A quiet neighborhood in Hollis became the scene of a fiery community protest Saturday, Sept. 13, as southeast Queens residents gathered to denounce a proposed lithium-ion battery energy storage facility just feet from family homes, schools and a senior center.
Carrying signs reading “No Lithium Batteries Near Our Homes” and “The Safety of Our Neighborhood Is Not Up for Debate,” residents rallied at at 181-07 Jamaica Ave. under the banner of the Southeast Queens Residents Environmental Justice Coalition, blasting both City Hall and state lawmakers for “selling out” their communities to developers.
“This is not about saying no to clean energy,” Coalition president and longtime civic leader William Scarborough said. “This is about saying no to dangerous battery farms wedged in the middle of our homes. These belong in industrial zones, not in residential neighborhoods where our children play.”
Fears of fire, flooding and toxic fallout
Speakers pointed to a string of recent lithium-ion battery fires across New York state — from Warwick to East Hampton — some of which burned for days and forced evacuations. Residents warned that in flood-prone Hollis, the risks would be magnified.
“Think about it. You have seniors, children, people with asthma all around her,” Community Board 12 Chair Reverend Carlene Thorbs said. “Why should they live with the risk of a toxic fireball next door when JFK Airport has already offered safer industrial space?”
Other advocates were even more blunt, accusing elected officials of creating the problem by passing laws and rezonings — particularly the controversial “City of Yes” plan — that allow such facilities to bypass community review.
“This is political corruption, plain and simple,” said urban planner Paul Graziano, who is an expert involved with the pending court case against the City of Yes, which “lets these sites pop up anywhere — even right next to your home. In other states, they’re kept miles away, but in New York City, our politicians made it legal to drop them in residential blocks.”
‘Over My Dead Body’
Then came remarks from Curtis Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder and Republican mayoral candidate, who pledged that if elected, his first act would be to halt all lithium-ion battery warehouses across the outer boroughs.
“Day One, I appoint new commissioners, and we put every one of these projects on ice,” Sliwa said. “These are mini-Chernobyls waiting to happen. If they’re so safe, put them on Park Avenue — not one on Sutton Place, not Billionaires’ Row. Instead, Queens and the outer boroughs get dumped on while NineDot and their Wall Street backers cash in.”
Sliwa also reminded residents that when Hurricane Ida flooded the area in 2021, blocks around Jamaica Avenue were devastated.
“Now imagine a lithium-ion warehouse here during the next flood,” he said. “Toxic, radioactive water rushing through basements — this is insanity.”
Community vows to keep fighting
Local elected oficials — including staff from state Sen. Toby Stavisky’s office, Council Member Linda Lee and Assembly Member Alicia Hyndman — expressed opposition to the project. But many in the crowd voiced skepticism, saying officials only show up when cameras roll.
“This is not just Hollis’ fight,” said Andrea Scarborough, a civic leader whose group has filed lawsuits to block similar sites. “Every community is at risk. If we don’t stop this now, tomorrow it could be next to your home.”
As chants of “Hey hey, ho ho, lithium batteries have got to go” rang out, residents vowed to flood court hearings and City Council meetings in the coming weeks. Lawsuits are already pending against both the developers and the city’s zoning rules.
For organizers like Amit Shivprasad, who coordinated Saturday’s rally, the message is simple: “We are not against renewable energy. But we will not let our families be used as guinea pigs. The safety of our neighborhood is not negotiable.”
