Most New Yorkers are not aware companies contributing to the Gaza genocide operate in their backyard, but at least two are housed in the city-operated Brooklyn Navy Yard. Now, activists and local residents are banding together to get them evicted.
Most New Yorkers are not aware that companies contributing to Israel’s genocide in Gaza operate in their backyard. That is, unless they happen to walk, bike, or drive down Flushing Avenue outside the Brooklyn Navy Yard on a Wednesday afternoon, as I did a month ago—in which case, they are absolutely aware.
The campaign Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard (DBNY) organizes weekly noise demos and pickets, demanding the eviction of two companies from the city-owned industrial park on the East River, where 550 businesses are located. Protestors bang drums, blare airhorns, picket, chalk sidewalks, fold zines, and hand out flyers reading: “MEET YOUR NEIGHBORS, EASY AERIAL & CRYE PRECISION, LOCAL WEAPONS MANUFACTURERS IN OUR BACKYARDS.” Most passersby honk their horns, ring their bells and shout their praise; some others gawk at the commotion or scoff in disapproval. But all who pass know that the Brooklyn Navy Yard houses genocide-profiteers.
These companies are Easy Aerial, an autonomous drone manufacturer, and Crye Precision, a tactical gear company. Both make products used by the Israeli military in Gaza.
Since September 2024, a decentralized coalition of Brooklyn Navy Yard neighbors, workers, and community members have organized under the banner Demilitarize Brooklyn Navy Yard. Affinity groups operate autonomously, pursuing diverse tactics in their own arenas and then converging for Wednesday noise demos. Together, DBNY’s tactics are plentiful, persistent, and vociferous. The strategy of pairing escalated direct action with consistent public rallies was inspired by campaigns in Cambridge and the U.K. that successfully pressured landlords to evict weapons manufacturers. (more...)
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