Manhattan judge set to rule on saga of 200 homeless men
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The Lucerne Hotel. Photo via Google Maps
By David Brand
The saga of 200 homeless men ostracized by their new neighbors on the Upper West Side and ordered by the mayor to leave a 79th Street hotel will enter its next phase by Monday, when a Manhattan Supreme Court judge issues a decision on whether or not the men can remain in the hotel.
Mayor Bill de Blasio’s decision to move the men out of the Lucerne Hotel in September roiled the city and touched off a domino effect through the sprawling shelter system, potentially reshuffling families across various sites in Manhattan and Brooklyn to make space for the men. De Blasio was widely criticized for caving to the demands of a vocal and well funded coalition of predominantly white and wealthy residents who sued the city after complaining about quality of life issues.
On the same day, de Blasio also ordered the Department of Homeless Services to move a few dozen women from a hotel in Long Island City — a decision criticized as an effort to provide political cover for his Upper West Side capitulation.
He reversed both decisions, but the Department of Homeless Services later decided to move the men from the Lucerne to another hotel in Lower Manhattan. That move has been on hold pending a decision by Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Debra James.
After hours of argument Nov. 17, James extended a temporary restraining order allowing the men to remain at the hotel. She said she will make her decision by Monday at 5 p.m.
Local Councilmember Helen Rosenthal, who supports allowing the men to stay in the Lucerne, said the lawyer representing the Upper West Side NIMBYs has not provided a compelling reason to move them.
“It’s noteworthy that the judge did not get an answer to the question of why make them move in the first place, despite her best efforts to get an answer to that question” Rosenthal said.
The city meanwhile says the men will have more room at the Lower Manhattan hotel, including a 1,000-square-foot recreation space, NY1 reported.
