The decision by the Hillary Clinton campaign to hold its first major rally on Roosevelt Island was not cleared by community representatives and will be a major headaches for residents on the small strip of land just off Manhattan.
Officials on Roosevelt Island's community association say that the event will be "horrendous logistically" for residents, who will already have to be without an annual event for children called Imagination Playground.
Now an even larger annual event called Roosevelt Island Day, which has included a blood drive since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the city, is at risk of being canceled as well.
Residents were not given notice that the small island would be playing host to the major event, according to the New York Post report.
"It’s going to be horrendous logistically," said Sherie Helstien, vice president of the island’s community association, who noted that her community has just one main road.
"I think the campaign should have reached out to the community representatives of 14,000 people — absolutely," fumed Matthew Katz, former president of the association, and husband of Helstien.
He says residents received no notice from the Clinton camp.
"We are not just a memorial and a park. We’re a thriving community of 14,000 people. It’s just tone-deaf to ignore that," he added.
Katz said that the campaign was "tone-deaf."