Last week, on Wednesday, Governor Kathy Hochul visited Crown Heights, accompanied by Assembly Member Brian Cunningham and many CEO’s of progressive government-funded non-profits. Together, they attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the nine-building, 1,081-unit massive ‘Mega’ homeless shelter complex at 681 Clarkson Ave (corner of Albany Ave).

Afterwards, they attended the grand opening of the nearby Utica Crescent on Rutland Road, a brand new two-building controversial development which includes a Homeless shelter, ‘supportive housing,’ and ‘transitional housing’ for chronically emotionally unstable persons and for mentally ill and chemically addicted individuals, most of whom are formerly incarcerated.

The $1.4 billion Vital Brooklyn Initiative, is funding these ultra-concerning projects, is a comprehensive community development program to address social, economic, and health disparities for “underserved communities” in Central Brooklyn neighborhoods, some of the most chronically underserved areas of New York State. Utica Crescent and Kingsboro Psychiatric build on the completion of other “successful” Vital Brooklyn milestones.

The enormous Homeless shelter project in Crown Heights is made possible due to legislation (Assembly bill A10520) sponsored by Assembly Member Brian Cunningham, who supports shelters and represents the district. He is being challenged in Tuesday’s election by Jewish candidate Ahron Gluck, who is concerned about the negative effect that shelters will do to the neighborhood.

While construction on the mega homeless shelter has already started, the work was limited. Now that the official groundbreaking ceremony has taken place, the construction will proceed with maximum speed ahead.

A frustrated Lubavitcher resident who lives nearby on Midwood Street stated, “When Gluck announced his run for office, I thought that finally, now Assembly Member Cunningham will make a complete 180, and try to earn the Jewish community’s votes by taking our concerns seriously. Instead, Cunningham dismantles and downplays our realistic fears of the dangers of the homeless shelters that he deliberately created. What a Chutzpah!”

Another community member noted that the groundbreaking ceremony of the ‘mega’ homeless shelter took place a week before the election during early voting, and that if Assembly Member Cunningham isn’t even trying to make believe that he cares about our concerns before the most competitive election in his lifetime, it is extremely worrisome that if Cunningham wins reelection how much more so he will abandon the Jewish community and completely ignore our pleas.

The Chabad Lubavitch residents of East Flatbush are fearful for their family’s safety due to the extensive crime already in the neighborhood from current shelters. They feel that Assemblyman Cunningham lacks the bandwidth to even understand the issue, much less to attempt to fix the problem. Therefore, over the past week of ‘early voting,’ the East Flatbush Lubavitcher community members have been voting in large droves for NYS Assembly candidate Ahron Gluck. The East Flatbush ’early voting’ poll site on Clarkson Avenue has been flooded with Yidden voting, and many more so are IYH planning on voting this Tuesday on Election Day.

The East Flatbush Chabad kehilla is calling on the greater CH community to join them in voting tomorrow on Election Day en masse for Ahron Gluck, as he seems to be the only candidate that will try to do whatever is politically possible to stop or at least minimize the shelters which are destroying the entire neighborhood.

While residents head to the polls tomorrow, Tuesday on Election Day to vote for the community’s candidate, a local resident and member of the shchunah Ahron Gluck so he can confront the shelter issue among all other concerns that face the CH Jewish community, bear in mind that there are additional important races on the ballot, including: Members of the State Committee candidates Nakisha O. Evans AND Akel K. Williams (lower level “group” on the voting ballot) both whom are friends, allies and strong supporters of the Crown Heights Jewish community and anash are recommended to cast their ballots for Ms. Evans and Mr. Williams along with Ahron Gluck.

Voting location for Tuesday’s election in Crown Heights or East Flatbush should be at your usual public school poll site. You can check your Election Day poll site location for tomorrow here.
https://vote.nyc/page/find-your-poll-site