Residents Protest Use Of Eminent Domain In Willets Point
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Residents living in Willets Point, Queens held a protest Thursday over the city's redevelopment plans for their neighborhood.
The city's Economic Development Corporation says they will use eminent domain to seize the property in the area near Citi Field.
Protesters say it will change the dynamic of the neighborhood and force small businesses out.
"To take these businesses, and again, people have built it up for years. These are family-owned businesses, and give it to a private developer who's gonna make millions of dollars, that is simply un-American," said State Senator Tony Avella.
"My parents came here like 15 years ago, and seven years ago they put a business here, and knowing that the city wants to take it away, and we've spent so much money on putting a business on, and they just want to take us away, and they're not even gonna give us relocation," said Tana Quillupangui, the daughter of a Willets Point business owner.
The plan calls for housing, bars, hotels, and shopping to take the place of what is now mostly auto repair shops.