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MOnticello, NY – The controversy surrounding Sullivan County’s Section 8 waiting list has spilled over into its fourth day, resulting in a special meeting held today with the Authority’s Board of Commissioners to hear complaints from local residents. Approximately 20 people attended the meeting, according to a report by the Times Herald-Record (http://bit.ly/1JYaMzB).
As previously posted here on VIN News (http://bit.ly/1N3rWKv), some 650 people, many of them Chassidim from Kings County, camped out beginning 9:30 p.m. Sunday night to increase their chances of getting on the Section 8 list first thing Monday morning. The noisy crowd was apparently rude and misbehaved, according to local residents who live on Evergreen Road where the Housing Authority is located.
“If that was a slew of black people, police would have got them out of there,” said resident Alexis Hill. “Any time we have a barbecue and it hits 10 p.m., the cops are escorting people out of here,” added Elaine William, former county NAACP president and current secretary. “The crowd should have been made to get out of here.”
Village Manager David Sager concurred with William’s sentiments, saying the situation would have been managed “slightly differently” if the group was not composed of Chassidim.
Anne Johansen, the Monticello Housing Authority Executive Director, has continued to defend her agency, saying how the police dealt with the matter was “out of her control.” Monticello police have not responded to a request for comment.
yes 650 people camped out no one was shot and no one was stabbed. these racists would have us think that by the BBQs everything is peaceful.
They blocked school busses and people who WORK couldn’t get to work!!!
Why take subsidies from a govt and society you despise?
They should have rounded up these loosers and slugs dressed in chassideshe lvush, put them on a bus and sent them back to BP and Willy. What a chilul hashem that so many yidden would line up to grab subsidies from another community. Why aren’t they waiting on line at the employment office to look for jobs so they wouldn’t need welfare.
Elaine Williams has said that she has always identified with the black hats and black coats even though she is not really a chusid inside. Ms.Williams – newsflash – the NAACP hasn’t been having a great week either.
It upsets me to see such senseless blind hatred towards one group of people. I would like to point out the following things which are important to note.
1. Kollel is not part of the chasidish lifestyle. Men are encouaged to work. Ok many men work blue collar jobs but its an honest days work for an honest days pay in all likelihood not all that different from the nature of the work many sullivan county residents perform.Many people who work still have financial trouble. Poor does not equal either lazy or irresponsible, it just equals poor
2. There is a ferocious housing problem in williamsburg and BP terms of both space and cost. Kudos to ppl who would be more comfortable in the city trying to cut costs and move elsewhere.
3. Thank you to the askanim who made the tzibbur aware of this matter allowing people to try and help themselves
4. Lining up overnight for something one considers important is nothing new as ppl commonly bring sleeping bags or tents to wait for concert tickets or apples latest gizmo
5. I suspect that sullivan countyites are horrified that families may come, spend money in their stores revitallize dying neighborhoods and pay income and sales tax.
Orthodox communities all over, from Lakewood to Kiryas Joel, have practically zero violent crime. We are a peaceful, generally well-behaved community. That’s why. Chasidim live in communities, totally un-policed. That’s why. There have been several occasions over the years where a verdict wasn’t to the liking of the frum community (i.e. Rubashkin). Did chasidim take to the streets to riot, burn cars, attack police and loot private property? I don’t think so.
I don’t know about the noise etc complaints, I wasn’t there. What I do know is that it is so sad that our communities have created a way of life that has taken one of the most successful nations and turned its people into a bunch of pathetic nebachs who rely on the charity of others lechatchila. Nebach.
To all of the above! It still is a chillul hashem if they blocked driveways and traffic. It also looks very suspicious that so many Jews showed up as opposed to other minority groups who also need the subsidy. It does not look nice!
stop Marxism and make people WORK that is what Has-em wanted when he cursed Adam, down with Marxism and the welfare state.
While I agree/sympathize that supporting a large family in BP or Williamsburg makes it difficult for the working man there are many many other issues:
1) Education is not provided in all of these Chassidishe school relegating their “graduates” into lower paying jobs which provides an inadequate income. Yes, Yes I know Chaim Yankel and Moishe Shmeil went into business and became a millionaire or managed to go to College and become an accountant. For the vast majority this is not a reality. Just go into any Flatbush non Chassidic shul (I would imagine the same is true in Lawrence/Far Rockaway) and the number of Chassidic men looking for alms every morning is staggering.
2) Individuality is frowned upon in those communities because the Rebbes are fearful the if the masses receive an education they will leave. SO they don’t come out against this type of lifestyle and instead give out potatoes and onions for pesach, provide low or free tuition, free or low priced bungalows, camps etc.
3) The true essence of Judiasm such as yashrus and middos are shoved aside replaced by vilification of the “outside world”, “internet”…etc
Maybe the Litvishe Rabbonim in the 1700’s were correct….
I wish to expound further:
We can not be so narrow in our worldview as to only accept one approach as an appropriate one. To be an accountant may be a good choice for some but running a grocery or a cleaning company or contracting is no less appropriate. To be so mindlessly condemning is really tragic. This blistering hatred of chasidim makes me understand what mashgiach is waiting for.