Homelessness is an obvious issue in New York City, with there being almost 60,000 people sleeping in municipal shelters each night–up 87 percent from a decade ago, according to the coalition for the homeless. To help address the immediate concern of overcrowded shelters, the city has tried to rent space in private facilities, such as hotels, to serve as overnight havens for displaced homeless citizens.

One of the proposed locations for such a facility is a Holiday Inn Express, located in Maspeth, Queens, whose residents strongly oppose the proposition. Community leaders, local political notables and residents have been protesting weeknights outside the hotel. On Thursday, September 8, a Twitter account associated with the Maspeth hotel announced it would not be converted into a homeless shelter. Not having heard any confirmation from city officials, protesters still took to the streets on Friday, September 9.