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Former Republican nominee for New York City mayor Curtis Silwa was reportedly arrested Wednesday, August 16, while protesting a newly opened mass tent city shelter for migrants in Queens.
A video circulating online showed the Guardian Angels founder being handcuffed by New York City police alongside other protestors who had gathered in front of Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital Grounds. Here, a tent shelter for migrants had been built on Tuesday, August 15.
The protestors, including Curtis Silwa, who were heard chanting, “America first, and “No tent City,” were arrested after they refused to comply with police orders to get out of the middle of the street and move to the sidewalk to avoid impeding traffic flow.
Curtis Silwa arrested for refusing to follow police orders during a tent city protest
On Wednesday, Curtis Silwa was arrested for refusing to comply with police directives while protesting the newly opened mass tent city shelter for migrants in front of Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital Grounds. Curtis Silwa, among many others, was taken into custody after he refused to move to the sidewalk to avoid disrupting traffic in the middle of the street.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Creedmoor Psychiatric Hospital Grounds to object to Mayor Eric Adams' decision to construct tents to house the migrant population flooding the city. In a statement cited by Fox News, the former GOP mayoral candidate Curtis Silwa criticized Mayor Adams and said:
"Have pity. No tent city! We're going to keep driving this point home until you decide to be the mayor and represent American people who are citizens of New York City who pay their taxes and afford to put you in a $5000 customized suit each and every day."
In a statement last month, Mayor Adams announced that the city will be building tent shelters to house the thousands of migrants who have entered New York City since spring. Adams explained his decision by revealing that the hotels that were accommodating the migrants had run out of room.
"Our next phase of this strategy, now that we have run out of room, we have to figure out how we're going to localize the inevitable that there's no more room indoors. Here's where we are right now. Yes, there were people sleeping in cooling vans. There were people along the sidewalk. We have to localize this madness. We have to figure out a way of how we don't have what's in other municipalities where you have tent cities all over the city."
According to the New York Post, the tents divided into four structures in Queens are being funded by the state and could house close to 1,000 men.
In the wake of Curtis Silva's arrest, it is unclear if the former mayoral candidate was charged for refusing to comply with official orders.
