By Michael V. Cusenza
A 17-year-old borough resident last month was sexually harassed by individuals living in the Laurel Hall shelter in Ozone Park, Sam Esposito, president of the Ozone Park Residents Block Association, said on Monday.
According to Esposito, the civic approached Lantern Community Services, the organization contracted by the City Department of Homeless Services to run the 101st Avenue shelter, and asked for a meeting in a good-faith attempt to resolve the issue. Esposito reported that “a meeting was set for Tuesday, Aug. 8, with State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Woodhaven), Community Board 9 District Manager James McClelland, Capt. Jeremy Kivlin, commanding officer of the 102nd Precinct, NYPD Community Affairs [officers], the parent of the 17-year-old, and Lantern. The night before the meeting, Aug. 7, the same girl was sexually harassed; this time, a police report was filed with the 102nd Precinct. When we arrived Tuesday, Lantern refused to meet with us after knowing that this meeting was set up for almost ten days, slamming the door in our faces and refusing to even talk to the senator. Their excuse was DHS told them not to meet with us.”
Esposito and the civic were set to hold a press conference on Wednesday afternoon with the parents of the alleged victim “to put a face to the problem and show this administration that these are real people being affected by mismanaged providers who have no regard for our community. We have had a very cordial relationship with the past management of Lantern, but the new administration has proven to be ineffective in working with our community and keeping our residents safe. If this is a sign of things to come, all communities must be vigilant and aware of what is happening or what could happen. This could have easily turned into another rape, but the girl lives next to the shelter and was able to free herself and get home both times.”
Esposito wasn’t finished with the City. He published a list of demands:
- All personnel rolled over from the [former DHS Commissioner Steve] Banks/[former Mayor Bill] de Blasio administration need to be reassigned. They have proven to be inefficient, unconcerned and uncooperative.
- We are asking for a review of Lantern’s contract. What services are supposed to be provided, and what assistance are these clients supposed to have? We believe Lantern has cut corners and sacrificed our communities’ safety for profits.
- Lantern needs to provide effective and caring leadership as the current leadership has failed our community as well as its mission statement of caring for the shelter clients while working with the community.
- A review of how these clients are permitted to roam all over the neighborhood, stealing packages, drinking, causing havoc, and sitting on people’s stoops with no programs provided by Lantern makes for more criminal activity.
- We demand that we return to the days of the Community Advisory Board meetings so that, as a community, we get to speak our voices, and they get to hear our concerns.
- Security needs to be beefed up inside and outside this shelter. Loitering has become a huge problem surrounding this site, and security is doing nothing.
- Lantern needs to respect our community, and we are tired of our voices not being heard.
- We demand that the NYPD have access when necessary when a crime has been committed by a shelter client and not stonewalled by Lantern or DHS.
