S.I. elected cheer judge’s decision to vacate St. John Villa migrant shelter; NYC announces plans to appeal
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Silive.com: S.I. elected cheer judge’s decision to vacate St. John Villa migrant shelter; NYC announces plans to appeal
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Despite a Staten Island Supreme Court judge’s ruling that migrants currently being housed in a shelter at the former St. John Villa Academy must vacate the premises, the weeks-long fight over the use of the former school building is far from over.
A representative from City Hall told the Staten Island Advance/SILive.com that the administration plans to immediately appeal the preliminary injunction granted by Judge Wayne Ozzi on Tuesday that barred the site from being used to house migrants.
“It’s a victory today, but it doesn’t mean the fight’s over. We want to really put pressure on the city to make sure that they keep today’s decision,” State Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-North Shore/South Brooklyn), who was not party to the lawsuit, said. “If the city would listen to us and heed our calls throughout this process, we wouldn’t be standing here before you and that’s why the local input is incredibly important. We’ve heard your cries. We know that this isn’t a good location. It’s supposed to be a school and we will do all we can to ensure that happens”