Elmhurst Residents Protest Homeless Shelter, Shout, "Get a Job"
Hundreds of Elmhurst residents showed up outside of a meeting on Monday night to protest a new homeless shelter in their neighborhood. The Pam Am Hotel had recently been converted from a hotel into a shelter with little notice and Community Board 4 set up a meeting with shelter officials, government representatives and residents to…
Hundreds of Elmhurst residents showed up outside of a meeting on Monday night to protest a new homeless shelter in their neighborhood. The Pam Am Hotel had recently been converted from a hotel into a shelter with little notice and Community Board 4 set up a meeting with shelter officials, government representatives and residents to discuss the matter.
Protesters gathered outside of the Elks Lodge on Queens Boulevard carrying signs and shouting at shelter residents who arrived to speak in support of the shelter. Children yelled, “pay your rent,” “Shame on you,” and “get a job.” One held a sign that read, “2, 4, 6, 8, who do we NOT appreciate, hobos hobos hobos.”
People began moving into the shelter three weeks ago and there was little community notice because of the overwhelming need for shelter space according to city officials. Elmhurst residents said that their local schools were already overcrowded and they pointed out problems with another nearby shelter. When one person who did not live at the shelter spoke, encouraging compassion for the homeless and suggesting residents work with the shelter to find solutions she was booed by the crowd.
Homeless Shelter Residents Booed, Told to ‘Get a Job’ at Queens Protest [DNAinfo]
Photo: DNAinfo
Disgusting. Reasonable people may disagree on whether the shelter should be there. But to have people bring their kids to berate homeless people is unconscionable. Hobos? Really?
This is sad. I’m sure the last thing the families who are moving into the homeless shelter want feel is MORE resentment and complaining directly to their face about having moved there.
These folks certainly don’t want to be living in a shelter.
Where is the empathy? How about an offer to lend them some support? I live nearby here and if it is allowable and the shelter is serving families, I will be dropping off a child’s bike to make some kids summer a little more enjoyable.