Do you live near Gravesend, or commute along 86th Street? If so, chances are you may have noticed the constant sound of drums and car horns near 25th Avenue. It’s not just you — this commotion is due to a ongoing protest taking place on 86th Street and 25th Avenue over a proposed homeless shelter in the area. These locals have made it a point to keep the protest peaceful, but even yet, make their presence impossible to ignore.
This all began when the city presented their idea of building a shelter on 2501 86th Street to house homeless adult men. News of this quickly spread throughout the community, and this plan immediately concerned many of the people for a multitude of reasons. Not only did residents feel that the proposal was sprung onto them unexpectedly, but the area containing so many educational institutions made parents especially wary. This safe and stable community was now suddenly at risk of increased crime, overcrowding, and negative impact on businesses.
In July 2024, as a collective response to the city’s proposal, locals of the affected neighborhoods gathered together on the block of the potential shelter, and left their mark. A rally took place, which consisted of a mass amount of people banging drums, blowing horns, honking cars, and striking posterboard with sticks. These poster boards consist of written statements like “Children Safety First — No Shelters in Our Neighborhood”, “Safe Houses — Safe Schools — No Homeless Shelters” and “Keep Our Streets Safe — Keep Shelters Away”. During these protests, locals argue that the solution to homelessness is not making an excessive amount of shelters, but to offer affordable housing and better opportunities.
As of now, these demonstrations against the city continue. It has been over 100 consecutive days protesting from many individuals, spanning from the morning until night, with no signs of slowing down. Regardless of one’s stance on the issue, the communities’ unwavering determination to protect their neighborhood from the proposed shelter is admirable.