Monday, August 14, 2023
Partly Cloudy. High 87 degrees.
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Lady Gaga’s Father, the New York Post, and the Migrants on West 70th Street
By Carol Tannenhauser
Last Wednesday, August 9, we noticed a flurry of new hits on a two-month-old West Side Rag story about a shelter for migrants that opened in June at the Stratford Arms Hotel, 117 West 70th Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.
Something was going on with what was once a single room occupancy building, then a music-school dormitory that was now housing 400 single, adult men and women, most from Latin America — people who came seeking asylum and opportunity in America, and sanctuary in our city. So what was going on, we wondered.
It turns out that the New York Post had published a long bombshell of a story about the new residents of the Stratford Arms, linking to the Rag’s story that first announced imminent plans for their arrival. The Post’s story is packed with one man’s opinion and quotes, that man being singer Lady Gaga’s father, Joe Germanotta, who lives on West 70th Street and owns a restaurant, Joanne Trattoria, on West 68th.
To say Germanotta is not happy about the arrival of the migrants would be an understatement. He offered the Post a long list of grievances, alleging that the newcomers are responsible for: “impromptu block parties outside the hotel that last into the early morning, prostitution, kids getting catcalled, and reckless e-bikes and motor-scooter drivers wreaking havoc on one-way streets,” the Post wrote.
“They’re guests in our neighborhood, and they have basically taken over,” Germanotta is quoted as saying. He also cited sidewalks that “used to be mostly clean [that] are now filled with trash, including, he said, “hypodermic needles.”
Truth or hyperbole? Is there real trouble brewing in the area encompassing the Stratford Arms, or is this just the Post and a prominent local resident stirring the pot?
This is not the first time — or even the first time this year — that the Post has featured Germanotta decrying the state of New York City. Back in February, before the migrants arrived, he called the city “a filthy…mess” [that] “smells like weed everywhere.” This time, he made the pronouncement, the Post said, that, given current conditions, he wouldn’t raise Lady Gaga here today.
WSR reached out to City Councilmember Gale Brewer, whose office functions as something of a complaint clearinghouse when Upper West Siders are unhappy about something in the neighborhood.
“Are you inundated with complaints?” we asked.
“The same people,” she replied. “I get complaints from the same people. I mean, there are people who are supportive [of the shelter for asylum seekers] and people who are not.”
What about Joe Germanotta’s complaints?
“Some are accurate and some aren’t,” she said, noting that she has visited the Stratford Arms and met with residents and staff several times a week since the shelter opened.
“Inside it’s safe…no fights or drugs, with fire marshals — humans — patrolling the floors,” said Brewer. As for outside the facility, “I had requested a 24/7 police presence before the Post story,” she said, “not because there were incidents, but to be proactive. My experience working with the 2-0 precinct in the past is that when they are there, everybody is just calmer.”
Brewer said she had spoken to the principal of a school around the corner from the Stratford Arms who said some hypodermic needles had been found in the bushes around the school. The school’s maintenance crew has been picking them up. “They weren’t there before the migrants came, so I have to assume they brought them,” Brewer said. “There are little kids coming back in September and we have to make sure that’s not happening, and they’re not feeling uncomfortable.”
What about the alleged prostitutes Germanotta said he saw coming out of the Stratford in the early hours of the morning?
“Nothing goes on in the building, I can tell you that,” Brewer said, “because nobody’s allowed in. They have a no-guest policy. And you have to sign in and out with an ID.”
How about “the rowdy migrants who ride their bikes during their late-night parties at the parks [medians] between Broadway,” as characterized by the Post? The Post’s photograph and others show groups of young people sitting on the benches and the backs of the planters — or even the curbs — hanging out at night. Local residents say this is new, and while it’s not criminal behavior, it’s also not customary in this neighborhood, which values quiet and tends to tuck in early.
Finally, addressing Germanotta’s complaint about wrong-way traffic on one-way streets: “You have to go the right way on the road with a motor bike!” the councilmember exclaimed. “That’s a safety issue!”
On Wednesday, Brewer said, her office is sponsoring the first of a series of workshops for Stratford Arms residents, focusing on their needs, but also those of the community. A nonprofit called National Immigrant Community Empowerment — NICE — is coming in to run it. “We’re going to sign the people up for English-as- a-second-language classes and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) training, which you need for certain jobs and they all want,” said Brewer. “They all want to work. Many are already working. Restaurants across the city are hiring them.”
WSR noted that those working would have the potential, at least, to find other housing and leave the shelter system within the 60-day period Mayor Adams has set for this population — though whether they are working legally and could actually find affordable housing are big questions.
“We’ll see,” said Councilmember Brewer. “We’ll see.”
Have a great week!
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I live on west 73 Street. Except for groups hanging out near the Park, I haven’t seen any of what GaGa entitled father is referring to. Perhaps he should move in with his daughter and close that restaurant that serves bad food and has terrible service.
You don’t live on W70th. That is where the problem is. All of the residents, local businesses (like the dry cleaner on the corner) and the elementary school are up in arms. It’s all true.
