Adams, a former New York City Police Department captain and transit officer who once patrolled the underground trains, said the vast majority of homeless people are not dangerous. But the pandemic has exacerbated the problem as more people struggle with job losses and untreated medical and mental health conditions, and some of those people are dangerous to themselves and the public.
Adams called it a complex problem, saying, “You can’t put a band-aid on a cancerous wound,” but, “You have to remove the cancer and start the healing process.”
Shelly Nortz, the deputy executive director for policy at the Coalition for the Homeless, called the mayor’s comment “disgusting” and said “criminalizing homelessness” is not the answer.
“Repeating the failed outreach police strategies of the past will not end the suffering of the homeless who take up residence on the subway. It’s disgusting to hear Mayor Adams compare vulnerable homeless people to cancer. They’re people,” Nortz said.
Adams spokesman Fabien Levy responded by saying the mayor “made it abundantly clear today that his heart breaks to see other New Yorkers sleeping on trains.”
“We will not leave those who experience homelessness to live lives of suffering and pain, and we will not allow the betrayal of these individuals to continue. We can help those in need, uphold the law, while restoring public confidence in our shipping system,” Levy said.
Comments are closed.