Hundreds Repeat Call To Stop Elm. Shelter
Weeks after an ugly, contentious demonstration, more than 500 people participated in a third, less heated protest last Tuesday, July 22, against the housing of homeless families at the former Pan American Hotel in Elmhurst.
Protestors directed their anger at Mayor Bill de Blasio and city government for allowing the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to use the former hotel into an emergency homeless shelter.
The previous rally held in June brought out about one thousand people and resulted in a shouting match between opponents and proponents, including exchanges of epithets. The anger was more subdued this time around, but residents remained peeved over the lack of community notification.
Members of the Chinese Association of Elmhurst, Communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together (COMET), the Elmhurst Block Association and the Filipino Association of Elmhurst expressed their fears that because of the shelter crime will rise and property values will plummet.
They distributed letters and circulated petitions demanding the shelter’s closure.
But crime has not actually increased near the shelter, according to Deputy Inspector Ronald Leyson, commanding officer of the 110th Precinct.
“We have a slight (overall) increase in crime in the 110th,” he said.
He did a 2000 ft. analysis of crimes in the area, “and that’s more than a third of a mile from here,” he said. “Crime has actually decreased (near the hotel).”
Leyson stated that the 110th Precinct has received unreported, second-hand complaints from COMETmembers, but of an increase in crime near the hotel, “it’s not substantiated,” he said.
Some protestors complained people living at the shelter have skipped out on their bills after eating at restaurants and have begun snatching items from area stores.
“The people around here, they make a lot of crime,” Elmhurst resident Chung Lee said. “They screwed up this neighborhood.”
“As far as crimes in the hotel, we have taken one domestic, Leyson said. “I began it (the analysis) from the day they moved in.”
“We do not have a crime increase in major crime since the residents moved in,” he added.
No extra officers, or police details have been deployed by the 110th Precinct, he stated.
The mostly Asian protestors held signs that read “Stop Dumping On Elmhurst,” “NobodyAsked Us,” “No Homeless Shelter” and “Mayor De Blasio Neglects Immigrants.” This last charge is a central issue motivating many protestors in the heavilyAsian community, some said.
In-between several speakers that used a megaphone, protestors also shouted, “no more shelters,”
S.J. Jung, a candidate for 16th State Senate District seat currently held by Toby Ann Stavisky, spoke, alternating between English and Chinese. Speakers comments were translated for the audience.
“We are here to demand an inclusive process,” he said. He urged protestors to “direct outrage to the government,” and not at the families living at the shelter.
During the protest a group of people, possibly shelter residents gathered at a window overlooking the rally and began to shout down, but their comments were inaudible.
Tensions on both sides flared at last month’s rally as rival protestors shouted insults at each other from across the street. Young people living at the shelter were bussed away to a movie to shield them from the protest, according to a DHS spokesperson.
Phil Orenstein, president of the Queens Village Republican Club, spoke at the rally. Amid excoriating the mayor for authorizing the PanAm to be used as an emergency shelter, he pledged his support in the effort to get it shuttered.
“We will not remain silent, we will not rest,” he said.” I will be with you every step of the way to make sure they hear the voice of our community.”
“Why do we want to stop this homeless shelter, the answer is because they are coming to our neighborhood next,” Orenstein said. “Mayor de Blasio is gonna dump a homeless shelter on every neighborhood in New York City.”
Elmhurst resident Rachel Lam said she believes, “the Asian community is being bullied by the government.”
“Because they know we don’t speak out. (But) when it comes to our families we speak out,” she added.
Bob Wong, chief coordinator for the Elmhurst Neighborhood Block Association told the Times Newsweekly he believes that Asians tend to be more humble, are from a culture of not speaking out and face language barriers that contribute to their interests being glossed over.
“If people can’t hear you, they can’t understand you,” he said.
Wong attended the protest to advocate for his neighborhood, he said
“I’m sure if they have a shelter conversion in your neighborhood, you would be concerned. This is our neighborhood.”
He is most angry over the lack of community input, and the city’s treatment of the homeless, he said.
“(They are) supposed to notify the community prior, not after,” Wong said. “They smuggled them in in May. If the community was notified, it would be much better.”
“We are sheltering people like they are animals or junk. I think that is unhealthy and inhuman.”
“They are families like you and me. Most of them don’t have jobs, but they are looking. We are protesting not against the people, but how they were moved in,” Wong said.
“Our beautiful neighborhood is gone,” Elmhurst resident Lai Yim said. “I used to have a very nice neighborhood.”