Just passed by SW corner 70th Broadway. There were a group of young men, mostly, and a few women, crowding the side walk and fooling around on a scooter. Traffic was coming down the street and they were blocking a lane. Who were they? Don’t know.
Last night around 9:00 I walked by that exact spot in the photo on 70th & Broadway. There were at least a dozen migrants congregating there. They were very loud and rowdy. They were cursing in Spanish, smoking and drinking beer.
True, their behavior might not have been illegal but I hardly see how conduct like this is good for the neighborhood.
Mr. Germanotta has a point.
The thing is that posting here, while very informative, is not going to change the situation. Somehow, more major (sorry, WSR) media need to become involved. Once the situation becomes more embarrassing for Gale Brewer and Co., perhaps something will be done. But I don’t know how to do that. I think the school parents (Blessed Sacrament School) might make up a critical mass once school is in session. Needles in the bushes? That alone should cause parents to become very vocal and visible.
The scooters being ridden recklessly are not legal. NYPD has said they would confiscate them when they find them parked on the streets/sidewalks. They are parked all over the UWS, including on the Stratford Arms block. No idea how they have the money for these vehicles.
How do they afford the scooters?
Are they delivery guys? Maybe Friends ? If I were a refugee I would make friends and borrow some things. Are ppl allowed to survive and live?
If they have money for scooters they should be required to help pay for their room and board.
Some of the nonprofits make them available to migrants.
The restaurant is NOT on Broadway, and isn’t even near in immediate neighborhood terms.
Nor have I every witnessed such a party on that bit of Broadway at any hour.
Joe Germanotta is complaining bc he actually lives next door to Blessed Sacrament School which is obviously near this hotel. He is not complaining about the impact this place has had on his restaurant which is 3 blocks away.
I live on this block. Please don’t tell me it is not happening.
This is not happening – I live within a block, hadn’t noticed a thing, made a point to swing by to see what the fuss was all about. Felt like any other block of the city, extremely peaceful and normal.
Which block, the middle of Broadway at West 70th?
The kids love smoking weed there… I wasn’t clear if they were migrants or not because I didn’t ask. But they’re young. Each time I walk across that intersection I look twice and hope I make it to the next sidewalk and not stuck in that center middle. I had a thought that if this area be a hangout for residents with their dogs first, rather than just them then we’d see some more mix of healthy and fun.
There’s a group of teens and young adults that hangs out with a guy who’s running a barber shop on the west side of Broadway at 70th.
A few times, spillover has impeded, the median crosswalk.
But this isn’t near the restaurant.
And Germanotta would be on firm ground, and get sympathy from local barbers, if he complained about barbering sans license.
We local residents filed many complaints regarding unlicensed barbering. Nothing changed.
Wouldn’t expect Adams and the City to be on it.
But given the use of bare razors, it’s a hygiene hazard.
I thought it was illegal to drink alcoholic bevs in public places – streets, parks, etc.
he called the city “a filthy…mess” [that] “smells like weed everywhere.”
Fact check: True!
$10,000.00 per month per illegal immigrant. This could add up to some real money. When are Americans going to say enough is enough? Politicians are supposed to represent the voters. Adams said the other day if the Feds don’t give NYC Billions they will have to cut services to TAXPAYERS.
Politicians remove their heads from… and allow the cops to do they’re sworn jobs.
Agree. This is Congress’s responsibility. They have done nothing on this issue now for multiple administrations. Anything a president does will always be repealed.
This is a great folo up to hyperbolic weak reporting by the Post… To their credit they do folo crime and qualty of life ta bloid stories, which the Times won’t due, They seem to hide behind the City Hall data as cheerleaders for a city recovering from Covid. While noble an omission 0r a lie is just that… That said, this article offers quality perspective and balance, Its informative and again “reports: in context the reality and also Gale Brewer’s understanding of the situation.. Thank you
I walk past that corner every day. The young people hanging out in the afternoon seem unobtrusive, well dressed and well behaved.
FWIW I walked by there around 4:00 PM today, i.e. south median at 70th and Bway. There were eight youngish people there, almost all smoking — don’t know whether weed or cigs — and joking around. I didn’t see them harassing passersby.
Blocking the Broadway median crosswalk with motorcycles is not well behaved, elsewise yes, what you say is true.
Germanotta, I remember her. She went to Convent of the Sacred Heart on the east side. A wealthy, conservative, catholic, Italian dad sounding like a typical Giuliani supporter who writes op-eds for the NYPost. Worthy of a space to speak, but he isn’t saying anything new or anything we haven’t heard for decades.
It’s summertime. Does the Stratford Arms have air-conditioning in each room? Does it have a common area inside where residents can socialize or at least get a change of scenery? Is there somebody there to talk to the newcomers, in a reasonable way, about local customs and expectations, and how to harness those to make a success of the new life they’re hoping for?
FYI it was a dorm for AMDA (drama school).
Before AMDA it was supported housing.
Migrants should not be in Manhattan. They should be in less populated areas with more space.
“Brewer said she had spoken to the principal of a school around the corner from the Stratford Arms who said some hypodermic needles had been found in the bushes around the school. The school’s maintenance crew has been picking them up. “They weren’t there before the migrants came, so I have to assume they brought them,” Brewer said. “There are little kids coming back in September and we have to make sure that’s not happening, and they’re not feeling uncomfortable.”
