WASHINGTON (TNND) — New Yorkers in the East Village sued New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in an attempt to stop the relocation of homeless men to a new shelter in their neighborhood.
The lawsuit was filed on Monday, and it requests a restraining order to stop the “rushed” opening of the shelter that is set to open May 1, according to the New York Post.
City Hall selected the location along Third Street as one of two intake shelters in Manhattan that would replace the Bellevue homeless shelter.
The Bellevue homeless shelter will close by May.
The lawsuit filed by those in the East Village argues that Mamdani declared an “emergency” to close the shelter and to quickly relocate the people staying there into the East Village.
“This case is not about the City’s decision to close the Bellevue Intake Shelter,” the Manhattan Supreme Court filing reads. “It challenges only the City’s hastily made and legally invalid decision to [locate] a new citywide homeless adult male intake center at 8 East 3rd Street without following any of the legal requirements that must precede such a significant and consequential decision.”
A local from the East Village says he feels bad for the homeless men, but this decision was very rushed.
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“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?” Local Caleb Berger said, according to the Post. “I fear this rushed decision is jeopardizing both the safety of my neighbors and of these men themselves.”