Ten workers in Willets Point, Queens were arrested by the NYPD and charged with crimes by the Queens District Attorney. "The Bloomberg administration has disappointed us," said Sergio Aguirre, head of the Willets Point Defense Committee. "They want to scare us, and that's why they conducted a raid with 200 police officers and 50 cop cars."

Tirso Mier, who works at Brother Jesus Auto Body, was among those arrested. The police searched his workplace "and found four building code violations. They should have fined us; that's what's normal. Arresting people isn't," said Aguirre.

"If they want to give Willets Point away to corporations and to Mayor Bloomberg's cronies, so be it, but they should let us work at an alternative location so we can continue to make a living. The city doesn't have to humiliate us like this," Aguirre added.

The individuals arrested were charged with dismantling cars, falsifying documents, and obstructing the administrative functions of the government.

"It was an arbitrary act and an abuse of power," said upholsterer Arturo Ayala, "It's a conspiracy between the police and the NYC Economic Development Corporation."

Ayala said that among those arrested was José Gomez, whose permits were all valid, "but he was accused of stealing car parts and dismantling vehicles."

The city wants to do away with this area of Flushing, mostly occupied by auto repair shops, but the neighborhood has never been rehabilitated. Willets Point is located near the CitiField Stadium, home of the Mets baseball team. The streets are not well paved and reek of gasoline.

"I'm concerned by the way the authorities carried out this raid. I consider it harassment in light of the negotiations to peacefully displace the people who work in the neighborhood," Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras (D-District 21) said in a press release. "Their goal was to arrest car thieves, but the police ended up fining workers."

Councilwoman Ferreras said that these raids will affect undocumented workers who could face deportation. "The authorities didn't have any reason to conduct these raids during the holiday season. I'm going to make sure that we get justice."

For decades, Willets Point has been the place where people go to get their cars fixed at a low cost, notwithstanding the poor quality of the streets and the inconvenience.

"We hope that they will provide us with another space in Queens where we can continue working. President Obama wants to help small businesses and Mayor Bloomberg wants to shut them down," said Willets Point Defense Committee President Marco Neira.

Neira maintains that the arrests were illegal and that he is going to talk with those detained "to find out what truly happened last Wednesday. They confiscated my car; I had all my papers in order, and the police wouldn't even let me speak. They want to harass tenants so that they will leave and the landlords will have to sell their businesses."

The city plans to invest $300 million in the redevelopment of Willets Point. Sambucci Bros. Inc. Auto Salvage, the first business that opened in the neighborhood, was also the first to close after negotiating a price with the city. It moved to a vacant area of College Point.

"This displacement is a positive sign of change that will create opportunities for business and development in New York," said Julie Woods, spokeswoman for the NYC Economic Development Corporation.

Two other businesses, Feinstein Iron Works and T. Mina Auto Supply, have also negotiated a selling price with the city and will move to College Point within the next several months.

The city owns 80 percent of the 62 acres of Willets Point, adjacent to CitiField.

Some landlords have brought up the issue of the city wanting to buy their land without compensating them fairly. Moreover, more than 2,000 workers will be affected one way or another, and some might even end up homeless.

LaGuardia College is training some workers and teaching them English. Nevertheless, many of these mechanics and body shop laborers are undocumented, which would make it nearly impossible for them to find employment again.

Some landlords have said that the city is taking away their businesses using the law of eminent domain, which allows the city to claim property to develop it.