A series of violent encounters in New York’s subway system this year pushed the city’s new tough-on-crime mayor to take decisive action. Eric Adams sent NYPD officers into transit hubs and onto trains to force homeless people out.
NEW YORK —
Adams, a former NYPD captain, is emerging as a national model for pro-police Democrats. He’s taken a no-apologies approach to tackling the post-pandemic problems of rising crime, homelessness and economic stagnation — and embraced his role on a bigger stage. He’s declared himself the “new face of the Democratic Party,” and even attracted President Joe Biden to New York in January to discuss ways to combat gun violence.
“There are a lot of similarities and I applaud Mayor Adams for taking this on because he’s doing the right thing for our city, for our neighborhoods and for our vulnerable homeless population,” said Randy Mastro, now a partner at the law firm Gibson Dunn. The city did not tally the number of people living outdoors until 2003, when officials pegged the number at 1,780 in Manhattan, where the vast majority of today’s approximately 2,400 unsheltered homeless people reside. Advocates then and now believe the actual figure is much higher.
On Wednesday, Adams said officials cleared 239 encampments across the city in the first 12 days, with just five people accepting some form of assistance in relocating. He did not say how many people were removed from the makeshift shelters. The bulk of the city visits to encampments occurred in Manhattan, though workers evaluated 7 sites on Staten Island, 22 in the Bronx, 27 in Queens and 53 in Brooklyn, according to City Hall.
But advocates say that is still not enough to address the lack of capacity in that part of the system. The Coalition for the Homeless, a nonprofit advocacy group, has called on the mayor to open at least 3,000 new safe haven and stabilization beds. The Coalition for the Homeless noted in an annual report released last week that in the 21 months after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo temporarily closed the subways overnight in May 2020, 9,231 homeless people who spoke with outreach workers at end-of-line stations accepted transportation offers to shelters and drop-in centers.
New York Mayor Eric Adams rides the subway to City Hall on his first day in office in New York, Jan. 1, 2022. | Seth Wenig/AP Photo
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