Residents in a wealthy area of Boston expressed outrage at a recent community meeting after learning that a new immigrant shelter would soon open nearby.
On Tuesday night, residents met with Democratic Gov. Maura Healey’s emergency services director to discuss their concerns about a temporary migrant shelter opening in Fort Point, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Boston’s Seaport neighborhood. They gathered to meet with one General Scott Rice. .
of United Way of Massachusetts Bay Working with Healy’s office to transform parts of Fort Point office space to a temporary shelter for about 80 immigrants on Farnsworth Street owned by the Unitarian Universalist Association.
But no one seemed to have asked local residents if they approved of it.
“I think there are a lot of residents out there who are just as angry as I am because they feel this has been imposed on them,” resident Brian Carley said.
Thomas Ready of the Fort Point Neighborhood Association expressed similar sentiments. “If this is in fact overreaching, we’re going to reverse course immediately,” Reddy said. “…it doesn’t taste very good right now, so give me a little time to figure this out.”
During the meeting, community members shared a number of concerns about the shelter, including the risks it poses to their safety. “How are you going to keep us safe?” one woman asked at the meeting.
Rice responded that the state already vets immigrants. “Our track record is very good,” he said.
Others pointed out that although the office space has six bathrooms, there are no shower facilities, so migrants would have to take a daily bus trip to and from the YMCA area to bathe. “This is ridiculous. This is a terrible place,” one resident said.
Additionally, some were frustrated that they seemed to be left out of the process. One man blamed a lack of “compassion” from local and state leaders. The outraged woman even thought, “Why isn’t the governor here? Why don’t we just take her home by bus?”
Despite all their comments and concerns, Rice said the new shelter “will happen.” And he called on Fort Point residents to work together to “make this work and make it work” for everyone.
He didn’t get much cooperation. “That’s totally bullish***,” one person said.
Paul Craney of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance told Blaze News that the shelter would likely harm both neighbors and immigrants. “There is no compassion in housing immigrants in facilities that are not equipped for human habitation, even in high-value postcodes,” he said. “In the end, immigrants will suffer, but so will taxpayers who will have to pay for the endless mismanagement by the Healey government.”
The shelter is expected to open within the next week or two and remain open for 90 days. After 90 days, officials will be able to renew for “an additional 90 days,” according to a spokeswoman for Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu. No clear deadline for shelter closures has been given.
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