Under a makeshift white tent at the corner of 86th Street and 25th Avenue in Brooklyn, dozens of local residents sit in folding chairs. American flags are planted around them. It’s a scorching July 23 afternoon with temperatures reaching upwards of 80 degrees. Still, residents endure the heat as they sit beneath a large banner that reads: “Fight Against Proposed Homeless Shelter at 25 Ave. & 86 St.”The shelter, proposed by the city in December 2023, would house 150 single men experiencing homelessness, including those with mental health challenges. Many residents argued that the proposed location, which is close to schools, a subway station, and a senior center, posed serious risks to public safety and quality of life.
The residents have maintained their encampment for over a year, since July 17, 2024, when several protesters, along with Councilmember Susan Zhuang, were arrested during a scuffle with police over a planned homeless shelter at that corner in the district. Zhuang, who bit an officer during the altercation, later had her charges, along with those of other arrested individuals, dismissed.
Since then, the protests have continued daily, with anywhere from a dozen to several hundred participants. The issue has become a defining example of civic engagement in Southern Brooklyn’s Chinese American community and a focal point for political power struggles in the district…