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It seemed like every politician in Brooklyn came to Crown Heights yesterday afternoon for a press conference/rally to decry the Department of Homeless Services’ plan to move a Manhattan homeless intake center to the armory at Bedford and Atlantic. The city currently operates a 350-bed homeless shelter at the Crown Heights armory. One of the most forceful speakers at the event, which drew a crowd of about 75, was Borough President Marty Markowitz. As per the video above (apologies for the poor quality), Markowitz said moving the intake facility to Crown Heights would be bad for both Brooklyn and Manhattan. “Manhattan residents agree with us because their fear is that if they move the intake center to here, more of those that need services will chose not to come to Brooklyn and will stay on the streets of Manhattan,” said the borough president. Other politicians who spoke included state senators Eric Adams and Velmanette Montgomery and Councilmembers Bill de Blasio and Tish James. Most of them stressed the fact that Crown Heights already shoulders its fair share of social services. “It’s not a question of not in my backyard at all, media. We have done our fair share,” said Councilmember James. “The need is in Manhattan. They have continued to build up Manhattan, and have accidents and dump on Brooklyn. And we have come here today to say, ‘No more dumping on Brooklyn.’” James also talked about how she has been trying to get the city to build a recreation center, a la the one just completed in the Park Slope armory, for many years. Others mentioned that the city has been operating the current shelter at the Crown Heights armory in a shameful fashion. “We have had this ongoing battle to try to clean up this facility for many years, and we have still not gotten the city to pay attention,” said State Senator Montgomery. “So now, rather than working with us to help bring the necessary support to the men in this facility…they are now going to dump another number of homeless men in this place that is not fit for the men who live here already.” And Councilmember de Blasio spoke derisively about top-down city governance. “Wouldn’t it have been nice if the City of New York had come to you and said, ‘What should we do here? How can we improve the community?’ But that’s never the way the City of New York starts the discussion,” said de Blasio. “It never goes to people who’ve been the backbone of the community and says, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’”
News Columnist: ‘Shameful’ Crown Heights Homeless Plan [Brownstoner]
Crown Heights Doesn’t Want Homeless Intake Center [Brownstoner]