Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, authorities in the United States of America (USA) have been forced to ensure that homeless people are given proper places to stay with the possibility of social distancing. Some have been put up in hotels. However, in the process, authorities of New York seem to have messed up big time.
According to reports in the media, six pedophiles out on parole have been placed in a high-end hotel which lies less than 1000 feet away from a playground for the children belonging to an elementary school. These six men have indulged in revolting acts such as having sexual intercourse with a four-year-old girl and molesting a child under the age of 11.
Problems for Residents
This has generated a lot of anger in the communities living nearby. Even before this shocking revelation, the people living in Manhattan's residential communities have complained of vulgar behavior from those homeless people who have been placed in hotels nearby. There have been reports of some of them urinating in the open and using drugs, even as the photograph of a man masturbating has also been seen.
But the arrival of pedophiles takes the concerns of the nearby residents to another level. The Belleclaire hotel which is housing these pedophiles is located on Broadway and West 77th Street. It happens to be less than 1000 feet from the playground where students of PS-87, a public school.
The reason the distance of 1000 feet matters is because as per the law of New York State and its interpretation by the court, those men who are guilty of sex offences and are on parole or probation, must not be allowed within 1000 feet of facilities which are used by children. This law is being violated, or at least it seems so.
The New York Post contacted a representative of the city administration for a comment and he simply said that the "names you reference are not at that location." However, this claim is yet to be substantiated as the list of homeless people housed in this hotel contains their names and there is no suggestion of them having been moved. Obviously, parents are worried about the situation.
