Thousands of demonstrators descended on a Brooklyn neighborhood on Saturday to protest a planned homeless shelter that will house only men.
The shelter, proposed by the city, will be a 32-room hotel and community facility and will provide services such as case management, housing placement and community partnerships that will work to provide the men with jobs.
The planned site is in the highly residential Bensonhurst, where locals have expressed concerns about its proximity to several schools.
City officials have shot back that the neighborhood is one of the few in the five boroughs without shelter, and that residents have been given ample notice after being notified in November.
Unchanged, residents, business owners and politicians in the largely Asian neighborhood gathered Saturday to say no to the city’s plans, as Mayor Eric Adams’ administration works to tackle the city’s rapidly rising homeless rate.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Bensonhurst on Saturday to protest against a planned homeless shelter that will house only single men.
Thousands of people in the predominantly Asian neighborhood gathered Saturday to say no to the city’s plans, as Mayor Eric Adams’ administration works to tackle the city’s rising homeless rate. The city’s shelter system has skyrocketed by more than 50 percent in the past year
“We are concerned that the homeless will affect the safety of children,” local father Michael Huang said Fox 5 of the hectic procession of the proposed location, where the mentally ill will reside.
“It’s just going to cause more problems than we already have,” added Marie Brullo, a longtime resident of the area.
“It will increase crime.”
She, like others, predicts unrest once the shelter becomes a reality, citing that the number of homeless people in the city’s shelter system has risen more than 50 percent in the past year — driven by a relentless wave of migrants.
“People will fight them,” she said, citing how she has lived in the neighborhood since 1966.
“It’s going to be war here.”
Others — including Democratic Assemblymember William Colton and City Councilwoman Susan Zhuang — said more of the same, promising more fights before the facility is finished.
“This is the wrong place and the wrong policy. Homeless shelters do not help the homeless, and we will not remain silent about it,” said Assemblyman Colton.
“We can do the right thing for them: affordable housing, great, use the money,” another protester added.
“But don’t tell us taxpayers what to do with our money.”
“We are concerned that the homeless will affect the safety of children,” local father Michael Huang told Fox 5 from the hectic parade about the proposed site, which will house the mentally ill.
“It’s just going to cause more problems than we already have,” said another resident in the predominantly Asian residential area. ‘It will increase crime’
Locals have expressed concerns about the proximity of several schools to the planned site. The building at 25th Avenue and 86th Street that will house the men can be seen here
City officials have shot back that the neighborhood is one of the few in the five boroughs without shelter, and that residents have been given ample notice, having been told about it back in November.
Unchanged, hundreds of residents, business owners and politicians in the largely Asian neighborhood gathered Saturday to make their views known on the planned facility.
They included Democratic Assemblymember William Colton (center) and City Councilwoman Susan Zhuang (right), who vowed there would be more fighting before the facility is completed.
“We can do the right thing for them: affordable housing, great, use the money,” another resident added. “But don’t tell us taxpayers with our money what to do with it.”
“This is the wrong place and the wrong policy. Homeless shelters do not help the homeless, and we will not remain silent about it,” the councilman said, urging city officials to reconsider.
More to follow…
