‘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.
More Local News
'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.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Tish gets ripped! New Yorkers not impressed with AG James' crackdown on gyms
That's weak. New Yorkers ripped state Attorney General Letitia James' online boast about her crackdown on Equinox gyms. James — who is facing a criminal probe of her own — got hundreds of nasty remarks after posting on social media about the $600,000 fine she levied on the gym chain for making it too tough for customers to cancel their memberships. 'New Yorkers should never have to break a sweat when they cancel a gym membership,' James' office wrote in a May 30 Facebook post. James under investigation by the feds for mortgage fraud. Robert Miller But New Yorkers were not impressed. 'Nice to see NY representatives are focused on the important stuff,' quipped commenter Cynthia Schieber Weiss. 'This is what progressives focus on. Minutia,' wrote Matt Ziccardi. Only customers who'd previously filed formal complaints will get refunds, up to $250 apiece, less than a single month's membership at the swanky gym. Equinox settled with the attorney general office for $600,000 for 'unlawfully making it difficult' to cancel a membership. JHVEPhoto – 'Really helping out there,' mocked Facebook user Eric Smith. 'You need to be worried about the investigation going on against you as we speak,' posted another. 'Will you be working out in the prison yard?' snarked Jerry West. A spokesperson for Equinox told The Post it made changes to its membership last year and is now in 'full compliance' with the law. The company didn't answer when asked if that meant people could now cancel their memberships any time without penalty. James' office did not respond to The Post's request for comment.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
NYPD hunts Queens pervert groping women after saying they had spiders on them
Cops are asking for the public's help in tracking down a scheming suspect who groped women after telling them they had spiders on them in separate Queens incidents this week. A 25-year-old woman was walking home near Astoria Blvd. and 22 St. at about 9:50 p.m. on Monday when the creep approached and told her she had a spider on her before grabbing and slapping her buttocks over her clothes and then running off, cops said. The suspect struck again a half hour later, roughly a mile away. He approached another 25-year-old woman who was walking home near 47 St. and Newtown Rd. in Astoria, and told her the same line before grabbing and slapping her buttocks and vagina over her clothes. Cops released surveillance images of the suspect Saturday in hopes that someone will recognize him. He is pictured wearing a black jacket with a black hooded sweatshirt underneath, maroon pants and blue sandals — the clothes he was seen in. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). All calls are strictly confidential.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ocasio-Cortez faces test of her political power
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) faces a test of her political influence after endorsing a progressive candidate in the New York City mayoral race. Ocasio-Cortez backed New York state Assembly member Zohran Mamdani on Thursday, pitching him as the best chance to upset former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the front-runner since before he entered the race. Her endorsement is sure to raise progressive hopes and give Mamdani a much-needed boost ahead of the June 24 primary. But it will also draw attention to the strength of her political clout as she positions herself as the next standard-bearer for the Democratic Party's progressive wing and possibly the party as a whole. 'She represents a younger, newer generation of Democratic voters,' said New York Democratic strategist Basil Smikle, adding that the movement she's led has been 'more forward looking with respect to the party, not just locally but nationally.' Observers of the Democratic primary for the mayor's race have been eagerly awaiting news of Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement for weeks. Reports indicated that the Bronx-area congresswoman has methodically reviewed polling and pitches from various candidates on how they plan to defeat Cuomo, who has dominated in name ID and polling. Among the more progressive candidates in the race, her support was coveted as one of the top leaders of the progressive wing since her own major upset win in 2018, making her the youngest woman elected to Congress. She was also credited with significantly improving Maya Wiley's chances of winning the Democratic nomination for mayor in 2021 as she gave an endorsement shortly before the primary then too. While Wiley ultimately lost to now-Mayor Eric Adams (D), her polling numbers jumped from single digits to make her a top contender after Ocasio-Cortez backed her. Ocasio-Cortez ultimately announced her endorsement of Mamdani in an interview with The New York Times the morning after the candidates faced off in the first debate of the race. She said Mamdani has made the best case that he can best Cuomo, showing a 'real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack.' Democrats said Ocasio-Cortez has demonstrated her influence in past races in New York and could put it on display again. George Albro, a co-chair of the New York Progressive Action Network, noted her support for current mayoral candidate Brad Lander during his city comptroller race in 2021 as he was trailing in the primary at the time. She and other top progressives appeared in ads backing him. 'He was trailing his opponent, and then they did a number of commercials for him, and he won the comptroller's race because of it, a city-wide race where he wasn't that well-known,' Albro said. 'It will be very impactful,' he added about Ocasio-Cortez's endorsement. But her endorsement in the race also comes at a time when she is taking on a rising profile within the Democratic Party as a whole in the aftermath of former Vice President Harris's loss in the November presidential election. Discontent has been growing among the party's base with the current leadership, as polling has found voters widely split or unsure who their standard-bearer is. Ocasio-Cortez received widespread attention for the 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour that she and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) embarked on earlier this year, fueling speculation of a role beyond representing New York's 14th Congressional District in Congress. Her name has been floated as a possible choice for Senate in 2028, with many Democrats expressing frustration with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), or even president, with the Democratic field in three years currently appearing wide open. New York Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf said Ocasio-Cortez is emblematic of the generational change that many in the party are searching for. He added that what happens in New York won't stay there. 'The generational shift is something that matters in New York politics and will ultimately matter around the country,' he said. 'Why? Because what happens in New York reflects national trends, unquestionably so, both culturally, from a media perspective, from a financial perspective, and certainly from a political perspective.' Sheinkopf argued that Sanders is the candidate many young people ideally wanted in 2024 rather than Harris, but Sanders has 'deputized' Ocasio-Cortez, who resonates even more among the voters whom a candidate like Mamdani appeals to. 'It doesn't matter whether he wins or loses,' he argued. 'The fact is that she's lined up with the younger generation of voters.' Democrats also said they don't believe Ocasio-Cortez is taking on much political risk even if the candidate she's backing, who is a significant underdog, falls short. New York Democratic strategist Trip Yang noted Cuomo still had significant inherent advantages in the race, including name recognition, calling him an imperfect but 'strong' candidate. 'Even if [Mamdani] doesn't win, he improves his political standing tremendously and the new progressive movement as a whole,' Yang said. 'At the end of the day, whatever happens, progressives will come out of 2025 looking better than they did in 2021,' he said. Smikle said Ocasio-Cortez isn't likely to alienate any potential followers by weighing in, as her base does not have too much overlap with Cuomo's core supporters. 'I don't think there's a downside [for her] at all,' he said. Smikle said Ocasio-Cortez has also effectively been what polling has shown New Yorkers and Democrats broadly want from their leaders — someone who will stand up to President Trump and fight for their constituents. He argued that New Yorkers don't have a specific ideology of moderate or progressive but just want someone who will 'fight' for them. He said Ocasio-Cortez is one of the few major leaders in the party who has been 'speaking forward,' talking about what the future of Democratic politics and the coalition needs to look like and what ideas should be put forward. 'It's not just playing defense in the moment,' Smikle said. 'It's thinking about what that offense is going to be, what that offense needs to look like. There are not a lot of people speaking about that.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
