Some East Elmhurst residents call for the city to close migrant shelter
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EAST ELMHURST, Queens (PIX11) -- Residents in Queens rallied Sunday, calling for the immediate closure of a migrant shelter in East Elmhurst. They cited a number of quality-of-life concerns.
Dozens of people who live in the community came out holding signs and chanting, all united in their calls to shutter the shelter on Ditmars Boulevard.
“I’m not saying everybody that lives here has ulterior motives as far as crime is concerned, but it spreads out into the community," said East Elmhurst resident Rico Albacarys. "The good ones and the bad ones. I’ve had people knocking on my door — the 25 years that I’ve lived there — asking for cans and bottles. That’s unheard of.”
Demonstrators stood outside the shelter voicing their concerns, including demanding that the site, a former hotel, be returned to its original purpose as an active hotel.
“So that it can bring funds back into the community, and it can bring work because back in the days, people worked at these hotels," said Talea Wufka, who lives in the area.
The rally comes as just last week police say a migrant, whose last known address is the shelter on Ditmars Boulevard, shot two police officers on Monday. Investigators said that the shooting happened near 23rd Avenue and 82nd Street, which is a 10-minute drive from the facility.
A spokesperson for the city’s Department of Social Services says, however, the migrant accused of shooting the officers left the facility a few weeks before the incident.
The spokesperson also said in a statement:
“… the alleged perpetrator was not residing at this location when this incident took place, and the incident did not take place at or around the shelter location. We provide comprehensive and robust security services across our sites while maintaining open lines with the community to ensure we are addressing any concerns as they arise.”
Still, residents said the neighborhood is over-saturated with homeless shelters and are calling on the city to relocate the facility to another area.
“There’s so many shelters in this neighborhood," East Elmhurst resident Cristina Marie said. "You got one here, you have one on the corner, then you have two more on Astoria Boulevard and there’s just too many here. It’s not a problem of us not wanting to help people. However, not everyone in here’s intentions are good.”
DSS did not mention any potential plans to relocate the facility, only adding that a secure and safe environment is a top priority.