By: Tori Manuel
BROOKLYN — In the past year, hundreds of thousands of people from around the world have been rapidly migrating to New York City at an overwhelming rate, pushing local humanitarian responses to their utmost limits. Established homeless shelters have long ago been filled, which sparked the necessity to experiment with larger make-shift venues such as the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown, Manhattan.
The hotel quickly became viewed as the epicenter of the migrant crisis this summer and eventually dozens of asylum seekers were left with no choice but to sleep on the sidewalks in front of the location once the building became overcrowded as well. The outcome was predictable to many, but the sight was still disheartening as the public was left to wonder how all of these people were assured to be taken care of in the first place.
As NYC approaches its “breaking point” in capacity and available resources, recently Mayor Eric Adams has voiced his dire concerns and frustrations regarding the crisis, contrary to his initial confidence in the city’s capabilities of housing migrants earlier this year.
“Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to,” Adams began during a town hall meeting covered by NBC News. “... I don’t see an ending to this. This issue will destroy New York City.”
Mayor Adams resorted to requesting federal assistance as well as conducting a four-day trip to Mexico City and other destinations in Latin America in October to reiterate realistic expectations to those looking to cross the border.
“Our hearts are full and endless, but our resources are not,” Adams stated during a virtual press briefing held from Quito, Ecuador with coverage from Forbes. “All groups that attempt to come to America, they do so because they believe in ‘the American dream.’ In order for us to not have that dream turn into a nightmare, we must stabilize the situation that we are seeing.”
One of the latest stabilization attempts on Adams’ behalf was the push to house asylum seekers at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York. To natives of the Marine Park neighborhood in Brooklyn such as myself, this former aircraft location and desolate area does not associate itself with feelings of sanction and security. Floyd Bennett Field is a national park infamous for its recreational activities as locals frequently take advantage of the open space to practice driving, camping, fishing, and to access the local Aviator Sports Center.
The field is left exposed to the elements all year long and is not conveniently located close to any amenities unless traveling by car or with the use of the single bus route that runs close by. The site has also accumulated countless safety concerns such as management in case of a fire as the FDNY confirmed the absence of local fire hydrants upon initial site inspection. Recently, the field also proved itself to be prone to flooding following heavy rains.
The shelter has been referred to as a “makeshift tent city” serving as a dormitory to temporarily house a maximum of 2,000 migrants, although exceeding capacity may not be an issue.
Upon arrival, many asylum seeking families immediately turned back around, refusing to stay at the location while reiterating many of the concerns local government and community members have been stating for weeks. Many parents complained about the isolated location making it more difficult to commute to their jobs, their children’s schools, and anywhere else of necessity. As of last week, only 13 families chose to stay at the site.
New Yorkers are now expressing concerns regarding the city’s funding and what budget cuts were made in order for these shelters to be created.
According to CBS News, New York City Police Department hiring, including school safety services, along with sanitation, education, and library funding will all be at the front of these painful cuts spanning over hundreds of millions of dollars.
As the city’s resources are rampantly depleting during this crisis, all eyes are now turned toward our local officials, readily awaiting plans to prevent the overcrowding from surpassing its limit even further.
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