On the early morning of Wednesday, residents of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, learned that the city government had set up roadblocks at the planned site for a homeless shelter on 86th Street near 25th Avenue, prompting them to gather at the scene to protest. During the protest, clashes broke out between the protesters and the police, leading to the arrest of City Council Member Zhuang Wenyi and six other civilians.
According to Ling Fei, the community advisor of State Assemblyman Zheng Yongjie, he received information around 2 a.m. through WeChat that police had brought two car barriers to the location, seemingly preparing to start construction on the homeless shelter in the middle of the night. He immediately drove to the scene and informed other relevant elected officials.
State Assemblyman Zheng Yongjie and some residents arrived at the scene first. At around 2 a.m., Zheng posted on X platform, criticizing the mayor for turning a deaf ear to the community’s demands and expressing shame on the city’s actions.
Around 3 a.m., the police began setting up two layers of “bike rack” barriers. Subsequently, construction workers started dismantling work within the police-designated security area, drilling holes and erecting supports on the sidewalk, then finally closing off the construction site with wooden boards. State Assemblyman William Colton’s chief of staff, Heling He, and City Council Member Zhuang Wenyi also arrived at the scene. During the clash with the police, an estimated 150 protesters were present.
A video posted by the social media account @ScooterCasterNY on X platform showed protesters and officers in a struggle over the roadblocks, opposing the construction of a new homeless shelter in their community. The officers at one point lifted the “bike rack” and pushed it towards the protesters, forcing them to retreat and preventing people from approaching the construction site.
In a video released by Zhu Yating, the founder of “Asian Tide,” Zhuang Wenyi was shown handcuffed at one side of the bike rack barrier, while an officer stood on the other side. The video also captured a woman beside Zhuang Wenyi trying to assist an elderly protesting woman sitting on the ground. Amidst the chaos, several protesters shouted the slogan “no more shelter” before being arrested. Zhuang Wenyi, one of the seven arrestees, was reportedly taken into custody while “trying to help an elderly woman pushed towards the barricade.”
According to the Police Department’s DCPI response to this newspaper: the tactical unit of the police department received notification early yesterday morning of a planned demonstration at 2501 86th Street within the jurisdiction of the 62nd Precinct at 7 a.m. The commanding officer at the scene stated that about 150 residents opposing the homeless shelter participated in the demonstration. During the arrests, some officers sustained minor injuries and were taken to a local hospital. Further investigations are ongoing.
DCPI further mentioned that City Council Member Zhuang Wenyi was arrested at 6:10 a.m. yesterday, facing charges of second-degree assault, resisting arrest, second-degree obstructing governmental administration, and third-degree assault. Additionally, a 57-year-old Vietnamese man, Nguyen Thanh, was also arrested for assaulting a police officer.
Patrick Hendry, the Chairman of the New York City Police Union (PBA), tweeted yesterday: “We are deeply shocked by the violent acts against New York police officers during the protest in Bensonhurst today, especially considering that City Council Member Zhuang Wenyi has consistently supported law enforcement during her tenure. There is never any excuse or justification for assaulting an officer. There should be no double standards in this case. After a thorough and fair investigation, Council Member Zhuang and other relevant persons must be held accountable for their actions.”
Despite the scorching heat and humidity reaching 31 degrees Celsius yesterday, protesters continued to gather in front of the proposed homeless shelter from early morning until at least 7 p.m. Many elderly people brought chairs, and the crowd rhythmically struck their protest signs with the flagpoles of small national flags, emitting loud protest chants.
A protester on Wednesday at the scene through a loudspeaker mentioned that the community had submitted tens of thousands of online and paper petitions, with tens of thousands showing up to protest. She questioned whether the city government had listened to the voices of these taxpayers and urged a reflection on whether their actions were fair to the taxpayers.
Since the end of last year, nearly ten thousand people have participated in massive rallies and marches. Under the leadership of Council Member Zhuang Wenyi, State Assemblyman William Colton, and his chief of staff Heling He, they have consistently opposed the city’s plan to build a 150-bed men’s shelter at this location, citing its proximity to major commercial areas, schools, senior centers, daycares, supermarkets, and residential neighborhoods as detrimental to the community and unhelpful in solving homelessness issues.
According to the Department of Social Services, the shelter is set to open by the end of this year, providing support services to residents with round-the-clock security equipped with 74 cameras.
Protesters at the scene on Wednesday claimed that the construction workers did not have the necessary permits. Zhuang Wenyi posted a video on X platform at around 6 a.m., showing a police officer talking to protesters at the scene. She argued, “They do not have the permits; you cannot just protect developers; that is not public protection.” She also criticized the mayor’s office for allowing construction in the community at 5 a.m. without proper permits.
According to city statistics, the distribution of homeless shelters in the city is uneven, with CB11 where Bensonhurst is located not having such facilities, while other areas have a concentration of shelters. The city charter stipulates that homeless shelters and services like libraries should be “equitably distributed” throughout the city.
An email inquiry from Epoch Times to the Mayor’s Office regarding their response to community demands remained unanswered at the time of publication.
In an interview, State Assemblyman Zheng Yongjie stated that homeless shelters allow the homeless to sleep at night and push them out during the day, questioning why they disregard community concerns by placing them in commercial areas. His proposed solutions include relocating the homeless to better environmental and spacious sites like Riker’s Island or other locations in upstate New York, along with long-term programs such as job training for the homeless.
“The government’s response to the people has failed, and this is the result,” State Assemblyman William Colton told Epoch Times, “They (the city government) do not listen to the opinions of nearby residents but simply protect these developers. This is too much. People are very unhappy about it. The city government claims they have permits, but they refuse to show us, as they have come here four times before without any permits, attempting to start construction.”
Zheng Yongjie and Colton stated plans for further demonstration activities demanding that the city government listen to the community’s opinions. “A few months ago, we had over 14,000 people gathering here in protest, but the city government did not listen. Therefore, we will continue to expand the scale of protest activities,” said Colton.