Brooklyn Residents Block Trucks Over Planned Homeless Shelter

BROOKLYN, NY — Several hundred protesters flooded a Bensonhurst intersection, blocked construction vehicles and pushed past police barricades as tensions escalated over a planned homeless shelter in Brooklyn.

The crowd gathered near 86th Street and 25th Avenue, where the city plans to build a 150-bed men’s shelter

. Rumors that construction could begin the next morning spread through the neighborhood, drawing residents into the streets.

Officers from the New York Police Department lined the blocks surrounding the site. Some wore riot gear as they tried to hold back the crowd.

Protesters moved into the roadway and surrounded a container truck attempting to enter the site. One person stood behind the vehicle’s tires as it reversed, halting its movement, according to videos posted on X.

Dump trucks and other construction vehicles idled nearby.

The demonstration stretched across multiple blocks, with residents chanting and calling on Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani to cancel the project.

Residents said the site sits near senior housing complexes and expressed fears about crime and drug activity.

The confrontation marked the latest in a series of protests that began after the city notified the community of the project in November 2023.

City officials have not confirmed a construction start date.

The New York City Department of Social Services said earlier that the project remains in planning stages and is expected to open in late 2027.