#new East Village residents who gave Zohran Mamdani 70% of their votes, are now suing him to stop his plans to move a homeless shelter into their neighborhood.
Some precincts inside the East Village and nearby progressive pockets hit 70%, 80%, or even 90% for the mayor.
It’s the notorious Bellevue shelter – which is Manhattan’s main homeless men’s intake center.
It houses many of the illegal migrants that came in during the Biden administration, has a history of violent incidents, and even had a m*rder.
In addition, multiple men who live at the shelter were charged with m*rder.
The lawsuit comes just days before the scheduled opening of May 1st.
Residents accuse Mamdani of rushing the move and skipping required public reviews while planning to drop hundreds of often criminal men into a quiet neighborhood already packed full of other social-service facilities.
Mamdani announced last month that he would close the 250-bed shelter by the end of this month. Many of the men that show up at the shelter have been released from Rikers Island.
Starting May 1, the single adult men’s intake will move into the East Village
The city said the closure was an “emergency” and Mamdani issued an Executive Order, allowing it to skip normal public-notice and review rules.
Mamdani saying,
“My administration is focused on ensuring every New Yorker experiencing homelessness not only has access to shelter, but to spaces that are safe, humane and truly livable.”
One East Village resident said,
“I truly feel for these men, but should the lone intake facility for homeless men for the entire city be located on a tight residential block? I fear this rushed decision is jeopardizing both the safety of my neighbors and of these men themselves.”
Local pastor Rev. Keith Gadson told city officials,
“None of you all can stop the drinking and drugging … and all lingering around here creating crimes and all kinds of stuff. Put it in your neighborhood!”
Residents’ worry about more street loitering, drug use, crime, and safety risks in a dense residential area.
A Manhattan judge temporarily blocked the May 1 opening and set a hearing for May 7 on whether the city’s emergency order was proper.
