Several of New York City’s most famous landmarks in Midtown West have been overrun by homeless people or people with mental health issues.
Stakeholders are concerned that if action is not taken, tourism could suffer, which would drag down the Big Apple’s bottom line.
Eighth Avenue in Midtown, from Times Square to Chelsea, is the beginning of the most visited places by residents and tourists from around the world.
But when 60 million tourists arrive annually, “People in distress, people with mental health issues, substance abuse disorders, looking to connect with those individuals,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg explained.
And that is not the image that New York authorities want to portray.
“It’s important and that’s why we’re all working together,” Bragg added.
Since February of this year, Bragg has partnered with Assemblyman Tony Simone, the New York Police Department and Sheriff Anthony Miranda.
While there is a significant justice-enforcement component, they say it begins with housing for people who are homeless and/or have mental health issues.
“Many of these people need help. We are not going to get out of this problem by making arrests,” Simone said.
Officials have experienced homelessness and so far, peer-to-peer outreach has connected more than 100 people to services. But many are questioning why there is still so much desperation on display.
“Many of these people need help. We are not going to get out of this problem by arresting them,” Simone said.
The assemblyman lives nearby and walks the avenue with Sheriff Miranda, looking for illegal activities, including unlicensed marijuana shops, Pix 11 reported.
“The inspections are the result of community complaints,” Miranda said.
Kathy Wylde, head of the New York City Partnership, who oversees business development in the Big Apple, believes the corridor is extremely important because of its vitality.
“We have a lot of work to do in that area, which has suffered the most from the pandemic,” Wylde said.
The manager says she has received safety concerns from fashion executives at New York Fashion Week. “They see homeless people, they see blatant drug abuse. It’s not good,” Wylde said.
But he says it hasn’t affected the $74 billion tourism business, which is causing more retail stores and restaurants to open in Brooklyn than in Manhattan.
Overall, crime in the area is down, but Bragg says it will take time to see a difference. “There is more work to be done and we will do it,” the district attorney said.
Continue reading:
- Survey shows financial anxiety is the leading cause of mental health problems
- Woman tried to steal two babies from a New York park in broad daylight
- Man stabbed two random people in Queens, New York within hours: accusation