“NOT THIS SITE!” Parents Protest Refugee Centers in School Gyms

Crown Heights,  NY– Parent protests appear to have forced New York City Mayor Adams to back off a plan to house migrants in school gyms. Protests began on Tuesday as parents shouted  “NOT HERE! NOT HERE! NOT HERE! NOT HERE!” outside of P.S. 189 The Bilingual Center. The gym conversion began the day before at P.S. 188 in Coney Island. At least six schools were planned to house migrants while students continue to go to classes. The city was said to be eyeing 20 more schools to house incoming asylum seekers.

New York City  is struggling to house the large number of newcomers who managed to cross the border and make their way here. Mayor Adams and his administration expect an influx of asylum seekers after Title 42 expired on May 11.  That rule allowed United States officials to turn away migrants coming into the U.S.-Mexico border on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

The outrage from parents at P.S. 189 stemmed from the city’s failure to communicate about its plans. The school had just constructed a new gym, outside of the main school building, and now students wouldn’t be able to use it. According to one of the mothers at the protest, the parents did not find out about the decision until the day before the protest when the students brought home letters from the school explaining that the gym already had cots set up and that the school would receive more supplies in the coming days. 

The same evening, parents joined a Zoom meeting organized by the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) to voice their concerns and devise a plan to fight the proposal. A representative from the PTA who asked to remain anonymous explained that she saw the announcement on the news before her child came home with the letter. “They don’t care about our children,” she said to other parents at the protest. She continued,  “So we have to care for our children.” 

Other parents immediately shared their frustrations “Why not the Javits Center?” one parent yelled. “Why not wait until the summer?” asked another. A third even suggested housing the migrants at Gracie Mansion. Mothers and fathers held up signs reading OUR CHILDREN’S SAFETY MATTERS!!!! and MAYOR ADAMS STOLE OUR GYM. HELP OUR VETERANS.  

The parents went to the office of City Council Member Darlene Mealy, and Reshonah Williams, mother of three at P.S. 189, was the first to speak. She and other parents asked the councilmember to help. Williams explained that while her child in the sixth grade is in the school’s main building, her first-grader receives instruction in the school’s mini building, which is located directly across from the gym. 

“Yes, we should give them support,” Williams said. “But we don’t know who they [the migrants] are or who’s vetting them.” 

Safety is the primary concern. Stephaniy Minaya has three children who are students at the Bilingual Center, a kindergartener, a second grader, and a fifth grader. In an interview in Spanish she explained that she was outraged at the city for allowing strangers near the children. “¿Dónde está la protección? Como padres, no podemos entrar y ver a nuestros hijos así nada más. Tenemos que pasar por seguridad. ¿Qué garantía hay de que nuestros hijos estén seguros con extraños encerrados dentro? Eso no está bien.”

 “What protection is there?” she said. “As parents, we can’t just come in and see our children. We have to go through security. What guarantee is there that our children will be safe with strangers locked inside? That’s not right.” 

Councilwoman Mealy said that there are more questions than answers. She explained that she just learned about the plan a few days before it went into effect. She said she received an email on her personal phone about the potential idea of using school gyms and said that she did not think it was a good idea. But it was not until parents like Williams came to her office that she discovered P.S.189 informed parents that the school would serve as a shelter site. 

“We got no say,” the councilwoman said. “It’s a disrespect to the elected officials and to the community.”

Parents asked many questions at the demonstration. They wanted information about when the migrants would arrive and an explanation about security and the separation that would keep migrants away from children. 

“The bus will most likely be here tomorrow or Thursday,” the councilwoman told parents. She encouraged parents to continue to push for answers and keep their children from going to school if necessary to bring their point across. “Everyone deserves to live here,” she said. “But you have got to do it right.”

The Bilingual Center was not immediately available for comment.

As of Wednesday, officials from the Adams administration curbed the plan and began removing migrants from the school gyms. However, they said they reversed the right to revisit the plan as a future drastic measure.