After a random stabbing incident involving a homeless person occurred in Manhattan, State Assembly Members William Colton and Yung-Jia Cheng, State Senator-elect Hak Lee Chan, and Council Member Wenny Zhuang held a press conference in front of 2501 Benson Avenue on the 86th Street on November 21. The location is the proposed site for a men’s shelter where the local Chinese community has been protesting for 128 days. The officials demanded the city government declare a state of emergency on the homeless issue to promote policy reforms.
This call to action follows the recent stabbing deaths of three innocent individuals. On Monday, November 18, a homeless man with a history of arrests and mental health issues, who had previously resided at the Bellevue Men’s Shelter, was arrested in connection with the stabbing incident just a block away from the shelter. This case has sparked widespread concern.
Council Member Wenny Zhuang emphasized that the core reason for opposing the construction of a homeless shelter in Bensonhurst is to maintain community safety, not to deny assistance to the homeless.
She criticized the ineffective homeless shelter policies in New York City which have not addressed the issue of homelessness effectively and have resulted in three innocent lives lost under failed policies. She pointed out that the city plans to build a shelter for 150 mental health patients in the community without any treatment or support plans, posing a threat to nearby schools, senior centers, and businesses.
Zhuang advocated for helping the homeless through creating job opportunities and supporting vocational training, rather than continuously building shelters to benefit developers. She urged citizens to actively participate in voting to push for policy reforms, end the ineffective shelter projects that waste funds, and ensure that community voices are heard.
Assembly Member William Colton noted that New York City’s homeless policy is a multi-billion-dollar failure. The current shelter policies not only fail to effectively help those in need but also pose high risks to the community, saying “We have repeatedly warned that these shelters are just warehouse-style management and cannot address the root problem.”
Colton emphasized that in the recent murder case, the suspect committed the crime only a block away from the shelter, highlighting the serious shortcomings of the current policy. He called on the city government to take immediate action to implement measures that genuinely help the homeless, rather than allowing developers and operators to profit from the situation.
Colton proposed a comprehensive response plan including:
(1) Creating more mental health beds: Declaring a state of emergency would prompt the state government to increase mental health bed capacity for individuals with mental health issues to receive appropriate treatment.
(2) Enforcing Kendra’s Law: Strengthening the observation and compulsory treatment of individuals with abnormal behavior to protect others and ensure their own safety.
(3) Halting the opening of new shelters: Redirecting funds towards more effective solutions such as vocational training, drug rehabilitation programs, and affordable housing policies.
Colton also stressed that the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) should immediately repair all vacant apartments to alleviate the housing crisis and provide accommodation for the needy New Yorkers. He stated that only through systemic reforms can the lives of the homeless be truly improved while reducing potential threats to the community.
State Assembly Member Yung-Jia Cheng proposed transforming punitive facilities into treatment centers. He mentioned visiting Rikers Island three times and gaining insight into its existing 9,000 beds. Therefore, he suggested repurposing Rikers Island into homeless treatment centers instead of continuing to use it as a prison. These treatment centers should be located in secure areas off the island to provide appropriate help and services.
Cheng stated that he has been waiting for the mayor’s response to his meeting request for nine months, hoping to present his solutions. On this issue, he has been advocating for about four years. He pointed out that some closing punitive facilities in northern New York could also be transformed into homeless treatment centers instead of mere shelters.