In response to the shelter project at 2134 Coyle Street, Sheep’s Head Bay, Brooklyn, on August 1, developers invoked Article 881 of real estate procedures to sue 9 Chinese homeowners, increasing the number of households facing lawsuits to 11, involving a total of 24 people, sparking strong backlash in the community.
Yesterday (August 11), several elected officials and community leaders held a closed-door meeting to resolve differences and decided to unite against the project criticized as “bait-and-switch.” They elected local councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse to lead the effort in defending community interests.
Following the meeting, a bipartisan alliance composed of state senators, state assembly members, city council members, and the chair of the 15th Community Board went to the site of the project to take action. With community representatives leading the way, the crowd chanted slogans such as “No shelter”, “No bait-and-switch”, and “Affordable housing now”.
Attendees pointed out that the development project originally promised affordable housing but was later changed to a homeless shelter, lacking transparency, accountability, and disregarding community input. Narcisse emphasized that no family would voluntarily enter a shelter, stressing that what the community truly needs is safe, affordable, and long-term housing.
She criticized the developers for reneging on their promises and revealed that she, along with other officials, plans to gather complete data and write letters to the Department of Buildings, Mayor’s Office, and Department of Homeless Services, urging them to respect the original housing resolution.
State Senator Chen Xueli bluntly stated that the city government had been “lying to the community repeatedly” in this case, likening their actions to “a used car salesman—neighbors think they are buying one thing, but end up with another. No one wants such a thing to happen at their doorstep”.
He pointed out that some residents of the shelter might have serious criminal records, and they should not be directly placed in residential areas.
“Having been a police officer for 27 years, I have spoken to homeless individuals on the streets of Manhattan’s Chinatown. The situation is much more complex than it appears on the surface. Many are actually career criminals who, after serving 25 years—whether for murder or other crimes—end up back on the streets, unable to support themselves. We must find a way out for them. In recent years, New York City has been releasing criminals at will, with no contingency plan, simply letting them out of prison directly. What problems will this approach lead to? The current situation is the answer,” Chen Xueli said.
Assemblyman Michael Novakhov criticized that the affordable housing plan approved by community vote in 2021 was changed to a shelter in 2023, which not only deceived residents but could also lead to a drop in property prices. He proposed using the same budget to build small apartments in industrial areas, along with mental health and social services, as a more effective solution.
Assemblyman Zheng Yongjia suggested providing vouchers to help homeless individuals settle down. He noted that many immigrant shelters have been closed, and the city should prioritize using existing resources. “What should be built is housing, not homeless shelters,” he said, proposing exploring changes in zoning to block the project.
Councilwoman Zhuang Wenyi criticized Mayor Adams for widely establishing shelters in the fifth district but failing to equally provide resources such as senior housing, veterans’ homes, or tax breaks, stating that this disregarded the needs of taxpayers.
Two of the households involved in the lawsuit are expected to appear in court again on September 3, while the hearing dates for the other 9 recently sued households are still undetermined. Neighbors stated that they will continue to resist until the city fulfills its promises for housing plans.
Community representative Chen Lina thanked the early supportive officials, including Assemblyman Jaime Williams, Chen Xueli, Zheng Yongjia, Michael, and City Council candidate Dimple Willabus. She disclosed that the closed-door meeting also had Assemblyman Kalman Yeger, State Senator Sam Sutton, and neighboring District 48 City Council member Inna Vernikov in attendance, making it a large gathering of local and nearby district-level and state-level legislators.
She criticized the developers for using lawsuits to intimidate residents, stating that this would only intensify community resistance, and urged voters to influence policy through their votes, especially by actively voting in the November elections to stop the homeless shelter project from materializing.