After months of protesting the conversion of hotels into homeless shelters, a group of Queens residents took their fight to City Hall. NY1's Ruschell Boone filed the following report.
While the rain was a deterrent for some protesters, it wasn't enough to stop dozens of others from rallying against the mayor and his homeless policies on the steps of City Hall.
Most were from Maspeth, Queens, but others came from several other neighborhoods to voice their frustration.
Last week, the city quietly announced that it had rented 12 rooms at the Playland Motel in Rockaway to house homeless families.
"There has to be better ideas. This administration has to get his act together and come to a real solution for homeless population and everything that comes along with the services necessary to take care of them," said one person at the rally
The rally was led by Councilman Eric Ulrich, who represents parts of the Rockaways and is highly critical of the de Blasio administration.
"Clearly, the administration has not been able to articulate a coherent anti-eviction policy. They have not been able to a homeless prevention policy. They have not been able to stem the tide of more and more people entering the shelter system," he said.
Standing with Ulrich was Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley, and state Senators Joseph Addabbo, Tony Avella and Jose Peralta, who say the administration needs to get more help from the state and community input.
In response, a spokesperson for de Blasio said, "The mayor has been clear—homelessness is a citywide problem and each community will play its part. Local elected officials should have the courage to take on this problem with the mayor, rather than rally against housing homeless children in their communities."
Some of these protesters say they don't have a problem with the homeless, just where and how they are being housed.