After nine days, the people at an encampment following the deadly Knights Inn fire in Endwell are packing up their things. The fire last week killed six people, including three young children.
“We fed hundreds of people over the course of those nine days. We comforted victims and survivors of the fire, not only the fire at the Knights Inn, but people who are victims of poverty and houselessness in Broome County. We made a lot of people uncomfortable in these buildings, some of them still up there,” said Masai Andrews, founder of the Glory Shines Foundation.
Andrews and his wife, Sana, deliver food to the hotels where the county’s Department of Social Services places families experiencing homelessness.
He said they made the decision because they didn’t want people’s belongings to be damaged in a sweep. Binghamton Police said in a letter they would conduct a sweep if the encampment was still in place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, citing that they didn’t have an event permit.
“For some of them, this is all they have,” Andrews said.
Jasmine Stratford spent some time living in the hotels throughout Broome County with her children in 2023.
“I am empowered. I am honored to see so many people supported the cause,” Stratford said about the encampment. “I myself was in this predicament two years ago, I was a Knights Inn resident.”
Broome County officials have declined multiple times to comment on the encampment and their role in placing families in hotels when they experience homelessness. However, during a press conference last week, Broome County Executive Jason Garnar expressed sympathy for the families of the victims.
“This fire has shaken Broome County, lives were lost, families have been displaced, many people are grieving, many people are worried and struggling to make sense of what happened. There are moments that remind us of how fragile life can be and this has certainly been one of them,” Garnar said.
Sana Andrews said she is frustrated by the lack of interaction they have had with city and county officials.
“They say that we should lean on our elected officials and that we can rely on them, that they’re leaders. So when we’re upset and we’re down here standing for something, why aren’t they standing with us?” Andrews said.
Residents who were displaced after the Knights Inn fire said they haven’t received much county support either besides putting them up in other hotels, Andrews said.
“We shouldn’t be pushing people out, leaving them vulnerable again. They say that they’re taking care of people from the fire and things of that sort, but then there are people that are here, actually here, that are saying they’re houseless again,” Andrews said.