Dozens of elected officials, community leaders and attorneys gathered on the steps of the State Supreme Court in Brooklyn Tuesday to rally against the reopening and expansion of the Brooklyn Detention Complex.

Protesters called on Mayor Michael Bloomberg to stop the $500 million project from going forward, slamming it as a fiscally irresponsible and arrogant endeavor at a time of economic crisis.

Some members of the City Council and community groups claim the city circumvented the law by allegedly placing 30 inmates at the jail that has been closed for five years. They also allege that city officials are planning to double the size of the detention facility without examining the potential environmental impact on the surrounding community.

Elected officials and activists filed a lawsuit against the city over the jail expansion and asked a judge to prevent the project from going forward.