go to school. She mentioned plans to try to get the other parents involved in the movement to get rid of the prison.
“Now that I know [about the prison], I have to get involved,” Blake-Powell said.
The next protest march is scheduled for November 10 at 11:45 a.m. beginning at Springfield Park and going forward to the prison.