This city does not care about childrennor families
Shame on politicians
More shame on voters
Which school is that?
Which bushes on Columbus or West 70th between Columbus and B’way?
School of the Blessed Statement is on 70th between Columbus and Broadway
This is from Erie county, Buffalo-
after two sexual assaults by migrants
they would not accept any more individuals and are removing them from a hotel that was in a residential area due to quality of life issues.
“The second migrant-hotel sex-assault victim was a 27-year-old woman from Buffalo who was working at the Best Western and employed by Platinum Community Care, one of the agencies providing services to the migrants, said Cheektowaga Police Department Chief Brian Gould.
“I’m asking for the immediate discontinued use of the Best Western hotel on Dingens Street,” Gould said Saturday. “The hotel is located in a residential neighborhood and is causing not only safety concerns to nearby residents but also quality-of-life issues. “
And meanwhile our do-gooder neighbors stick their heads in the sand and pretend this isn’t happening and/or create excuses. They bake them cookies and do chalk drawings and “welcome” them while their time and resources would be better spent helping the many blue collar New Yorkers who struggle to make ends meet while contributing to society by working the thankless jobs that make our lives better.
I have plenty of issues with Brewer but I’m glad she at least somewhat seems to be acknowledging the problem and trying to respond.
I am all for helping my fellow human being. I would be happy to absorb some of the migrants, trying to sort out those who truly are looking to work and contribute from those who aren’t. But we are way, way beyond the tipping point here.
“… helping the many blue collar New Yorkers who struggle to make ends meet while contributing to society by working the thankless jobs that make our lives better”
You do realize that a very large percentage of these people are immigrants themselves?
And what have you done to help these people? Did you vote for the candidates who want to raise the minimum wage and provide benefits for working-class New Yorkers?
a) I have done plenty to help them. Likely a lot more than you.
b) Guess what – supply and demand has led to wages going up. The legislation isn’t necessary.
c) If you had read my whole post rather than being the typical UWS know-it-all and looking for something to criticize, you would see that I said that some migrants, particularly those who are willing to work, are fine. The current amount is too many and not sustainable.
d) what is your solution to this situation. So many people around here like to poke holes in other people’s ideas and/or deny that there is a problem (“it was worse in the year I came to NY!”) rather than offering solutions. Because guess what – this is not a good situation for the migrants either.
“I am all for helping my fellow human being.”
Sure. Most people who say we should be “looking after our own instead” somehow find excuses not to help “our own” either when the time comes.
P.S. The thankless blue collar jobs in this city are very often filled by migrants.
I still don’t understand why NYC is uniquely an asylum city while other places are not. Someone told me that the city’s obligation to pay expenses of “asylum seekers” is not only based on a court case but also on a law passed by the City Council. Does anyone know the truth about this? Can we get this obligation overturned? It is fundamentally unjust. Why shouldn’t, say, Tallahassee also be obligated to pay expenses of people coming from other countries?
Because NYC is a “Sanctuary State”. If you don’t like it vote for those who are against it!
Brie:
NYC provides shelter because it is obligated per old lawsuits.
The City must provide shelter for anyone who says they are homeless – no matter from Florida or Michigan or Guatemala or anywhere in the U.S. or the world.
“Sanctuary” status relates to not checking immigration status-not referring people to federal ICE etc
This is why this issue should be federally supported. Texas is bussing migrants to nyc . NYC takes care of them but NYC should not have to foot the bill. The whole country should be sharing the expense of migrants not just the tax payers in the state they choose to reside.
I applaud all the NYers who, for some reason, have started caring so much about illegal immigration over the past year.
Thank you for that.
for background, here is an article from The City:
https://www.thecity.nyc/2022/9/19/23357320/right-shelter-eric-adams-asylum-homeless
Finally, addressing Germanotta’s complaint about wrong-way traffic on one-way streets: “You have to go the right way on the road with a motor bike!” the councilmember exclaimed. “That’s a safety issue!”
Is that an answer, or just a statement? Seems to me she avoided answering the complaint.
We live on 72nd near Columbus, it is dangerous crossing Colunbus in the bike lanes with electric bikes and scooters going in both directions. Nothing seems to be done to police the situation. Ms. Brewer’s head must be in the sand with her comment.
Hi neighbor. I’m a resident of the same block. Same observation, of course. I’m straining my neck everytime I cross. Then, once I safely make it past the bike lane, a scooter/skateboarder/biker comes whizzing by in the actual car lanes against the light, in the wrong direction and completely ignoring the rotten bike lanes and their own little traffic lights.
I think you, and others, greatly exaggerate what’s it’s like crossing the street. How many avenues with bike lanes are there on the UWS that most people cross in one journey? What you’re describing is extreme and not insurmountable.
Not to mention: *any* bike. It chaps me how many _citizens not even delivering food_ ride the wrong way like it’s no big deal. You have two wheels to glide yourself along on, yet you can’t be bothered to use the correct lane one street or avenue over. The banal height of selfish laziness.
