Crown Heights Residents March Through Neighborhood For Shelter Protest

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — City Councilman Robert Cornegy joined a group of protesters who marched through Crown Heights on Saturday and said he opposes the city's plan to open a homeless shelter in the neighborhood.

Demonstrators gathered outside of 1173 Bergen St., between New York and Brooklyn avenues, at 2 p.m. and then marched to Restoration Plaza and Cornegy's offices, holding signs and chanting along the way.

These residents say the shelter does not comply with the city's "Fair Share" laws, which govern where homeless shelters can and cannot be placed. They say their neighborhood is unfairly oversaturated with shelters, especially compared to whiter and more affluent neighborhoods like Park Slope and Carroll Gardens.

Scroll down to see Patch's live updates from the scene. And to keep up with all of the updates on this story, click here to sign up for Patch's daily newsletter and free, real-time news alerts.

Some of the residents sued the city, and a judge has temporarily blocked the shelter from opening for the time being.

The shelter is one of 90 that the mayor plans to open over the next five years to curb homelessness in the city and close "cluster" and hotel sites.

"Right now, at 1173 Bergen Street, there are 104 beds sitting empty that would give homeless seniors from Brooklyn the opportunity to be sheltered closer to the community they called home — and because we cannot use these beds, we've been forced to rent commercial hotel rooms, which are more expensive and less effective for helping our homeless neighbors get back on their feet," Isaac McGinn, a DHS spokesman, told Patch after the rally on Saturday.

"We remain committed to opening this facility as soon as possible to give these homeless seniors from Brooklyn the opportunity to be sheltered closer to the communities they called home and welcome community input as we do so--and as the Mayor said when he announced his borough-based plan for addressing the challenge of homelessness citywide: 'That does not mean if there’s protest we will change our minds. It means we want people to come to the table with us.'"

DHS also says that at the end of the mayor's plan, Community Board 8, which covers north Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy, will see a net reduction of 100 beds.

Below are Patch's live updates from Saturday's march.

1:57 p.m.

A crowd is trickling in here on an absolutely gorgeous early April Day. Things aren't going to be quiet; this woman brought plenty of whistles to hand out.

2:13 p.m.

A decent crowd is starting to gather here of neighborhood residents and other activists. They're passing out signs.

2:15 p.m.

There's also an NYPD presence here watching over things... and blocking a bike lane in the process.

2:35 p.m.

Here's what the crowd looks like from across the street. (And, we are happy to report, the NYPD car has moved out of the bike lane.)

2:39

The marching has started, with chants of "We will remember / in November "

Haratia Trahan, a 60-year-old Crown Heights resident who has lived here since she was 17, tells Patch she is here "to protest the audacity of the mayor's attempt to further saturate Crown Heights with shelter beds."

"It's deplorable in that it's around the corner from the Brooklyn Children's Museum and that there are also many new residents with babies and children."

2:46 p.m.

The chants now are "What do we want? A fair share. When do we want it? Now" as the demonstrators march up New York Avenue.

Also this guy is leaning out of his window yelling "USA!" For some reason.

2:50 p.m.

The chant as the March gets to Restoration Plaza is "Crown Heights is woke; fair share's no joke."

It's unclear if City Councilman Robert Cornegy, whose offices are nearby, is here. There are definitely some people enjoying a Saturday brunch at Applebees who can hear the cheering, though.

2:53 p.m.

Cornegy is here. He takes the mic to say he hasn't been around as much as he would have liked to be because his daughter's 16-year-old friend recently committed suicide.

But, he says, he wants to make sure people know that he is against the shelter opening until he can review the city's fair share analysis, which he says he has not seen yet.

"I stand with my community. We feel the crunch of — on one side, incredible gentrification. And on the very opposite side, this push for temporary housing. And nothing in between," Cornegy tells Patch afterward.

"This temporary fix is not fiscally sound, and it's not socially sound. The same revenue and resources that you're going to use for 90 shelters, temporary shelters, I feel like you could use a portion of that to create a pathway to affordable housing."

3:10 p.m.

A steady stream of representatives for other elected officials - including State Sen. Valmanette Montgomery and Assemblywoman Diana Richardson - are here to affirm their opposition to the shelter.

3:16 p.m.

Dion Ashman, one of the major leaders in the fight against the shelter coming to south Crown Heights on Rogers Avenue, is also here.

"We have to keep the pressure on," he says. "Right now, our neighborhood is under siege."

3:21 p.m.

And that's a wrap. Thanks again for joining us, and be sure to sign up for Patch's daily newsletter and free, real-time news alerts to keep up with this story.

Images via Marc Torrence, Patch