‘Locking up good citizens': Lawmaker on homeless shelter protest arrests
SHEEPSHEAD BAY, Brooklyn (PIX11) – Politicians are claiming that residents of Sheepshead Bay were the victims of a bait-and-switch – where a lot that was expected to be made into affordable housing is now being built as a shelter.
At least seven people were taken into custody during an over 10-hour protest at the Coyle Street lot on Wednesday, according to the NYPD. New York State Sen. Steve Chan has been advocating for voters opposed to the homeless shelter being built there.
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'What the hell kind of mayor is that, that is hellbent on locking up all the good citizens,' Chan said in a video posted to Facebook.
Councilmember Susan Zhuang also attended Wednesday's protest. She was arrested last year for biting a police officer at a similar protest of an under-construction homeless shelter in another part of her district, but the charges against her were dropped.
'Today's protest in Sheepshead Bay is another example of the City using taxpayer resources to coerce minority New Yorkers into submission,' she wrote in a Facebook post.
Fellow Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse also applied pressure on the Department of Buildings, demanding that protesters be protected on-site and a full review of the permits.
More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State
'The original plan, approved by the local community board and City Council, was for mixed-use affordable housing,' she wrote in a letter sent to the city.
The shelter is meant for 169 homeless families, some with school-aged children, according to the mayor's office. City officials said the community was informed over a year ago, but conceded that the plans for the site were altered by the owner of the building that's under construction.
Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here.
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