The Boston Globe asked its readers if Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s decision to send migrants to a community center was appropriate, according to Boston.com. A vast majority reportedly responded in the negative.
Approximately 300-plus migrants who had been sleeping at Logan Airport arrived Wednesday at a recreation center in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, which Gov. Maura Healey repurposed as an migrant housing overflow site, Boston.com reported. The Melnea A. Cass Recreational Complex was reportedly a community space used for hosting athletic and recreational youth programs. Until further notice, the Cass Complex has been placed under the control of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, according to the outlet.
Boston.com, ran by the Boston Globe, asked readers if they agreed with the repurposing initiative enacted by the liberal Governor and 83% disagreed. Some 14% reportedly agreed with their Governor. (RELATED: Massachusetts Gov. Seeks To Allocate $28,000,000 To Implement Policy Allowing Illegal Immigrants To Get Driver’s Licenses)
Melnea Cass Recreational Complex in Boston to begin serving as a shelter for those sleeping at Logan Airport. https://t.co/UevChKxG7U
— Jon Nicosia (@NewsPolitics) January 30, 2024
The poll was not scientific, according to Boston.com.
Those who said no reportedly expressed distaste with the decision since Roxbury is a predominately minority community. $38,000 is the rough median household income in Roxbury, considerably below the Boston median household income of $81,000, the outlet reported.
“Dumping these people in the already underserved Roxbury community is not helping anyone. It’s just a sloppy attempt to divert the problem onto a neighborhood without NIMBY powers,” Heather S., a Somerville resident, stated, according to Boston.com.
Another respondent named Dan reportedly suggested nearby elite colleges could step in, such as Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
“Why does Roxbury have to take it on the chin?” Dan asked, the outlet reported. (RELATED: ‘State Of Emergency’: Dem Gov Calls On National Guard Over Migrant Crisis)
“[It is] hugely unfair to take this resource from the community,” Kacie from Winchester stated, Boston.com reported. “Why not a place in Newton or Wellesley?”
The Boston United Track and Cross Country, a nonprofit providing a complimentary track-and-field program to city children was among the programs that lost access to facility, according to the outlet. The program’s co-founder Said Hassan Ahmed reportedly showed up at the complex last weekend to learn Saturday was the program’s last day on location.
“Folks at the front desk were like, ‘Just to let you know, today’s your last day.’ … We were told that our permit was revoked and we were out,” Ahmed informed the Globe, the outlet reported.
A youth track-and-field club run out of the Melnea A. Cass Recreational Complex for more than a decade is closing on a deal for an alternative practice space after its long-time home turned into a temporary shelter for migrants. https://t.co/KsgydQh8sb
— Boston Herald (@bostonherald) January 31, 2024
The space could house up to 400 people, Gov. Healey stated in a Wednesday night press conference, according to Boston.com. The facility is reportedly expected to serve as a shelter for migrants on a temporary basis.
Back in December of 2023, the Healey gubernatorial administration announced it will allocate $915,000,000 toward emergency shelters in the next two fiscal years to accommodate the increasing influx of migrants coming into the United States and making their way to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.