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Sliwa Busted at Rally Against Sl Nursing Home Being Converted to Migrant Shelter
Edited by: TJVNews.com
Over 200 protesters gathered outside a former nursing home in Staten Island, passionately chanting “Close the border!” in response to plans for its potential conversion into an emergency shelter for migrants, as was reported by the New York Post om Sunday. The demonstration was organized by Curtis Sliwa, the founder of Guardian Angels and a former mayoral candidate, who was among a group of demonstrators arrested by the police for blocking traffic during the protest, according to the Post report. The protest highlights the growing tensions and concerns surrounding the housing of illegal migrants in local New York City neighborhoods.
#NEW Today, Curtis Sliwa @CurtisSliwa was arrested, again, along with Scott Lobaido @ScottLoBaido and others. This time during a protest in Staten Island, against housing of migrants at Midland Beach former senior housing.
[email protected] to license pic.twitter.com/COOw458h5h
— FreedomNews.Tv FNTV (@FreedomNTV) August 20, 2023
Local residents expressed their anxieties about the proposed shelter and the presence of migrants in their community. The Post reported that some protesters, like Ray Thaisz, 66, emphasized their opposition to supporting individuals they consider “illegal,” while others, including retired nurse Claire O’Toole, 64, expressed worries about safety and questioned the identities and backgrounds of the potential shelter occupants.
“Don’t call them immigrants. Call them ‘illegals,’ ” Thaisz said outside the currently shuttered former Island Shores Senior Residences in the Midland Beach section of Staten Island, the Post report stated. “I don’t mind people coming here, but they’re coming here illegally, and then we have to support them.”
O’Toole said she just didn’t want the wave of migrants housed in her neighborhood. “I have four grandchildren,” said O’Toole, according to the Post report. “I don’t want this by my house. Why would I want that worry? They want to put 800 men here, but we have no idea who they are, period. Are they rapists? Are they murderers? Are they vaccinated? Do they speak English?”
Curtis Sliwa organized the demonstration and used civil disobedience tactics, urging participants to block traffic and occupy the former nursing home facility, the report in the Post indicated. He has been quite vocal in his opposition to shelters housing migrants who have crossed the southern border. This marks his second arrest related to migrant-related protests in less than a week. A few days ago, he was arrested on the grounds of the former Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in Queens, the report added.
NYPD perp walks Curtis Sliwa for blocking the road outside of a migrant shelter in Queens, NYC https://t.co/s9ehW7y1A1 pic.twitter.com/Y25B5z7WUu
— Elad Eliahu (@elaadeliahu) August 17, 2023
In a flyer announcing the demonstration, Sliwa wrote, “Arrests at the location are expected,” the Post reported.
“When I finish, we are gonna block this street,” the Guardian Angels chief told the crowd, according to the Post report. “You line up behind me … and the others who know what civil disobedience is. Let’s await the instructions of the cops.”
“We occupy this facility and dare them to arrest us,” he told the crowd. “We don’t want illegal aliens.”
The discussion about converting the Staten Island nursing home to a migrant shelter began last year when the facility was on the brink of being sold. As was reported by the Post, the sale would have required the relocation of 53 senior citizens from the assisted living facility. Local officials expressed concerns about the facility’s change of use, emphasizing the need to prioritize senior care and avoid disrupting existing health care options.
Mayor Eric Adams has been grappling with the influx of illegal migrants to New York City, with over 100,000 individuals arriving from the US-Mexico border since the previous spring, as was indicated in the Post report. The city is under pressure to provide shelter for these migrants, and a tent city has been erected on Randall’s Island to accommodate a portion of them, the report added. The large-scale site is expected to cost taxpayers $20 million monthly.
As discussions and decisions about housing for migrants continue, finding a balance between the city’s humanitarian responsibilities and the concerns of its residents remains a challenge.
