Locals protest incoming homeless shelter after alleged NYC bait-and-switch: Community is outraged

Throngs of demonstrators marched through the normally sleepy streets of Sheepshead Bay to protest plans for a family homeless shelter — as locals claimed the city pulled a bait and switch to get the project OK’d.A long caravan of cars snaked through about 20 blocks of the Brooklyn neighborhood Sunday while crowds carried signs reading “Affordable housing not shelters” and “Keep our kids safe! No shelters near playgrounds or schools!”At the center of the issue is plans for a 169-family homeless shelter at 2134 Coyle St., a site initially approved as an affordable housing property in 2022.But after a developer backed out, city officials greenlighted plans for the shelter in 2023 without resident input.The marchers started their walk at the shelter site and were joined by community activist and mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa and other candidates for local office.“As you can see the community is outraged.

The mayor refuses to come and talk to the community.None of the other mayoral candidates will come here and take a stand,” Sliwa said.
“So I’m leading a demonstration against this shuffle.

We want affordable housing.That’s what this community was told and they agreed to it, and then the last minute switch, they want affordable housing, no shelters,” he added.Local storekeepers and residents lined the streets as the caravan filed past, as thoroughfares became blocked and jammed up by the crowds.Many marchers characterized the city’s system as broken and a possible threat to the local peace.“This is a great community.

There is like older people who settle here.It’s a beautiful community.

There’s parks and everything,” said 21-year-old Sheepshead Bay resident Fruma Feldman.“I do believe homeless people should have a place to go, but I was talking to my dad earlier and he told me that he has homeless friends that are scared to be in these shelters because of how dangerous the other people that are there are, it’s not even safe f...