Massive crowd of Staten Islanders protests migrant housing at former St. John Villa Academy
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Silive.com: Massive crowd of Staten Islanders protests migrant housing at former St. John Villa Academy
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- An estimated 1,000 people — Staten Island residents and many community activists — flocked to the former St. John Villa Academy in Arrochar Wednesday night to protest a 300-bed migrant shelter slated to be operational on the campus by the end of the week.
Parents, area residents and community activists rallied outside the former school at 57 Cleveland Pl. against housing migrants in the largely residential neighborhood, which includes three surroundings schools -- St. Joseph Hill Academy Elementary School, St. Joseph Hill Academy High School and PS 39.
By 6:30 p.m., a half hour before the start of the rally, more than 100 people had gathered around the former school. And by 7 p.m. there were more than 500 people gathered seven lines deep across the street from the campus. At the height of the event, estimates put the crowd at 1,000 people.
State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/Brooklyn), a graduate of St. John Villa Academy, also raised concerns on Tuesday about the impact the migrant housing would have on the city’s plans to turn the location into a public education campus.
“Housing migrants here will likely be just another setback in giving the community the school they deserve. As a graduate of [Villa], I refuse to let that happen,” she said. “It is extremely concerning, once again, that local representatives and community members, who know their districts best, were blindsided and not part of the decision process. This area is not suited to handle the influx of people. I am disappointed the administration would have this site in consideration, let alone move forward with it.”
Scarcella-Spanton wasn’t alone in her reaction to the news. She joined four of her colleagues representing the area — Carr, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) and Assemblyman Michael Tannousis (R-East Shore/South Brooklyn) — in a letter to First Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright against using the location for housing.