Feb. 6, 2015 By Michael Florio
A peaceful protest is expected to take place Saturday in front of the Westway Motel calling for the shelter to be shutdown.
The protest, which was planned earlier this week, originally called for the removal of James Bryant, a level two sex offender, from the shelter. However, the public was informed yesterday that Bryant had gone.
The protest is now calling for the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) to close the shelter.
Posters have been placed throughout the neighborhood—such as on car windshields and on walls– urging residents to attend.
The posters state that the community has lost faith in DHS and it needs to be closed.
“DHS recklessly endangered our children’s safety by housing a convicted child molester…against the wishes or consultation of local residents.”
The organizers of the protest, who have be unavailable to reach, wrote on the poster:
“We have succeeded in forcing DHS to remove this sex offender. But our goals are not fully met,” it reads. “We demand the closure of Westway Motel as a DHS operated homeless shelter.”
The residents are not alone in expressing their outraged over recent events at the shelter.
“The presence of a sex offender at the Westway was the latest example of DHS’ continuing pattern of failing to properly inform our community of developments related to this location,” State Sen. Mike Gianaris said in a statement this morning.
He added that he will continue to work with other local politicians to resolve the troubling actions being taken at the Westway Motel.
“We deserve better,” he said.
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5 Comments
Great Job! I would love the place torn down and proper housing put in its place. It does not belong here
I live in the hell hole, the west way hotel. This place is horrible no one should live in these condition, half the time there is no heat or water the food they serve is terrible it makes the children sick all the time , the staff only cares about their paycheck. We don’t having a housing specialist to help move families out of here and the number one thing they don’t care about our children, they never told us they had a sex offender in here. This place needs to be torn down . I agree with the residents out here and I wish you would come protest everyday
Their will be a protest feb 14 2015 at 10am. We are urging the westway residents to come out and protest with us. Let’s stand together as one community and expose DHS and WIN. Let our voices be heard that we cannot and will not treat our homeless this way. Spread the word at westway to join our protest this saturday
I WISH I HAD KNOW ABOUT THIS PROTEST, I WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE WITH BELLS ON. THIS BLIGHT ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD MUST BE SHUT DOWN. CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER, WHAT IS NEXT MURDERERS? SHUT THIS HELLHOLE DOWN NOW!
Their will be a protest every Saturday at 10am from now on, till we close this place down. Your welcome to come, if you love your community and bring friends and family!!!