Local Pols Rip Mayor's Decision To Move Homeless Out Of Lucerne

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Words were not minced outside the steps of The Lucerne hotel on the Upper West Side.

Tuesday night, news broke that the city had decided to move homeless shelter residents in the next two weeks out of The Lucerne, where they had been since the end of July, to a different location in Lower Manhattan.

The city's decision to do so came after a newly formed nonprofit called West Side Community Organization hired high-profile lawyer and former Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro, who threatened to sue the city if the shelter residents weren't moved out of The Lucerne.

The Department of Homeless Services refused to comment to The New York Times on whether the threat of legal action inspired the move.

In a news conference Wednesday outside the Lucerne, local politicians lambasted the mayor's decision to move the residents and criticized the influence of Mastro. The event was organized by the UWS Open Hearts Initiative, a coalition of Upper West Side neighbors who supported the homeless shelter residents staying at The Lucerne. A large group of those residents joined the elected officials and organizations in front of the hotel.

"The mayor should be ashamed of himself," said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. "And I'm here to remind the mayor in case he's forgotten, the people that are in these hotels and shelters are humans."

City Council Member Helen Rosenthal, who represents the Upper West Side and has been a central figure in the local homeless shelter conversation, was also quick to criticize de Blasio's decision and his comments Wednesday morning about the subject.

"What I find most disturbing at the mayor's press conference when asked about this situation, he said over the weekend he had driven around the Upper West Side and seen things not to his liking, for that reason, he moved people out of this shelter," Rosenthal said.

"It's a sad day when the mere threat of a lawsuit could make City Hall reverse a decision," she added.

Rosenthal also revealed that the city "hastily" moved women and children in the middle of the night out of a shelter on East 31st Street, where The Lucerne shelter residents will be relocated.

A shelter resident staying at The Lucerne who was exiting the building gave an impromptu speech about how he wanted to better his life by finding a job and working, and his comments were met by a large cheer.

Williams and Rosenthal were joined as speakers by state Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, state Sen. Brad Hoylman, Executive Director Dave Giffen of the Coalition for the Homeless, Josh Goldstein of the Legal Aid Society, a representative from Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer's office, and Corinne Low of the UWS Open Hearts Initiative.

"I'm devastated to see the city move these shelter residents around like chess pieces," Low said.

The majority of the speakers mentioned that despite Mastro's statement that the move would allow the residents to now get the supportive services they need, the services would actually be the exact same since Project Renewal is still overseeing the residents, but now they'll just have to start over from scratch in the new shelter location.

The West Side Community Organization, which was created by members of the Facebook group Upper West Sider for Safer Streets, released a statement Wednesday: "The decision to move 300 troubled individuals out of the Lucerne Hotel into state-accredited shelters where they will receive on-site support and treatment was an important step for all New Yorkers. No one in any neighborhood should be made to feel unsafe, and everyone who needs help should get it."

The news conference came to a close with a call to action.

Low said she'd like an announcement by the end of the day that Mastro will donate his fee from the West Side Community Organization to Project Renewal.

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