The best is when they use the car lanes in spite of having their own dang lanes and traffic lights.
I pass by this corner every day, I speak with the my neighbors, local residents and doormen. Mr. Germanotta couldn’t be more right. The migrant crowd is rowdy, loud, disrespectful to everyone, their behavior is a complete disgrace, says everyone. Scooters and all sorts of motorized vehicles are parked on the sidewalk, bottles and food trash littering the sidewalk. Yet the building porters have to clean it up. Loud music playing at all hours. The police is called several times a day, they come and address the situation and the migrants show up, park their moped and go on minutes later.
Everyone in the building is fed up. I am sure same goes for other neighboring building.
Gale Brewer’s response is appalling. She is trying to pin the blame on the residents, trying to portray the situation as a few calls from “ the same people”. EVERYONE is fed up, not just a few “same people” and we are not calling Gale you because we know she won’t do anything constructive. As it proved true, Brewer even had audacity to blame the complaining locals and diminish our concerns.
The situation is very bad and our local officials not only dismiss our concerns, they are trying to put the ones with very legitimate concerns in a bad light.
94 thumbs up for your comment (contributed to this story appearing in just a small, local newspaper) in just one day. Definitely not just a few people.
DM: And many others: Yes we are all fed up, angry, and trapped here. A once enjoyable, convenient, and safe neighborhood has become filthy, devoid of stores, ominous, and a haven for greedy landlords taking the cash and opening more shelters. It began years ago with the Bellclaire Hotel and continues on. Stores closed, homeless wandering and randomly punching us, and now thousands of migrants. Why are we the victims while the UES is not? They can go out at night after 7pm and feel safe. Gale Brewer? Linda Rosenthal? ?.Surely those Open Heart people who don’t actually live here can’t be the cause. I admire Mr. Germanotta for trying to help us and I agree, we would never live on the UWS had we known how quickly and easily it would deteriorate.
“ whether they are working legally and could actually find affordable housing are big questions.”
How is this different from other NYC residents working the same types of jobs? They still have to pay their rent. Why the concern is about whether these “asylum seekers” in particular can find a place to live? All asylum seekers and immigrants could figure it out, what makes this crowd so special?
They aren’t legally allowed to work in this country, which is a HUGE problem with the immigration system and an impediment to them having something else to do during the day and be integrated into society. I was very excited to read about the training programs NICE will be providing because without programs like that, they have nothing to do but try to find jobs off the books or sit around and wait for their next immigration hearing which can be in months or years.
Keep in mind, these individuals are entering as asylum seekers. Before the huge influx, over 2/3 of asylum applications were rejected as they didn’t meet the legal requirements to be granted asylum (and instead needed to go through standard immigration processes). With these numbers, there’s a good chance the rejection rate will be even higher.
I called Linda Rosenthal about it a few weeks ago. It was the first time in my life calling something like this in, so it’s def not just the same people calling in all the time like Gale is saying. I guess I can call her as well.
This is a family neighborhood. The day I called I was hustling my kid back home from summer camp in time for my next meeting at 3pm. They were just hanging out on the median, smoking weed and drinking. The open containers are illegal. I guess the smoking and loud music isn’t but like another commenter said here, it’s disrespectful. This is a working family neighborhood. If someone invites you into their home and asks you to take your shoes off, it’s their house their rules. They need to show respect to the people that are allowing them to share our home.
The city is a mess, there is plenty of work for them to do. Set them up with community service and let them start contributing to society the day they get here.
It’s partially my fault. I believed in their intentions and thought they wanted to come here for a better life for their families. Turns out I was wrong. Can’t wait to not make that same mistake again next election cycle and watch them all head back to their homes. Where they can drink and smoke weed all day on someone else’s dime.
There isn’t enough work for the tens of thousands that have migrated here.
Primarily because we are in an information economy. Workforce is lacking SKILLED professionals. I don’t see a career field ahead for these migrants at all.
I agree with you, so please take this in the spirit in which it is meant. If memory serves, in the 90s there was a push to have some recipients of aid from the state/city who were unemployed do community service and it ended up being a union issue. They could not sweep the streets or pick up trash or do certain other things because those were union jobs. I do not remember if/how it was resolved. Either way, there has to be a better way than what is going on now.
Gertrude, I don’t think that’s still an isssue. Goddard Riverside, a non-profit, has people bagging garbage and cleaning the streets with no problems.
UWS Dad: ” Set them up with community service and let them start contributing to society the day they get here.” THIS, this right here, is what Gale Brewer should be doing, but isn’t.
But , but ,but… the UWS will re-elect her again.
While Mr. Germanotta and a few other residents on the block have been busy ginning up outrage and fear towards our newest neighbors at the Stratford Arms, we certainly have been working to welcome them, with chalk messages and more. THIS is what true community looks like, and it’s something beautiful that we all can be a part of!
https://twitter.com/openheartsnyc/status/1679950719388995591.
If you had to get up at 6 am to go to work and the noise outside kep you up all night, you wouldn’t think it was so beautiful…
That’s what get me so angry.
We are working every day to pay taxes to support this???
And the thanks we get is folks riding those damm bikes on the sidewalk all night.
