CHELSEA — The head of the federal Department of Homeland Security joined Mayor Bill de Blasio Tuesday on a visit to the block of West 23rd Street where a bomb blast injured 29 people over the weekend.
“I just want to stress, if you see something, say something,” Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said before touring the apartment building at 124 W. 23rd St. damaged by the Saturday night blast.
“That’s more than a slogan.”
Johnson declined to comment on the ongoing investigation but complimented "the hard work of NYC’s police department” prior to joining de Blasio and a group of local politicians inside the building.
After speaking privately with Johnson, de Blasio made his way across the street to meet with residents of Selis Manor, a home for blind residents that also sustained damage from the explosion.
Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks with a resident of Selis Manor, which was damaged by the explosion on West 23rd Street. (DNAinfo/Maya Rajamani)
Some of the home’s residents feared they could become targets for criminals following media coverage of their residence amid the explosion, Selis Manor's executive director Nancy Miller told the mayor.
De Blasio vowed to set up a meeting between residents and the head of the local precinct to address security issues.
“We want to get things back to normal real soon,” he said. “We’ll set up that meeting.”
Sharon Joyner, 55, was one of several Selis Manor residents who shared their safety concerns with the mayor.
“Now that our building has been in the public eye, we’re afraid it will attract negative attention,” Joyner said following the mayor's visit. “I thought that was excellent that he took the time to come out and reassure us.”
Roselyn Oliveres, however, said she didn’t share her fellow residents’ fears.
“I would never let any terrorist group or anyone ever put fear on me like that,” said the 76-year-old, who has lived at Selis Manor since it opened in 1981. “That’s not gonna scare me.”
After leaving Selis Manor, the mayor stopped in at the nearby Malibu Diner, which has been supplying meals to Selis residents since their cafeteria was damaged by the blast.
