Dozens of Brooklynites camping out 24/7 in protest of incoming homeless shelter

A new type of homeless encampment has popped up in Brooklyn.Dozens of Sheepshead Bay residents have been living in tents on Coyle Street for the past five weeks to protest against an incoming family homeless shelter, which they claim would trigger an explosion of crime in their otherwise sleepy enclave.“Everyday.Anytime,” said Danny Pan, who was celebrating his 55th birthday Wednesday with his fellow protesters, adding that they’ll remain on Coyle Street “until there’s no homeless shelter.

Until the project is gone.”The four large tents spanning the length of the property line of the incoming shelter were erected last month, just days after hundreds of protesters stormed the streets to accuse the city of a “bait and switch” after the controversial lot was initially planned for affordable housing.The plastic shelters are covered in American flags and protest signs, and are filled top-to-bottom with fliers, food and drink and personal items, like a drum kit.The so-called volunteers stage the sit-in in shifts so that between six and up to 50 people are sitting outside the property at all times, with another small group stationed on the corner of Avenue U armed with protest signs.

Nearby bakeries and restaurants donate meals almost daily to the cause, and one donor even paid for a port-a-potty for the enduring group to utilize.The goal of the sit-in is twofold: it is mostly in protest of the incoming shelter, which plans to accommodate 169 families, but is also to ensure that neither the city nor Westhab, the private owner, begins construction without the proper permits.The protesters began consistently stationing themselves outside after catching construction crews allegedly sneaking onto the property under the cover of darkness.“Westhab hired construction companies to come and demolish the buildings, and they came at like crazy hours.One time they came at 6 a.m.,” explained Benjamin Louie, a neighbor and organizer.“So I thought that of the ide...