That still doesn’t excuse their uncivil behavior.
Open Hearts is hosting fundraisers to buy the migrants metro cards for jobs, correct? Even though you must know they can’t work here legally?
Work eligibility among asylum-seekers is a hugely complicated topic, and Open Hearts has certainly joined calls for swifter work authorization for all asylum-seekers. Some have gone through the process and received work authorization and obtained employment, and others have other reasons they need to get around the city–including to access legal and social services.
Bennett,
Respectfully – what sort of work in NYC would you envision for those who do not speak English?
How much work do you think is available given language issue and limited education?
And work that is safe (ie not safe to have a non-English speaker do construction or ride all over on an e-bike)
You chalk the messages, we have to clean up after them while enduring antisocial behavior
Chalk messages? To what end? There may be some hardworking families in this mix but those hanging out, smoking pot, publicly intoxicated, driving scooters the wrong way, playing loud music etc seem to be the majority (or at least their negative behavior is stronger than any ‘positive’). This is NOT ACCEPTABLE behavior from anyone. If any of your neighbors (migrant or not) was behaving in this way would it be ok? I suspect the answer would be absolutely not. IMO folks are using the word ‘neighbor’ a bit too loosely.
Those behaviors are certainly NOT the majority of asylum-seekers staying at the Stratford Arms or any of the shelter sites. The majority is comprised of people fleeing traumatic circumstances and looking to build a better life for themselves and their families, and they’ve become a part of the Upper West Side through shelter, community participation, sending kids to schools, etc. That sounds like a neighbor to me.
” The majority is comprised of people fleeing traumatic circumstances”
Considering only 30% of asylum claims are approved, your statement is factually incorrect.
And even if it were correct, the United States, can’t financially support hundreds of millions of people fleeing similar traumatic circumstances from all around the world. Not without collapsing itself, anyway.
And NYC can’t be the only place that is FORCED to pay their expenses!
There are traumatic circumstances all over the world. We can’t afford to define the generality of immigrants as trauma victims therefore asylum seekers and then pay their expenses. Or – maybe we can afford it if we reduce ourselves to a much lower standard of living. You can do that if you want, but most of us, I am guessing, do not so want.
Great sidewalk chalking (though mostly in English…)!
But have you picked up the empty bottles? Asked the residents to keep the noise down?
Have you done *anything* to address your neighbors’ complaints, other than chalking up the sidewalks?
Check out Open Hearts social media. They claim to have other “chapters” but they still predominantly target the upper west side
Mr. Reinhardt works for Open Hearts. He’s not necessarily posting as someone who lives in the neighborhood–disagreeing with us is pretty much his job
We did 8+ languages since, as you’ll know, asylum-seekers have been coming from all over the world!
It is objectively unjust for NYC citizens and NO ONE ELSE in this country to be obligated to pay the expenses of these people. And as I said above, it is contentious to define all of them as asylum seekers.
This (Mon @ 8a) on W72nd bw Bway/WE – the line for a local food bank seemed longer than ever. Mostly older females in line – our $$$ & generosity is not limitless. Let’s take care of our own 1st.
Most of us are 1st, 2nd,3rd gen immigrants. – Our families never rcvd food, shelter, training…
***I also believe the $$$ (our taxes) contracted to these hotels, NGOs and more needs to be accounted for. Lots of ?????
BTW some of the Stratford Arms residents have set up a weekend haircutting business on the sidewalk on 70th and Broadway (SW corner). This has been happening for weeks.
Also my guess is that if AMDA students were hanging out playing loud music etc, that AMDA would have addressed with the students.
re: hair cutting business
Good for them. West Side barber shops charge ridiculous prices up to $30 for a men’s haircut.
I am always glad to see the entrepreneurial spirit, which has many America great, assert itself.
So this person cut in front of the people going through the actual immigration process by crossing the border and making a likely insufficient claim for asylum, and is now undercutting the prices of local barbers who paid to get licensed. What other laws do you think he should be able to break without consequence while your tax dollars are paying for his food and shelter?
Also cutting up raw fruit in public to sell all over Central Park. So much for hygiene and sanitation rules!
Gale Brewer lives nearby. That is why she in interested in calm and peace nearby.. She is a typical nimby.Otherwise her discourse is her usual woke left wing philosophy
The author of this article isn’t reading the room correctly. Normally, castigating someone on the uws who complains about something like homeless people or illegal immigrants behavior would be met with a round of applause with everyone mocking the SOB kvetch.
But people have eyes and ears. Germinetta commented on the the noise, the activity, the drugs, all of it. And all of it is true.
So the tone of the article, trying to case him as a crank and a crackpot? Way off.
Gale Brewer making it sound like her daytime visits have any relation to what is going on at midnight? Way off.
