Tired, cold, and fuming with anger, a band of East Village homeless individuals say that the mayor’s encampment sweeps are now taking place unannounced and are becoming more violent, leaving the displaced in a constant state of anxiety.
Photo by Dean Moses
Tired, cold and fuming with anger, a band of East Village homeless individuals say they are being subjected to more frequent, unannounced and sometimes violent encampment sweeps by city officials and the NYPD.
“Please leave us alone,” plead unhoused New Yorker King James, a sentiment shared by many others huddled together under scaffolding on Ninth Street and First Avenue.
Those experiencing street homelessness tell amNewYork Metro that living rough in New York City is perhaps the worst it has been in decades. From beneath blankets and sleeping bags, the Big Apple’s most vulnerable population claim they are forced to choose between being violated inside the shelter system or, now, on the sidewalk itself.
It is the other side of an ongoing story that began last year when Mayor Eric Adams announced operations to break up homeless encampments on the city streets. Teams of NYPD officers, outreach workers and other personnel are often dispatched to encampments to remove refuse and offer various assistance to the unhoused — which is not always well received.
Last month, Mayor Adams announced the program, part of an effort to address the homelessness crisis and aid individuals with severe mental health issues, has been proving successful in getting much-needed aid and shelter to the unhoused. That countered previous arguments from other city officials, including City Comptroller Brad Lander, who claimed the sweeps were ineffective at providing permanent shelter to homeless New Yorkers.
Unannounced assaults?
According to those who call East Village streets home, New York City’s homeless are being targeted in unannounced sweeps, which often result in arrests. During those arrests, the unhoused claim,…
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