Suspect sought in Randall’s Island migrant shelter stabbing. Residents say they fear for their safety.
By Jenna DeAngelis
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NEW YORK, New York (WCBS) — The NYPD is searching for the person wanted for stabbing a migrant outside a shelter on Randall’s Island.
It was the second act of violence near the city shelter in just a few weeks, worrying some residents.
Investigators responded to the Sunday morning stabbing at Field 82, focusing on one encampment. Taped-off tents are set up outside the shelter, which houses about 3,000 people.
Police said the male victim, a 26-year-old shelter resident, was stabbed in the torso. Police said he was taken to Harlem Hospital and is in stable condition.
Shelter residents say nights are especially dangerous
“It’s very unsafe,” Venezuelan migrant Pilar Lopez said in Spanish.
Branda Argueta from Guatemala added in Spanish, “Because there’s always a fight between the young men here.”
The stabbing comes just two weeks after a deadly shooting at an overnight gathering outside the shelter. Posters on display in the area are soliciting information leading to an arrest.
The NYPD has made its presence known, with officers patrolling and an Aug. 2 sweep, which resulted in no contraband found.
Still, Lopez claims, illegal activity is happening out in the open.
“People pass illegal things in front of them and they don’t do anything,” Lopez said.
“Nobody’s safe here right now”
Safety is why some say they set up tents outside the shelter. Then there’s the asylum seekers who were forced out because of the city’s 30-day shelter limit.
When asked about the “tent city,” the city referred CBS News New York to remarks made Tuesday by Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom.
“That’s not okay, and, again, we’re not trying to be heavy handed. But if you’ve had your time, you’ve had your case management, and you have to leave, you have to really move on,” Williams-Isom said.
The city says 68% of the 211,000 people who have come through the intake system have taken the next step on the journey.
Mamamadou Bah of Guinea said he’s been waiting for a work permit and feels the city can do more to help.
“They can help us get a job,” Bah said.
In the meantime, he said he’s hoping safety improves.
“Nobody’s safe here right now,” Bah said.
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