Bensonhurst residents mark one-year anniversary of daily protests over planned homeless shelter
A group of Bensonhurst residents has gathered daily to protest the city’s plan to build a homeless shelter at 2501 86th St. for more than a year.
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They say the neighborhood was left out of the decision and fear the project could negatively impact the community.
At the center of the protest is Yupei Ma, who spent nearly six months sleeping in his van outside the location where the shelter is expected to go, and now comes every day to support the cause.
“Community people were afraid the developer would sneak in at midnight and start demolition and construction,” Ma said.
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The group has been standing outside the site rain or shine, urging the city to reconsider.
“There are schools, elderly centers… it’s a beautiful neighborhood,” said one neighbor, Linda. “We don’t want to turn it into a ghost town.”
The protests reached a boiling point last summer, when Council Member Susan Zhuang was arrested during a tense confrontation. According to police, Zhuang bit an officer while trying to help an elderly woman who had fallen during the clash.
“She fell under the barricade, and Council Member Zhuang was trying to help,” the woman told News 12 through a translator.
Since then, the protests have become a fixture in the neighborhood, sharing food, coffee and conversation, turning the corner into a community hub.
NYPD: Councilwoman Susan Zhuang arrested, charged with felony assault at protest
Despite the long standoff, their message remains the same: they want the city to stop the plan.
“I hope the administration sits down with the community so we can resolve this,” Ma said. “And I can finally go home.”
In a statement, the mayor's office said:
“Every community must have the resources they need to support their most vulnerable neighbors, and the Adams administration remains committed to helping New Yorkers in need get connected to both temporary and permanent housing. We continue to maintain open lines of communication with the community and will continue our ongoing engagement efforts to address neighborhood needs.”
