Rally held in South Brooklyn against homeless shelter construction

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Officials, business owners and residents gathered in front of 2501 and 86th Street to rally against the construction of homeless shelter. New York State Assembly Member William Colton took the stage in front of the construction site, standing alongside City Council Member Susan Zhuang, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and several business owners to showcase their opposition to the proposed shelter. "Still, city government has not responded," Colton said in response to the ongoing protests - amounting to 36 days to date. "I think everyone else has responded and everybody else has responded with a responding 'No - no to homeless shelters'" The proposed shelter, in development by Tejpal Sandhu, of 86th Street NY LLC, will be in conjunction with the construction of a 32-room hotel with a community facility attached. The intent for the shelter is set to to house 150 single male adults and would be the first and only shelter in the South Brooklyn council district, according to city officials. Since the shelter plans' inception, growing concerns from members of the community have hit an all-time high, with a recent march at City Hall filled with over 4,000 people, as well as a petition signed in opposition with over 53,000 signatures. Some locals have expressed fear for what may come with the new neighborhood inhabitants. "They're still doing the construction for this work," said local resident Alfreda Trotman. "So you're endangering the children that live there, you're endangering the people that live there." Another resident expressed concern for what may happen when the shelter takes in those with mental illness and drug addictions. "[The homeless] don't get the treatment, they skip on the drugs, something else might trigger them," said Denny Lai, a longtime resident. "They might commit some crimes, they might put people in harm's way." The administration of Mayor Eric Adams released a statement in response to those in fear for the future of their community, stating that the housing unit will serve as a "much-needed shelter" and will "offer New Yorkers experiencing homelessness the critical care they need to get back on their feet." As plans continue to move forward, the administration says that it "will provide robust support to help future shelter residents stabilize their lives and move into permanent housing" and "maintain open lines of communication with the community." "