The scene in front of the Ida Benderson Center Wednesday morning
/ photo: Brian Mueller
SYRACUSE -- It was perhaps one of the most dramatic protests to date over the pending closure of the Ida Benderson Senior Center in Syracuse.
Two senior women who use the center had their heads shaved Wednesday morning outside of the center on Salina Street, to show their displeasure with the decision to close the center.
"Stephanie Miner is cutting senior programs to the bone. We want to show how much these cuts affect us. We might be losing our hair, but we aren't losing our spirit. We're going to fight this to the end," said Sue Hollister, 76, who uses the center.
Mayor Stephanie Miner says the while the center will be closing at its current location, a new center will open in the Salvation Army headquarters four blocks away.
Mary Carr uses the center everyday. She says she will check out the new location, but she doesn't think it will replace the current Ida Benderson Center.
"This is where I started at, not Ida Benderson slash Salvation Army," Carr says. "I would feel more comfortable being around the same people."
The center is slated to close October 1, on orders of the mayor who says the city can no longer afford the cost. Recently, CNY Central reported a new plan by friends of the center to raise new money to keep it afloat.
