I don't want my little blog to become another crazy angry politics one but I couldn't help this because I have been seeing too much false or inaccurate information lately on social media and other blogs that it is beginning to make my stomach turn. I am especially sickened by information deliberately intended to deceive and anger uneducated and ignorant people. My 4 great university years of "Honesty, Integrity, and Responsibility" won't let me sit quiet any longer (I'm sorry Professor Lemmon!) According to YIMBY, permits filed back in 2020 were for a brand new six-story hotel building at 634 86th Street located at the intersection of Battery Avenue and 86th Street in in Bay Ridge. Right away some of the angry ignorant locals began spreading rumors that everyone had been lied to and this construction site was actually a new homeless shelter being built. When this rumor was quickly jettisoned and debunked by all of the area elected authorities the angry ignorant locals started spreading a new rumor that the construction site would become another Mayor De Blasio hotel for the homeless. This was also a lie.
Instead of believing Facebook and the local fake news blogs, I did my research independently. It wasn't hard. I just did a super fast Google site search. I learned that in 2014-2015 Mayor De Blasio's administration began renting out hotel rooms and using them as emergency homeless shelters. Then I learned Last summer after the Covid-19 pandemic had gone away Mayor De Blasio began to phase out the homeless hotel program by moving 9,000 homeless people out of hotel rooms and back into dormitory shelters so that the hotels could begin reopening to the general public. In 2022 Mayor De Blasio was replaced by Mayor Eric Adams who announced he would completely phase out the homeless hotels and would not open any new homeless hotels. As always our local council representative set the record straight and I was glad because the truth matters and we need the leaders we elect to speak the truth in this era of "fake news" and half-truths.
When my in-laws and my sister's kids come for a visit now they can stay at the new hotel instead of in our tiny little basement guest room! (Hubby will certainly be happy) The moral of the story is to not be lazy, do your own research, distinguish fake news from reliable journalism and don't believe every itsy-bitsy little thing on the social media sites and crazy political blogs and be grateful you have a roof over your head because for people living rough on the streets of the city, every night of the year, they can only dream about it.
Comments