I do not disagree with this story whatsoever. It is not just in that neighborhood, it is in several. I fear for my safety nowadays more than I ever have, so much so I rarely take to the MTA to get around. Too, I hate going outdoors as I feel I’m going to get hit by a motorbike, as they ride through red lights, and causing motor vehicle accidents. They’re not safe… And yes, it smells like weed everywhere. It’s disgusting, and embarrassing. Ones recreation now becomes a nuisance. People need to learn about respect again, sadly. Many work hard, and others are doing nothing with themselves, except thinking this city is a freeloading paradise for drugs. I’m all for sweeping that back up, like the 90’s. It’s time us New Yorkers take back our city and let those who use and abuse our grounds, see a better life. Sadly, some don’t know about that life. The migrants, they need to come here and see this is a civilization already existent on these grounds and living here is an opportunity to get ahead, or simply leave.
I don’t see how placing those in vastly dissimilar socioeconomic backgrounds within the same living space improves the quality of life of those who have actual roots in the neighborhood and a true investment in the community. Staying up ’till all hours of the night being loud, drinking, smoking, etc… isn’t what the Upper West Side is about. That said, there are plenty of neighborhoods in NYC where such behavior wouldn’t be considered at all out of place…
Everything Mr Germanotta said is 100% true. Instead of asking Gail Brewer, you should be asking the taxpaying, hardworking, law abiding citizens who live here. We will always tell you the truth. Why wouldn’t we??? If the migrants weren’t causing problems in our neighborhood why would we say they were??? There isn’t any sense to that at all. If they were clean, quiet, respectful and drug free we would welcome them with open arms. Gail Brewer has done absolutely nothing to help anyone who lives here and pays her salary.
The awful smell of weed that now wafts over UWS sidewalks isn’t the fault of asylum seekers. It predates them by a year or two. With weed legal people smoke it constantly. It’s worse than cigarette smoke and frankly has its own set of health problems.
The Adam’s Administration… swag and yes..has pulled back from the UWS and wants developers to have more opportunities for profit and no doubt more tax breaks.the impact of this anti UWS attitude also predates the asylum seekers The mayor is going to show us that you can’t say no to him or even question his polices. If you do he will bran you a racist and make your life a misery.
The UWS weed waft pre-dates this current group of asylum-seekers by WAY more than a year or two… I recall it while pushing a stroller on my way to nursery school drop off at 7:30 AM—and my kids are teens now.
Regardless of whether one favors or does not favor current policies (eg immigration, shelter etc) it seems fair to say that individuals have a responsibility to act respectfully – yes?
And especially as they are receiving free shelter, food (thanks to taxpayers)
For example, it would not be OK to go to Maylasia (majority Muslim) and ignore culture, customs and norms.
In Sweden, new migrants are expected to attend Swedish language and culture classes.
Etc.
Panic in needle park, 50 years later. For better or worse, it is a west side story.
I thought migrants do not have work authorization until they receive asylum. How can they be working while seeking asylum? While it is admirable they do not want to become a public charge, I think we want legal workers who pay taxes.
They are partying all night In Richard Tucker park between 65th and 66th street several days a week with children and babies in tow. I take the 5:02 am cross town bus and see then several days a week at that time
I live on 70th street between Broadway and Columbus. A small percentage of the migrants are responsible for the issues being reported.
Definitely more garbage. A lot more. Today by the school there is a shopping cart with empty bottles of beer. Empty wrappers and containers litter the whole street. This was not the case before.
I have seen scooters riding on the sidewalk and going down the street in the wrong direction.
Lots of drinking and smoking at night.
I don’t mind that they congregate, as they have no where to go, but leaving their garbage all over the place doesn’t sit well with me.
I live a block over from the Stratford Arms and make a point to walk on that block daily and have yet to see or experience anything like what was described in the Post story. I have also attended neighborhood meetings where residents repeated allegations against asylum seekers as facts even after they had been informed that the incidents were investigated and found not to have involved anyone living at the Stratford Arms. There was crime and bad behavior in the neighborhood before the asylum seekers arrived, but now it seems that every incident is being blamed on them. These untruths and half-truths are spreading fear among our neighbors. I’m not saying that all of the complaints are unfounded, but let’s stop the fear mongering, stick to facts and then work on fixing what really needs fixing.
I live on W 70th and Broadway and experience all of Mr. G’s complaints on a daily, including the prostitution. My building is currently covered in scaffolding and scrim, which obstructs the view of the plant beds that surround the building. While walking my dog in the very early AM, I have seen, on multiple occasions (!) men and women climb into the covered plant beds to have “relations.”
While the “barbershop,” motorbikes/scooters, loud music, and groups loitering immediately outside of my apartment building door is annoying, these illegal acts should not be tolerated.
This is not happening – there isn’t even a covered plant bed on that block!!
I live within a block, hadn’t noticed a thing, made a point to swing by to see what the fuss was all about. Felt like any other block of the city, extremely peaceful and normal.
So how much is NICE being paid and what are they supposed to do? Not an unreasonable question, it is our tax dollars. If there is value, fine, We need a followup to this article. Thank You.
I live on 70th and Amsterdam and find Germanotta’s observations accurate. I don’t know if the people who started congregating on the corner of Broadway and 70th a few months ago are related to the Stratford Arms residents. They appeared in June. Setting up a hair-cutting business and hanging out on that corner shows a complete unwillingness to adapt to the customs of our neighborhood. Maybe it’s normal for their backgrounds, but it doesn’t acknowledge the customs and mores of a place that they want to migrate to. They can socialize in Central Park. That’s how we live on the UWS.
