HUDSON, N.Y. - The Hudson Police Department says they responded to the Furgary Boat Club around 3 a.m. Monday in order to clear the property of residents they say were trespassing.
The Hudson Police Department Special Operations Unit was called in to the centuries-old shanty town to remove seasonal residents at gunpoint. Police say they received reports that one of the men was armed and had made threats that he would kill the police if they came to remove him.
When patrols arrived at the boat club, it was without incident that three middle-age men were escorted off the property, exiting three different shanties.
One shanty resident says the forced eviction was completely unnecessary. "We have no idea why they're doing what they're doing. Apparently they must have some plans, with the urgency that they did it. And the way they did it, it's not right," he said, describing the scene saying a SWAT team came in with their guns drawn.
Hudson Department of Public Works then spent the morning on Monday putting up fencing to keep trespassers out. They also trimmed trees so police could observe any trespassing taking place on the property.
The shanties at the Fugary Boat Club, which sits between a bay on the Hudson River and a waste water treatment plant, have been handed down from generation to generation since the 1880's. Some say it's unfortunate that this little piece of Hudson history will now be gone.
The Mayor of Hudson, William Hallenbeck, tells NEWS10 this was the end of a three-year legal battle with the Fugary Boat Club, saying it is all a matter of liability, as it is city-owned property.
Up until three years ago, it was unclear who owned the land when the state claimed ownership. The City of Hudson then purchased the land from the state.
Mayor Hallenback says he envisions a crew team taking to the water at the boat club, possibly teams from the high school or local colleges.
All three residents were detained and released without charges Monday.
(Photo/Anya Tucker)
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