Residents in Democratic stronghold fuming as migrant mega shelter causes explosion of gang-related crime
Residents in the heavy Democratic district of Brooklyn, New York, are fuming as they are afraid to go outside or use the city parks due to the criminal chaos caused by a mega shelter for illegal immigrants.
Clinton Hill was once a charming and relatively safe part of Brooklyn, is now turning into a chaotic environment filled with migrants due to a mega-complex set up by New York City to house thousands.
Locals organized on Sunday in protest of the skyrocketing violence, mounting trash, and the constant fights stemming from the massive complex.
"We have to be heard. Enough is enough," said Renee Collymore, the Democratic liaison who organized the protest. "It’s not about anti-migrants. It’s about safety first."
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The complex is located in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill as a major emergency migrant shelter setup, comprising several industrial warehouses. Opened in July 2023, it provides housing for around 4,000 migrants. This development has sparked local community concerns about crime, noise, waste and overcrowded public spaces.
"We have been witnessing the escalation in violence on the street and in the community for months now," a resident told a local ABC news outlet.
Residents have most recently organized to call for change after an outbreak in what law enforcement is investigating as potentially related to a violent Venezuelan street gang. On Sunday, two people were murdered, a third was critically injured near the mega shelter complex.
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"Now it feels like that whole section is just not available to the community anymore, so are parks are no longer available – you can't go to the parks," one resident said.
"We've been pleading with the mayor as we've seen increased violence, that this was inevitable," another resident said.
It is now home to the "largest concentration of migrants outside of Randall’s Island," according to NYPD Assistant Chief Scott Henderson, who oversees Brooklyn North.
Adams reacted to the recent murders saying, "They're extremely dangerous."
"We're dealing with violent individuals that are not representative of the overwhelming number of people who are coming here as migrant asylum seekers," he added.
In June, a migrant from the Clinton Hill Shelter was charged in the case of a stabbing attack that left the victim in critical condition.
Locals began to complain in April after the city provided new shelter space to house additional migrants.
"Our neighborhood cannot bear this, but they can’t bear this either," said 74-year-old Mary Chang said at the time.
"We are at ground zero of the city’s mismanagement of the migrant crisis, and we need to demand better," resident Alia McKee said.
The area's council member, Crystal Hudson, sent a letter to Mayor Adams pleading for additional funding to handle the migrant influx.
"[T]he reality is that an influx in the population requires an increase in the resources our communities need… My office and my neighbors have been asking for your assistance for the better part of a year to no avail," she said.
A spokesperson for the mayor, around that time period, reported that the city was grappling with a problem that was increasing by the day.
"We manage hundreds of people who continue to arrive in our city every day," she said, while also handling the 65,000 currently in the system.