L to R: Paul King, Capt. Carol Hamilton, Donald Cranston, NYC Councilwoman Joann Ariola, Dr. Ted Long, and Ira Tannenbaum. Photo by John Schilling
Residents from all over Rockaway and Brooklyn poured into the auditorium of P.S. 114 at 400 Beach 135th Street in Belle Harbor on Tuesday, March 19, as the Belle Harbor Property Owners Association (BHPOA), Neponsit Property Owners Association (NPOA), and Rockaway Civic Association (RCA) hosted a joint meeting to address concerns about the Floyd Bennett Field migrant shelter as the summer months draw near.
“We’re all concerned about what’s going to happen in Rockaway this summer, given our new neighbors in Floyd Bennett Field and some of the problems we’re already experiencing,” BHPOA President Paul King said in opening remarks. “We’re going to [dedicate] most of our time to everything regarding the migrants and the impact on our safety, our quality of life, health and evacuation.”
BHPOA President Paul King. Photo by John Schilling
Heading into Tuesday’s meeting, tensions were already running high, as rumors emerged on social media earlier in the day that the New York City Office of Emergency Management (NYC OEM) has “a contingency plan” to establish a migrant shelter at Fort Tilden in the Roxbury section of Breezy Point. The source of the rumor was Guardian Angels founder and 77 WABC radio host Curtis Sliwa, who appeared on “Sid & Friends In The Morning” on Tuesday morning and claimed that the planned shelter would be used to house migrants fleeing from the ongoing violence and political unrest in Haiti.
At the start of the meeting, King addressed “the elephant in the room” and shared that he contacted the National Park Service (NPS), as well as the offices of U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks and U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, to verify Sliwa’s claims. King said NPS and Meeks’ office both responded that they “hadn’t heard anything” about Fort Tilden.
“There’s no reason to panic,” King said. “We’ll have our guard up.”
“We have to stay united against migrants and illegal activities in our community,” added NPOA President Amanda Agoglia. “If you see something, say something.”
Shortly after, NYC Councilwoman Joann Ariola addressed the crowd and dispelled the rumors about Fort Tilden.
“There will not be Haitian immigrants brought here to Fort Tilden,” Ariola said, resulting in applause. “Now [Sliwa] may turn around and say, ‘Joann Ariola lied to you. She said they wouldn’t go to Floyd Bennett Field,’ but that’s a lie.”
Ariola clarified that her previous dismissal of Sliwa’s claims from almost a year ago were about the Crossbay Motor Inn in Ozone Park and the Surfside Motel in Howard Beach becoming homeless shelters, not Floyd Bennett Field becoming a migrant shelter.
NYC Councilwoman Joann Ariola. Photo by John Schilling
“Floyd Bennett [Field] was always on the radar because the governor of this state wrote to the president and chose that property and gave the city no other choice but that property to put 2000 families,” Ariola said. “This type of sensationalism sells airtime, but what it does is it scares people from the community, and that’s what I’m here to stand in between,” she continued. “If anything did come to Fort Tilden, which it will not, we would be the first to find out…[and] I will be the first to let you know.”
In further remarks, Ariola also dispelled Sliwa’s additional claim that there are over 3000 migrants living at Floyd Bennett Field, noting that the lease only allows for a maximum of 2000 migrants.
Ariola then acknowledged the rest of the meeting’s panel, which included Capt. Carol Hamilton, the commanding officer of the 100th Precinct; Donald Cranston, a representative for NYS Assemblywoman Jaime Williams; Dr. Theodore “Ted” Long of NYC Health + Hospitals; and Ira Tannenbaum, the NYC OEM director of public/private initiatives. Each guest responded to questions and concerns that were previously submitted to the BHPOA.
When it came to public health concerns, Long, a primary care doctor, explained that when migrants first come to the city’s arrival centers, they are screened for COVID-19; skin conditions, including chickenpox and rubella; and active tuberculosis. Once arriving at Floyd Bennett Field, the migrants are offered various vaccines.
“What’s required is the communicable disease screenings at the arrival center,” Long explained. “What is offered and strongly recommended, but not required, is the vaccines.”
This information resulted in some shouts from the crowd, prompting King to remind everyone that the event wasn’t “an open forum.”
“It should be,” Brooklyn resident Ron Canterino responded. “That’s why we’re here.”
Rockaway and Brooklyn residents filled the P.S. 114 auditorium. Photo by John Schilling
As for evacuation route concerns, this part of the meeting also brought about frustration, as the question centered on how the 2000 migrants at Floyd Bennett Field could affect Rockaway residents’ ability to leave the peninsula in the event of a major storm. Tannenbaum responded by encouraging everyone to check their evacuation zone on NYC.gov/KnowYourZone.
“It will identify, for you, several different evacuation centers,” Tannenbaum said.
“This entire peninsula is in Zone 1,” he added. “The evacuation centers for coastal storms are located outside this storm surge zone.”
Donald Cranston and NYC Councilwoman Joann Ariola. Photo by John Schilling
Following this answer, Ariola and Cranston both addressed Tannenbaum, questioning why the burden is being put on tax-paying citizens and reminding him of the severity of coastal storms on Rockaway and Brooklyn residents.
“When we were out and did not have housing, we were not offered housing at Floyd Bennett Field,” Ariola said.“The people on this peninsula know what it’s like to be homeless…[and] to have to wait to get over that bridge, it’s going to be a problem.”
“Our schools are not evacuation sites,” Cranston added, referencing the migrants evacuating to Brooklyn’s James Madison High School on Jan. 9. “Our kids are not second-class citizens.”
The meeting then shifted to public safety concerns and what Rockaway residents can do to protect themselves from aggressive panhandlers or home invasions. Hamilton encouraged everyone to call 911 in the event of migrants trespassing, adding that they will respond accordingly upon arrival.
“He’s coming back with us in cuffs,” Hamilton said. “We’re doing our job.”
Some people remained unconvinced, as shouts from the crowd focused on police not arriving in time, the NYPD’s staffing shortage, and fears that anyone arrested will be back on the streets shortly after. Hamilton suggested “keeping them there” but also recommended setting up Ring cameras so that police can use the footage to investigate and make arrests at a later time.
Hamilton also addressed concerns about migrants setting up tents on the beach, which she clarified would be considered “a homeless encampment” that gets removed by the NYPD and New York City Department of Sanitation as soon as the person leaves since he or she can refuse help from social services.
Capt. Carol Hamilton of the 100th Precinct. Photo by John Schilling
As the meeting continued, the dissatisfaction from the crowd only grew more severe with some people opting to leave early and others going as far as to shout and curse at the panel to the point of police having to step in to ease the tension.
While some left the meeting with more questions than answers, Ariola’s message remained clear as people continued to express concerns about safety.
“You have a chance in November to change that,” Ariola said, encouraging people to vote for candidates committed to repealing bail reform and securing the border. “We need more police officers in our detail.”
“You need to go read who’s on the ballot [and] figure out what their stance is,” Cranston added. “You need moderate, common-sense people to represent you.”
After Cranston’s remarks, the remaining attendees all got up to leave, ending the meeting abruptly. The next day, NYS Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato, who was in Albany during the meeting, voiced her frustration that her two representatives present at the meeting were not able to speak.
“At this meeting, two members of my team were not acknowledged or given the opportunity to speak and provide updates,” Pheffer Amato told The Wave. “My office had some important updates regarding three bills that I have been working on with the NYC [Police Benevolent Association] to address public safety, and adjustments to Tier 6 pension plans. To hear that this meeting lost control and didn’t treat all representatives equally or with respect is disappointing.”
