Brawl erupts outside Harlem migrant shelter
MANHATTAN - A Sunday morning altercation outside a Harlem shelter for migrants resulted in two individuals being sent to the hospital.
According to witnesses, a group of men were standing outside the shelter located at 31 Central Park North and throwing objects at people walking by.
Witnesses said that a 35-year-old man attempted to intervene and stop the men, but was pushed through the glass door of a nearby apartment building.
A 41-year-old man also tried to intervene and was also assaulted by the original group.
'It's prison': Hundreds in Bushwick shelter go weeks without showers
A 21-year-old from Mauritania says the conditions inside a Bushwick shelter are terrible, with just one working bathroom.
The NYPD says both victim were treated for their injuries at a nearby hospital.
The altercation has left long-term residents in the neighborhood concerned, citing a noticeable shift in the area's safety.
"I was actually attacked in the train, down in the station. Safety is not the words for New York now. It’s not so safe anymore. And it can happen anywhere in the city," one woman said.
The fight began outside the former Lincoln Correctional Facility, which is being used as a temporary shelter for asylum seekers and newly-arrived migrants.
While some residents expressed that this particular shelter hasn't caused significant concerns, they pointed to another nearby homeless shelter on Lenox Avenue as a potential source of safety issues.
"There’s a lot of people hanging out at the homeless shelter now for the immigrants and they don’t seem to be causing a problem but they are in great need. But the main shelter on Lenox Ave is the one we’re concerned about for safety," one neighbor said.
Police say they arrested one man from the group for disorderly conduct and their investigation is still ongoing.