Brooklyn residents took to the streets this week, after two men were fatally shot and another injured in separate shootings over the weekend, to insist upon the closure of 47 Hall Street, a migrant shelter housing thousands near where the violence took place.
“There is simply no universe where you can cram 4,000 vulnerable people together safely,” resident Tim Walker told Fox 5. “Do you believe us now? How many more murders will it take?”
New York mayor Eric Adams said the administration had gotten wind of a “dangerous gang coming out of Venezuela” and that its possible connection to the killings was still under investigation.
“They’re extremely dangerous. And the person who was connected to the rape in Queens appears to have been part of that gang, and the person who shot the two police officers appeared to be part of that gang,” Adams said.
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FILE – New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a news conference at City Hall, Dec. 12, 2023, in New York. Mayor Adams mayor has once again been ticketed for a rat infestation at his Brooklyn property. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie, File)
“We’re dealing with violent individuals that are not representative of the overwhelming number of people who are coming here as migrant asylum seekers. So, we are currently investigating that shooting,” he continued.
At a press conference held by the mayor’s office yesterday, it was revealed that the various shootings might be connected to a “turf war” between two gangs.
Adams’ team has responded to the potential threat by sending First Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, Tania Kinsella, to Columbia to “get an analysis” of the gang.
CIUDAD JUAREZ, MEXICO – MARCH 15: Two men scale the cyclone fence installed by the Texas National Guard as hundreds of migrants queue up along the border wall dividing Mexico and the United States, awaiting processing by the Border Patrol in hopes of receiving asylum on March 15, 2024, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. ((Photo by David Peinado/Anadolu via Getty Images))
The recent acts of violence in communities neighboring the migrant shelters of 47 Hall Street and 29 Ryerson Street spurred residents into action to fight against the increased levels of crime.
“We are here today because there is an attempt to put our neighborhood back 30 years in time when there were stabbings, drugs, assaults, fights, fear and killings,” Renee Collymore told FOX 5 at the rally.
“It used to be called ‘Murder Avenue,'” she added.
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This split image shows Eric Adams and migrants camping in New York City. ((Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images))
According to FOX 5, law enforcement reported that Arturo Jose Rodriguez-Marcano, a man in his 30s, was shot in the head by a suspect before opening fire again on 29 Ryerson Street, a migrant shelter within walking distance from Hall Street.
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Enny Dejesus-Urbina Mendez, a 21-year-old shelter resident, was killed. A member of the local police told The New York Post that the victims of the shooting were migrants.
“We’re still investigating if this was connected to a gang. That is still unclear at this moment, but we are on top of it. We’re not going to allow a gang to take a stronghold or foothold here,” Adams said.