Tuesday, October 11, 2016

City Hall tries to fool public into thinking that filling a shelter means that Maspeth "won"


From PIX11:

The city has ruled it won't turn the Maspeth Holiday Inn Express into a full homeless shelter because its ardent opposition but locals are still furious homeless men were snuck in without any notification.

"One of the changes I wanted to make was to create a process in which we open shelters and we give the community notification," NYC Homeless Services Commissioner Steven Banks said during an August 11 community meeting in Maspeth, where tempers flared over the proposed conversation of the Holiday Inn Express off the Long Island Expressway.

On Monday, residents were out on full force again as they have been for nearly every night in the last two months. But this evening was unlike any other as the city quietly moved in 25 homeless men.

Bryan Barnwell, a Democratic nominee for the 30th District, watched the entire process unfold Monday at approximately 2:30 p.m.

"I said to myself this looks kind've fishy so I investigated," Barnwell said. "We go to back entrance and go to the back of property to see what's going on and I see an empty van there with 10 people in it. They were adult males."

Barnwell believes the city snuck homeless men "100 percent."

The Department of Homeless Services responded to the protests in a statement to PIX11.

"Due to local opposition to housing homeless New Yorkers, we have not been able to convert this site into a full shelter at this time. We are renting rooms for employed single adults and providing onsite services and security."

Holiday Inn Express management had no comment in response to the city moving homeless adults into the hotel.

________________________________

Ok folks, lets translate what is going on here. Carefully read the city's quote: "we have not been able to convert this site into a full shelter at this time", and zone in on the phrase "at this time".

This says in a sneaky way that the city has no plans of abandoning its plan to make this entire hotel a shelter. They are starting with 30 individuals, and will build it up slowly until a good portion of the shelter is filled. And not with "adult couples" as was told to the residents of Maspeth, but with single males. Note also how they emphasized that those males will be "employed" but fail to mention the substance abuse problems expected (which their job ads indicate will be something to deal with). Then we'll see a contract submitted for a permanent shelter, and the Holiday Inn sign will come down.

Spinning it to make it seem like the community "won" allows the press to get their clickbait for a day, while confusing readers into thinking this is somehow "over".

It doesn't appear that the good people of Maspeth have fallen for it, however. According to most reports, the protests are set to continue, and several road trips are in the works.

In recent years, we've lived through 5 terms of Mike Bloomberg and Rudy Giuliani combined, and over all that time, haven't seen anything like the propaganda and lies put forth in 3 short years under this mayor. It's truly astounding.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

I knew they would try to do something like this. Sneaky and underhanded.
I also know this is a shelter. These individuals are not paying for this and receiving the perks as a paying hotel guest. These individuals are there because we taxpayers are paying for this.
They will wait for the protests to stop and then sneak more in and suddenly it will be a full time shelter.
Do I think we won? If we won no one would be there but paying guests.
The fight still continues. This is just a new ploy to get them in by renting out hotel rooms.

(sarc) said...

They have always played this shell game.

You are just starting to scratch the surface of this entire scam perpetrated by our supposed leaders.

The protests have stopped and the city has won...

Anonymous said...

Maspeth won?!? What did we win? Partial shelter? That is call winning?

Anonymous said...

Communities should stop suing individually and bring a class action suit against Mayor DeBlasio and DHS. Amongst complaints should be cronyism and using taxpayer money to get rich off of the homeless. If we do this it will be yet another investigation into his administration that he cannot afford. We need to organize on a larger scale.

How can we do this and who can organize the fight?

Joe Moretti said...

File complaints to Holiday Inn Express headquarters at:

https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/customer-care/forms/comment

Also write a review on Yelp.

Boycott Holiday Inn Expresses all over!

Anonymous said...

Maybe Christina Wilkinson and Bob Holden can convince Tony Avella to organize communities across the city. They seem very active in the fight against hoteling the homeless and seem to know Avella well.

Anonymous said...

"The protests have stopped and the city has won..."

The protests have stopped? Is this guy serious? Was he there last night?

Anonymous said...

‘If there is hope,it lies in the proles.’... Keep fighting people, we are approaching the end of our democratic society if behaviour like this goes unchecked. Throw the bum (and his cohorts) out.

JQ LLC said...

check out this website's agitprop about the city's, um, scrapping of their shelter plan because of, um, local opposition. (some fancy marginalizing a constituency there)

http://gothamist.com/2016/10/10/post_181.php

That Patel guy was lying all the time about bowing out and his supposed concern about the people in the towns where his hotels are. Acacia is a criminal enterprise.

The poverty pimp game is just too irresistible to quit.

Anonymous said...

Nobody wins the war in Maspeth, just a couple of battles.
As long as NYC politicians view it as Queens largest toilet, everything that the favored nabes in Queens don't want will be dumped there.
Ram your fight up the crooked pols' asses, wherever they live.
Turn up the heat and NEVER give up until Maspeth gets treated like the first class place that it really is.
Maspeth is heartland America! Never forget that , you crooked Liz Crowleys!

LibertyBoyNYC said...

