Business Owners Protest Outside Citi Field
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A group of small business owners used the Mets' home opener Monday to draw attention to their cause.
They gathered in front of Citi Field before the game to speak out against the city's plan to redevelop nearby Willets Point.
The city wants to turn the neighborhood, which is mostly auto-repair shops, into a commercial center. But the business owners are holding out, claiming the city has yet to give them a timeline of the development and what is being done to help them find new locations.
They also claim the city has been stepping up inspections and issuing summonses in an effort to force them out.
"We need them to stop the harassment of our business and stop closing our shops. We need to continue living until they give us relocation. Another place to continue living," said Marcos Neira, a Willets Point business owner
"We want this day to serve as a reminder, that he must fulfill his commitment of reinvestment in small businesses," said City Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras.
The city's Economic Development Corporation says its consultant has talked to every business in the area, to keep them informed of the plans.
The NYPD has said the stepped-up inspections are part of a strategy to cut down on auto thefts.