On Sundays, there are protests that are held in front of the church. I, as a resident of Ozone Park, have seen these protests held before. I used to see people protesting in front of the building in opposition to the program. On Saturday, November 29th, 2015, I visited the protest site. However, when I arrived, I found out from the other residents in the area that the protests were shut down. I asked the resident that told me about the protest other questions about the program.
When I saw the protest site early in the year, it just looked like a church, however, when I saw the building on November 29th, it started to look more like a prison, all dark and gloomy. As I observed the site of the new Delinquent center, I saw that the building looks more like a church than a delinquent center. However, the structure is starting to look more like a prison than a church. There are iron gates on the windows as well as the doors that prevent people from leaving or entering the building without the consent of others. When I visited the location in April, there were protestors walking around with signs that expressed their opposition to the program. There were also police cars surrounding the site to prevent anyone from getting physically violent or out of control. They do not stop the residents from actually protesting but they are there for the protection of everyone’s rights.
My view of this issue is that its not right how mayor de Blasio decided to place a prison in my neighborhood. I believe this to be a prison rather than a delinquent center because these are real felons who committed major crimes against society and by allowing them to live in my neighborhood as opposed to living in his neighborhood just shows how secure de Blasio feels about the issue.