I have seen the haircutting “business”, playing loud music and sweeping hair clippings into the gutter. Could you imagine the fines if a legitimate haircutter put clippings down a storm drain?
I’d rather these folks just get work permits and maybe be able to set up a legitimate business.
Joe G is spot on. He is not anti immigrant or migrant. He is a person like many of us here who love our neighborhood and have always believed it to be our Sanctuary which we have been able to reside in due to hard work and paying high taxes. W70th has become a nightmare. Motorbike alarms going off all day and night. The high whistling sound accompanying the powering up of these bikes has become our new normal. Walking my puppy at 5:30am I saw a man and young woman zooming down our street the wrong way. He dropped off in front of the building and she entered. He zoomed off again in same direction. I don’t know what’s going on with that but it feels wrong. I also saw cops engaging a man outside the building who was shouting at them in English if they had a warrant. This is NOT our street but this is what it has become. Gale Brewer, Adams and all other involved should never have let this happen in a residential quiet law abiding neighborhood.
Germanotta’s restaurant is on the other side of Columbus.
Furthermore, foot traffic on Columbus has not changed radically in the last 12 months, at any time of day.
There’s a word for what he’s doing, but I can’t use it, since then my comment will never be allowed.
I live right behind the 70th St dorms, I’m on 71st. They’ve been there all summer and I haven’t heard a peep from the building. I wouldn’t listen to man who has such a horrible restaurant. Can we talk about that? Who’s been?
You wouldn’t listen to him because of his restaurant? What kind of logic is that?
I live nearby and I can confirm that his description of what is going on is very accurate
I don’t doubt that Mr. Gaga is a bit extreme in his public venting regarding all of these immigrants, however, do not look to Gale Brewer for the truth. She is, in my opinion, disconnected from this community.
Gale Brewer is very much in tune with the old school Upper West Siders who’ve lived here a while. They are the ones who helped get her into power, they are the ones who helped Jerry Nadler get into power too. Its the gentrification of the UWS that attracted more diverse viewpoints and many of the newer UWS residents don’t know who Gale Brewer is.
Nadler – here’s another politcian who hasn’t done anything good for the neighborhood but gets re-elected because of legacy.
Please pay attention to the bill he is sponsoring now, about mental health for the homeless. I knew he wouldn’t do anything constructive but I decided not to be prejudicial and gave it thorough read. Of course, he is advocating for meaningless empty measure such as mobile health teams, etc., in order to reduce “unnecessary institutionalization”. We need more, not less involuntary institutionalization because it is the only way to help people way past triages and a few days at the hospital. Yet he advocates for less of it because it is “too expansive “. Guess what, we have billions to spend on so called asylum seekers, but don’t have enough to help the ones who are danger to themselves and others?
Sleepy Jerry needs to go.
I read about it too! Also was hopeful till I got into the detail about how expensive and unnecessary institutionalization is. Apparently according to Nadler the solution is more of those mythical mobile units.
Please do not screen me again. I have a right with my freedom of speech to tell people that this November there will be a choice for city council and she is a moderate who is very concerned with our quality of life and safety.
There is a choice in November. If there are hypodermic needles around the school where children play and concerns of the people who work very hard to pay the higher rents and taxes are being ignored, then it’s time for a change.
Nothing will change if we don’t vote for change.
1. These people are not asylum seekers: they have passed through several asylum-eligibly countries without seeking one. They are economic migrants that literally walked through the border.
2.A number of migrants in NYC is equal to a population of a mid-size city – they are provided with shelter, food, schooling, legal aid. This is not normal.
3. Their behavior is not on of the guests being fully financed by the locals.
4. UWS has some sort of migrant vendor ON EVERY CORNER now – who supplies tham with their product?
Why are these people getting free shelter, free meals, etc., and who is paying for those scooters? The amount of money flowing out is astounding when we cannot take care of NYC residents in public housing who cannot get heat, mold abatement, decent food, and repairs. This is completely crazy!
I walked by the Roosevelt Hotel and there were over 100 scooters.
This is bizarre.
Some have flown to the US
I studied at a (West) German university for a year in the 70s . Studied the preamble to Hitler extensively. I’m not for open borders at all (my family had to get in line as they say), but some of this rhetoric is starting to sound like scapegoating. We just have to beware of crowd angst towards one group.
I lived in West. Germany for two plus years in the 1980s. My wife’s family is still in Munich, Berlin, and elsewhere. Germans confine asylum seekers to reception centers, where they stay until their application is processed. If denied asylum they ate obligated to leave Germany. You might imply we are less than we are with mid 20th century references but that’s a weak case and not supported by the current state of affairs. Also, a distraction. These are Nicaraguan, Ecuadorian, Mexican, Hatian, and a multitude of other nationalities. It’s you calling them ‘one group’.. Talk to them, see if they consider themselves homogeneous.
There is constant motorcycle traffic to Stratford Arms on West 70th. The motorcycles are parked all over the block. The motorcycle’s all make alarm noise when the start up and shut off — it is insane like the car alarms of the 1990’s.
Stuffing 500 people into that building is inhumane.
