Three busloads of Maspeth, Queens residents took their protest against a homeless shelter in their neighborhood directly to the front door of a top city official. NY1's Ruschell Boone filed the following report.
After weeks of protesting in Queens, they got on a bus and took the fight to Brooklyn, right to the doorstep of the head of the Human Resources Administration.
More than 150 Maspeth residents and their supporters chanted for an hour in front of Commissioner Steven Banks' Windsor Terrace home to protest the city's plan to turn the Holiday Inn Express on 55th Road into a 115-bed homeless shelter.
"There are plenty of shelters already," said one resident. "We have done our share."
"Now he wants to do it in Maspeth?" said another. "It's not going to happen."
The group has been protesting the proposal since August. Last week, they celebrated when the hotel owner said he no longer had plans to convert it into a shelter, but the city angered the residents when it said it was still pushing forward.
"We are going to continue to protest until we know this is going to be a done deal. And you can take that to the bank," said one resident.
It's not clear if the commissioner was home at the time of the protest, but the group was loud as they marched through the streets. They were even louder in front of his home.
As they protested, there were a lot of residents on this block who were upset. One woman got into a shouting match with the protesters, but they quickly shouted her down.
"Take it to City Hall. Don't bring it to a private block," said one resident.
In response to the protest, the city issued a statement, saying, "Intimidation and threats are not how we resolve problems in New York City. The City will continue to engage with community members regarding this proposal, but New York City will not stand for the harassment of a government official and his family at their home."
The residents put out their own statement, saying, "Since when are peaceful protests equivalent to 'intimidation and threats?' As I recall, it was Mayor de Blasio who made sure he got arrested protesting the closure of Long Island College Hospital while chanting, 'No hospital, no peace.'"
As for the fight over the shelter, these Maspeth residents say the city can expect to see more of these types of protests.