CONEY ISLAND, Brooklyn (WABC) — PS 188 in Brooklyn is tucked away at the far end of Coney Island, but it finds itself now at the center of a political firestorm.
Its standalone gym, not currently being used by the school is among the sites the city intends to house adult migrants.
“First time I learned about it was a social media post. Social media post on Facebook by principal of school,” said Councilmember Ari Kagan.
Kagan says there has been an utter lack of communication from City Hall.
“This is not the way to get any notifications and though they’re saying it’s a very fluid situation because nobody knows what can happen tonight or tomorrow or Sunday, it’s still not a proper notification,” Kagan added, “Which leads me to think someone didn’t want me to know.”
The councilmember says he has been so confused about the plan that in a now-deleted tweet he posted, ‘For now, the plan to place migrants in this school gym is scrapped.’ However, according to the mayor’s office, that is not true.
A spokesperson from the mayor’s office says while there are no migrants at the moment, the gym is set up.
Kagan says he has been inside and that’s not true.
Like in Orange County, the mayor of Yonkers said Friday, “The sheer lack of communication and planning from New York City on this crucial matter is unacceptable.”
A spokesperson for the mayor’s office says, “We received more than 4,200 asylum seekers this past week alone…we are out of space. We will continue to communicate with local elected officials.”
There is also a debate over the mayor’s executive order, which temporarily loosened requirements for homeless families seeking shelter. The council member says there are no showers inside. He says the conditions are inhumane.
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