Buying them unlicensed unregistered motorcycles and letting them park in metered spots is insane,
Taking up the block, no street cleaning because of the illegal motorcycles, and most do not follow traffic – even when there was a police car sitting there for two days.
Try crossing 70th and Broadway? You cannot because the motorcycles are parked in the crosswalks. PS 199 is right there.
No police help. No city help. Adams said it’s now our problem to solve. So I won’t vote for anyone who currently holds office.
In the meantime, please be careful with kids and pets on West 70th! It’s going to be bad for a while so be careful and try to stay calm.
Brewer absolutely dodged the question about the bikes. She responded by saying it’s a safety issue. This is why the community is a mess. Zero leadership. Zero accountability. She actually could remove the bikes – the hundreds parked, the thousands driving illegally on the streets. But she does nothing. Shame on her.
We have them on 85th street also. I have not noticed an uptick in crime or needles or anything like that. BUT another solution needs to be found. We cannot keep taking in thousands of migrants, which I just saw coat the city $10M per day. There are literally billions of other people who would love go live in NYC instead of their impoverished countries.
We will be broke and unless the legislature makes it clear the city/state has no duty to house them they will keep coming. Remove that law and Adams can send them awY.
I am an 82 yr old senior, not as fast as I was and am fearful of the delivery guys on electric bikes that mostly ignore the stop signs and red lights and so often go the wrong way and with great speed. But this problem has been worsening for years long before the migrants came. I live on W70th just west of Amsterdam. When is the city going to crack down and also on the electric scooters. Also, so many bikes and small motorcycles riding on sidewalks. Forget ticketing; confiscate the damn things.
The entire Migrant mythology is a lie. NYC spent $1.5 BILLION last year and is slated to spend 5 BILLION this year! Where is this money coming from? From a reduction in services. The already filthy, crime-ridden streets with vagrants, the mentally ill, and the homeless everywhere won’t be addressed. Instead, it will get worse. So we are unable to provide basic services to our communities especially the poor and we decide we should bring in more? That’s a good idea? Our mass transit, our schools, in short, all of our most basic infrastructure is a shambles. I just laid off employees becasue of the huge real estate tax increase that was passed on to me. What happens when so many people are here to “do the jobs Americans won’t”? Wages stay suppressed and an already short housing supply becomes scarcer. all of which is hurting our m, most vulnerable CITIZENS. Who is to blame for this situation and for Gale Brewer, Rosenthal and the rest? The residents of the UWS.
It’s like an all inclusive resort with the migrants getting food, housing, laundry, Wi-Fi, and they don’t have to do anything. Not even be considerate of the neighbors. It’s really horrible. It’s unsafe for women. I don’t understand why the migrants don’t have to clean, cook, etc. Mayor Adams, H+H did not manage the situation. They are in over their heads. Then Gale Brewer spoke from both sides of her mouth in the article because she’s a career politician.
I would highly suggest that there are rules put into place rather than the free for all that is happening at the Stratford Arms.
And shame on ADMA for moving the students way downtown away from their classes so they can make money the city. It’s a big horrible terrible scam.
Easy solution , you have cameras around these migrant places , use them . You see some people acting disrespectful ( partying, illegal biking..) send the bus to pick them up and send them back from where they came from if they can live in nice communities) . I am sure 80-90% of them are good people and trying to adapt but in order to protect your tax payers you have to enforce some rules . But this is the big problem in this city lately…nobody wants to enforce simple rules . So let me make a prediction – 2024 the orange clown will be back with the help of our incompetent politicians!
We have entered a time where reverse-assimilation has become the norm and acceptable. There was a time when migrants to the city wanted to blend into the fabric of NY often not even teaching their children their own language. Now the city supports reverse-assimilation out of fear of being called out for not being culturally respectful. Sadly it is the culture of NY which is getting washed away.
I’m confused why everyone seems to think these asylum seekers have no money. Many of them paid the cartels $$$$$ for safe transport here.
Additionally, if they were truly seeking asylum, I bet they passed thru 1+ country before coming here for free food, housing, healthcare & more.
This man should be more concerned about making a chicken parm that doesn’t have the texture of an old shoe and getting trash bins so the rats his food invite don’t continue to infest the block. The building right next door literally had a rats nest workers had to remove from above the entrance of the building. Also the amount of people on this thread like, “they are smoking pot” as if actual residents don’t do the same thing is mind boggling (lady Gaga). It’s a petty grievance and it’s not a crime. Due to the clean indoor air act most buildings in New York City have stringent no smoking rules so you take it outside to be respectful. The odor is temporary unlike the trash bags that reek to high hell until they get removed by sanitation workers and the sounds of the rats that take over our streets at night.
Brewer and Adams have underestimated just how fed up UWS residents are re. migrants and motorbikes. Yes, for years we have tried to be as compassionate and accepting as possible but the latest lack of leadership re. our safety on the streets has made many fearful and angry and looking to alternative representation. This is exactly what led to Giuliani’s rise. Dems are going to feel this come November.
I have voted “Dem” for the two-plus decades I’ve lived here. That ends with the next election.
Ended for me last November for the first time in 2 decades.