As the evening began, residents gathered outside the Holiday Inn in Maspeth, Queens.
Many of them arrived with posters, megaphones, whistles, and even drums as they walked towards the building. The crowd ranged from young to older residents and even families.
They soon began to circle the front of the hotel with their signs. Their chants echoed “no homeless shelter” to the tune of their instruments.
This had been the scene outside the hotel for the past six weeks.
In August, city officials announced a proposal to convert the hotel into a homeless shelter for families with an opening date set for October 1. The plan was immediately met with opposition from residents who sought to prevent the conversion primarily due to safety concerns.
Since then, residents held demonstrations in front of the hotel every evening at 6:30 p.m. as well as a march and a public hearing. However Harshad Patel, owner of the Holiday Inn, announced the plan was canceled and he would not be going through with the plan on September 8, according to the New York Post.
Despite this, residents have continued protesting.
“I think the whole thing was for him to make us stop,” said Helen McGrath, owner of Hairitage Salon and resident of the neighborhood. She explained that after Patel’s announcement, he never communicated with protesters again and left them feeling uncertain about his statement. Although some residents believed they had succeeded in their efforts, McGrath believes it was actually a strategy aimed to bring an end to the protests.
McGrath, who has resided in the neighborhood for 30 years, has been actively involved in community efforts opposing the shelter since its announcement through her hair salon.
Currently, she sells white t-shirts with the inscription “No Illegal Homeless Shelter In Maspeth” at her business. The shirts cost $4.50 and she sells them for $10 and donates the remaining half to the effort. McGrath has also been issuing a special card with her signatures among her customers which contributes the entire cost of a haircut to the collection. The funds all go towards a fundraiser held by the community to hire a lawyer to file a lawsuit against the proposal. According to McGrath, they have raised about $40,000 and need to reach $100,000.
This would be the second lawsuit against the proposed shelter. In September, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley announced to residents she had a filed a lawsuit at a Community Board 5 hearing.
However, McGrath has expressed her doubts about its success since the lawsuit is based on the lack of kitchens in the rooms.
“We stand a better lawsuit. This place, it’s illegal to have residents there. It’s a commercial zone. It shouldn’t be for children or for adults,” said McGrath. This issue has been shared by protestors who argue the area is a commercial zone with no beneficial amenities for the homeless.
Protesters have also shown doubt towards their officials and have openly criticized them throughout this issue due to lack of their communication and appearances at demonstrations to support them.
“I think the people want to trust their elected officials and they want to rely on them but they they’re not willing to go into this with blind faith anymore,” said Michael Papa, a resident who has been active throughout the protests.
Papa was among residents who first heard about the proposal in August at a meeting at Martin Luther High School. At the conclusion of the meeting, he led the first rally at the hotel and was arrested.
Since then, Papa has attended the protests stating he has only missed one. He has played a prominent role as a speaker at demonstrations and participating by putting up signs, stages, and working with other organizers toward the same goal.
“My main concerns are quality of life issues, safety issues, and the biggest thing for me is really just the way the politicians and these nonprofits are earning money off the backs of hardworking taxpayers while helping no one, especially the homeless,” said Papa.
Papa’s sentiments resonate those of residents who believe the proposed shelter is the owners means of earning money through the city’s homeless problem rather than finding a permanent and inexpensive solution.
Despite expressing their concerns, protesters have felt characterized as being against the homeless by the media. Papa said he experienced this after being interviewed and reading the story with many of statements missing.
“They’re villainizing us and we’re not villains,” said Papa. “We’re good people, we’re families.”
McGrath shared similar sentiments stating, “We are not against the homeless. I don’t think the homeless should live in a warehouse, in a hotel like that.”
Although the shelter’s opening is uncertain, residents still have plans to protest at Patel’s other hotels and Gracie Mansion where Mayor de Blasio resides, according to a community meeting on Thursday. The efforts to gather lawyer funds will also continue.
“We need to go from door to door and this is my next step,” said McGrath. “I think I’m going to go with two or three more people together so we try to get every homeowner and every business owner.”