STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Hundreds of people from Staten Island protested several new migrant shelters opening on the borough during a protest on Sunday outside of Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City mayors on the Upper East Side in Manhattan.
Curtis Sliwa, along with scores of protestors, called once again for Mayor Eric Adams to open Gracie Mansion to asylum-seekers, rather than place them in shelters across the five boroughs.
The crowd filled the sidewalks and a portion of the road in front of the building as Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder and former mayoral candidate, made remarks against the opening of new migrant shelters. Sliwa was later arrested during the event.
“Today, the valiant citizens of Staten Island have a 24-hour vigil outside of St. John Villa Academy for what would’ve been 300 illegals, there are now eight,” said Sliwa during the protest on Sunday. “And I have the feeling, just like Eric Adams’ recognized, he made another mistake when he sent the illegal aliens into the public schools in Coney Island and Sunset Park and he saw people of color, mothers and fathers of color, with their children, protesting outside. He understood he couldn’t win that battle, and he retreated. And he’s not going to win the battle of St. John Villa Academy.”
The New York Police Department warned protesters that if barriers set up for safety and security were tampered with or crossed over, they would be subject to arrest for obstructing governmental administration. Police officers then moved to arrest Sliwa and other civilians who moved against the barriers.
The arrest was Sliwa’s 80th — with his most recent arrest during a similar protest outside of Island Shores last week — a former assisted living facility located at 1111 Father Capodanno Blvd., which will transform into a shelter for migrants in the coming months, according to local officials.
Arrests were also made as the NYPD separated fights among opposing protesters,
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