UWS Clergy Letter: Let the Men of the Lucerne Stay!

Dear Mayor DeBlasio:

We are clergy of the Upper West Side, and we are calling on you to change course and allow the men housed at the Lucerne to stay on the Upper West Side until it is safe to move back to congregate shelters.

You ran on a platform of addressing the “Tale of Two Cities” in New York. Your decision to listen to a vocal but small group of people who have the means to hire a lawyer to address their concerns belies your stated commitment to addressing inequality in our city.

Further, empowering those voices has caused a domino effect in the city, with similar groups emerging in other wealthy or mixed class neighborhoods advocating for their “neighborhood to be protected.” This situation will lead to more cynicism in the public square as we see those using their means to dictate public policy.

Your statement that you found the conditions on the Upper West Side “unacceptable” when you drove by several weeks ago does not speak to the truth of our experience as both clergy and residents of this neighborhood. We are also aware that those statements have hurt a number of the men at the Lucerne.

We have had the good fortune of getting to know many of the Lucerne residents through programs run by the Open Hearts Initiative and through the Spiritual Walk and Talk program, in which many of us have listened to the stories and concerns of the residents. The men we have met are good people trying to do their best by their families and communities.

Further, the community has welcomed them with love and care. If they move, this continuity of care will be lost.

Lastly, as time continues to pass, it is more and more evident that the men of the Lucerne do not pose a threat to the health or safety of the community, with no significant uptick in crime since their arrival. If they are not causing problems for their neighborhood, why should they have to move during a pandemic, as our city’s COVID numbers spike?

We know you are waiting to see how the court case plays out. But why not seize this opportunity to make a bold statement about equality and community? Why not take this opportunity to speak to your campaign promise of addressing a Tale of Two Cities and stand up for those who are marginalized and in need of support?

We implore you to take a moral stand. Change your stance and allow the men of the Lucerne to stay until it is safe for them and for our city for them to move.

List with org identification purposes only

Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann, SAJ-Judaism that Stands for All*

Rabbi Mia Simring

Reverend Dr. Michael Piazza, Broadway United Church of Christ

Reverend Schuyler Vogel, Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York

Reverend Carl Garrison, Manhattan Church of Christ

Reverend Dr. Scott L. Stearman, Metro Baptist Church

Rabbi Jonah Geffen, Hunter Hillel

Reverend Ian Alterman, Spirit Fellowship Ministries

Rabbi Marc Margolius, Institute for Jewish Spirituality

Rabbi Ayelet Cohen, New Israel Fund

Reverend K. Karpen, St. Paul & St. Andrew

Rabbi William Plevan

*Organizations for affiliation purposes only