Question #1: How'd the press know to show up in force last night?
Answer: Because the mayor issued a press release that the mayor's office thought would placate Maspeth and upon arriving at an empty street the mayor's office could sell the narrative that the community gave up and put out an all-points bulletin that all is well, enjoy crisp weather knowing how awesome De Blah Blah is.
Question #2: What kind of BS is saying a hotel is a 51% or 49% shelter? WTF does that mean?
Answer: It's the worst kind of BS, the BS that utterly baffles. Nobody even understands it. Can a word have 51% of its meaning? If one man is sheltered, then it's a shelter. Just more empty semantics from cheap-suit litigation clowns like Banks.
Question #3: What is the logic behind shuttling homeless people in place back and forth between shelters?
Answer: Because when you have free money and no inhibitions, no morals, no accountability, no real-world experience, and no scruples, you tend to do things with said money that lack any semblance of morality, accountability, wisdom, and scrupulousness. For example, how can a community reach out to people and help them on a holistic basis if the people are constantly moved around? That's right, the community can't possibly help them nor can the people be possibly helped. The mayor's office also wants to create the illusion of temporary sheltering by moving its human pieces around the board.
Question #4: What is the goal of all this?
Answer: It's an election year and all kinds of miserable activities are going down, stuff you could never imagine. Look warily upon government - a suit is cheap. "Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather," says the Lord in Matthew 24.

Anonymous said...

Protesting is a good tool in order to be heard, but we need to do something on a grander scale. It didn't do much for the residents by Pan Am. We've managed to antagonize DiBlasio, but only made him more defiant. He has an agenda and intends to see it through no matter what. This Mayor is not a man of reason and taking care of his buddies who will return the favor when he's out of office is clearly on his agenda.

We need to think bigger!

Anonymous said...

Hell hath no fury like a mayor scorned.

Anonymous said...

The majority voted for the mayor to serve,get over it snowflake,if you don't like it Move out,plenty of poor people will take your place gladly,
I vote for Democrats who raise taxes on the middle class,Why you ask?
YOU GAVE IT ALL AWAY WITH YOUR CARELESSNESS AND STUPIDITY and I WILL TAKE WHAT EVER MY ELECTED OFFICIALS GIVE ME CAUSE IT'S FRÈEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

Anonymous said...

"The majority voted for the mayor to serve..."

Since when is garnering about 17% of registered voters the majority?

Anonymous said...

Go to North Brother Island and rehab the abandoned psychiatric hospital that is still there. Send the homeless there.

Anonymous said...

17 percent is a majority when it the winner,it's simple math.

Anonymous said...

Dumb people use a gun to rob money
Smart people use the polling booth.
I'M WITH HER.

Anonymous said...

"17 percent is a majority when it the winner,it's simple math."

That is just simple minded. The majority did not vote.

Anonymous said...

The Mayor is pissed at Maspeth and we are in his crosshairs. Keep an eye on the nearby Comfort Inn.

Anonymous said...

Right come Election Day that is when WE have a say.
I wonder how much this owner is making on this deal and how Holiday Inn Express is making on this deal?
The money has to be there besides tax payers money. Some secret under the table deal to house these people in.
Hey I do not have an issue with homeless people. I have an issue with this mayor and the DHS who think warehousing these people in just a hotel and forgetting them is wrong.
Besides where is the transparency here? Why is everything hush hush and move them in on a Holiday? Trying to catch people off guard?
Well it did not work.
30 today how many more by Friday?

Anonymous said...

The Mayor is pissed at Maspeth and we are in his crosshairs. Keep an eye on the nearby Comfort Inn.


now now dear people, you have an entire line of elected officials that will serve your interests, and protect you from that nut in city hall: albany, city council, boro hall.

where are they? why are you giving them a free pass?

Anonymous said...

We won? Really? There are 30 homeless men there as the hotel owner rents it to the DHS. Once again on taxpayers again.
Question...how did you choose the 30 from the 250 "residents of Maspeth". You know the ones who gave Maspeth as their last known
address? I would like to know how they were chosen?


Did you draw straws?

Anonymous said...

Notice more and more transients in the neighborhood? Yes you give them a hotel room but you kick them all out between 9-5. So of course you more panhandling, more of them sleeping on benches and just roaming around until they can go back to their hotel room.
Tents are popping up and the man who hangs out at the gas station on Maurice was asked about the hotel. Sad but the guy prefers outside.
Wonder why? Probably feels safer outside then inside.

Anonymous said...

"The money has to be there besides tax payers money." No, it is all tax money that is being handed out by the millions to the Homeless Industry. Some $ from NYC, some from NY State and some from the Feds but all out of the taxpayers pockets. Fear not, there is plenty more where that came from.

Anonymous said...

OK, Acacia is advertising a job listing for a case worker with an education of an "Associate Degree"?????!!! Who is this for, a former homeless/substance abuser who got a free ride at a CUNY Community College???? Most social workers need a minimum of a Bachelor's and must achieve a Masters degree (MSW) to be licensed. Shows the quality of Acacia. Restler go back to Canada so that you can help your Dad to Enron some other workers, instead of screwing our communities in Queens!!