Construction of Manhattan men’s shelter on African burial ground opposed by residents, politicians
A concerned Inwood dad wants to stop construction on a 116-bed men’s homeless shelter next to his daughters’ school because he says it would create a danger to his children and desecrate a historic African burial ground and Lenape ceremonial site.
Raldy Montano, who lives a few blocks away from the planned facility at 10th Ave. and W. 212nd St. in Inwood, says that the Department of Homeless Services took shortcuts in its environmental review of the project and ignored the adverse effects the group home would have on the students of Public School 98, the neighborhood and the historic site.
“DHS ignored significant adverse effects, improperly deferred consideration of whether the project would create a hazard to the health of the residents, and did not take into consideration the school in their traffic and noise study,” Montano charged in his suit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court last month.
He’s not the only one opposed to the project. City Councilwoman Carmen De La Rosa and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine have also asked that construction be stopped.
“I believe that we should be pausing the construction while we get the landmarks issues cleared and that these things are historically preserved in a way that is dignified, and speaks to the history of slavery in our city, especially in a community of color, especially in a community where descendants of slaves still live,” De La Rosa told the Daily News.
She suggested that a shelter for women and children next to the school would be more appropriate than one for men.
Montano may have an uphill legal battle, though, as the construction has been approved by the Department of Buildings and workmen have already begun digging the foundation.
The history of the land dates to the Lenape tribe who used the