The city-owned Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp. (BNY) will not renew its lease with NYC manufacturer Easy Aerial, NYC Council Member Lincoln Restler revealed on X/Twitter last week, citing the manufacturer’s supply of drones to Israel.
“Easy Aerial is leaving the Brooklyn Navy Yard,” Restler wrote on X. “This public asset should not be leasing space to companies producing drones that are being transformed into weapons of war.”
Restler noted that the decision was made in January 2026 but was formally acted upon at a board meeting last week, where it would have “essentially been the final chance to do so [renew].”
“I’ve been in close touch with BNY leadership & am grateful for their decision,” Restler added.
However, BNY Spokesperson Claire Holmes said that the decision was made “for business reasons related to operational and campus compliance matters,” according to the New York Post. “Like any landlord, we evaluate renewals based on adherence to lease terms and campus policies.”
The organization “Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard” applauded the decision on its social media, noting that the announcement followed over a year of pressure and campaigning for BNY to evict Easy Aerial.
“Every single action, every sticker put up, and every letter they [BNY] received contributed to our coordinated effort to evict this fascist weapons manufacturer,” the group said in its post.
“Implementing a multiplicity of tactics, including direct action, political education, worker outreach, and deep community organizing, worked to materially impact the supply chains of imperialism, zionism, and fascism.”
Further, the organization hinted at its next campaign target, Crye Precision, which “suppl[ies] genocide and ICE.”
“We will keep fighting until the Brooklyn Navy Yard is demilitarized, ICE and IOF suppliers are out of New York, and the resistance continues until Palestine is FREE!”
‘Disturbing, antisemitic, upsetting’
US Representative Elise Stefanik condemned BNY’s choice to evict Easy Aerial, calling it “deeply disturbing” on X.
“We need more voices strongly condemning this taxpayer-funded antisemitism from the NYC Mayor’s office,” she added.
The New York Post reported on Sunday that US State Assemblyman Kalman Yeger said the decision to evict Easy Aerial is “foolish,” and that “chasing good jobs out of New York because Mr. Mamdani and his friends hate Jews is probably not a very good economic development program.”
The New York Post also noted that Easy Aerial CTO Ivan Stamatovski and the New York City Mayor’s Office did not respond to its request for comment, while Easy Aerial co-founder Ido Gur was quoted as calling the move “upsetting” with no further comment.