Text and photos by Jack Defren
A sizable phalanx of city officials descended upon Riverside Park on Saturday morning to roust a single, seemingly homeless man and his encampment from the pedestrian underpass tunnel under the West Side Highway near West 78th Street.
By 1 p.m., the morning’s rain had given way to fine spring sunshine, and six NYPD officers, three New York City Parks Department officers, two sanitation workers, and one city homeless-outreach representative stood around watching the individual slowly gather up his belongings on the east end of the tunnel. Several NYPD and Parks vehicles remained parked along the pedestrian path at the top of the steps near the southwest corner of 79th St. and Riverside Drive, and a DSNY sanitation truck was parked in the pedestrian tunnel.
None of the officers or city workers interfered or assisted as the individual dismantled his camp. One NYPD officer remarked that he had been assisting with the process for three hours and felt impatient to leave the area.
A representative from the NYPD 20th Precinct reached by phone said that this operation was not related to any particular incident, but was part of a scheduled “sweep” of the park. Sweeps of this sort have been conducted regularly for “a long time,” the representative added. The Parks Department leads this regular initiative and coordinates with NYPD officers simply to provide security.
By 1:30 p.m., the last officers and their vehicles were leaving Riverside Park. The individual and his belongings — which included a collapsible blue shopping cart, backpacks, suitcases, trash bags, a green delivery tote such as the ones Amazon delivery persons use, and a large colorful map of the United States — had relocated to the sidewalk just outside the park at 76th Street and Riverside Drive.
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So did they leave him outside the park or take him someplace else? Did they go back to check the next night? How much taxpayer dollars did this cost? Unless they have a plan for this person to live someplace else he will be back in the same tunnel or other places. Without permanent solutions this really is a small bandaid trying to stop a ton of bleeding.
That is literally how it is. They don’t give a f**k to help re-home you, help you in any fashion. I’ve had cops destroy my tent with a knife and dump water on my clothes and blankets to push me to somewhere else. Literally drove me to wanting to die. Still struggling and. I hate reading stories like this. So upsetting and no one realizes how much of an impossible situation it is to get out of.
I just wrote a long comment but then didn’t post it because at the end, I couldn’t think of a permanent solution. Do you have some in mind?
Send them to Wyoming. It is an underpopulated state. Set them up in tiny homes. Give the food stamps and jobs growing their own food and building their communities. Open schools. Medical facilities and watch their community grow.
That’s called functioning society, most of these ppl need mental health treatment and alot dont want any help, tough thing to tackle.
No need for Wyoming. Upstate New York is in desperate need of workers and revitalization. Existing businesses can’t find workers. There’s plenty of room for the tiny house movement. Reopen abandoned hospitals and schools. I have been saying this for years.
We can start by voting differently. We need people in office who respect the fine people who pay their taxes and have never broken the law. Once that happens, the rest will fall into place.
how?
Delusional much
This is an absolutely nonsensical statement. “We can start by voting differently” is complete trolling. Voting for different candidates doesn’t solve for this situation. No one has a simple solution because there isn’t one.
No one simple solution but many good ideas that can be tossed around with if we really work together. Forget about who is in office just planning on what else to spew out to get votes. I’m hearing about more small towns figuring out ways to fix this on their own. It’s the social agencies, churches, communities coming together with solutions, understanding there really are different circumstances to homelessness & to give more help to the non-chronic homeless person who may just be down on their luck or only have one income for rent. If I’m on my second home ,& decided to rent out my first home for some demi passive income, then I will try to get the highest amount for it & the law lets me. so why wouldn’t I , even though I feel a little guilty? It is WAY cheaper to pay a monthly mortgage payment, then rent where I’m from in the Pacific Northwest USA, so who will help bridge this expensive home payment gap? Do we not want to bridge the poor & middle classes? Who cares if we do? If the rich want to stay rich, they better hurry or the middle class will start buying duplexes & cheap rentals & renting to it’s not black & & we will all start coming up more on our own & try to come together & help our communities & each other out or keep rents extremely high & climb the class ladder ourselves – get super wealthy & just have more & more homeless around making the property values decrease. My point is we need to come together & figure it out & even with the politicians who need to understand it’s not black & white but is very much grey where we can all help to add to the solution
Sure there is. Make it illegal to sleep outside on public property. When people act illegally they are sent to prison. This is what stops crime.
There is a solution. Permanent, affordable housing and transitional housing for homeless folks. NYC has built THOUSANDS of such units in the past. It’s time for way more
yeah – way outside of NYC. Why anyone believes that building housing to house the homeless in the city with the most expensive real estate in the country makes sense is beyond me. Ties to the community? No – they do not have ties to this community – they pay no taxes and clearly no relatives are willing to take them in. Bus them to affordable housing in the boondocks.
I’m not this person’s financial advisor, so I could be very off base, but I’m guessing that he couldn’t afford even “affordable” housing. And, yes, many homeless folks just need a hand to break the cycle that put them on the streets in the first place. But what about the many homeless that have mental health issues and aren’t capable of maintaining a home and a job, yet present no danger to themselves or others? We can’t institutionalize them or even place them in a supervised/group setting against their will. So what’s the solution for folks like that?
Maybe we can open agencies where they can come & go to get started like they have but add in peer supported ways to work for those types kind of like goodwill jobs but more in depth & reach out to more needs of people & find ways for them to peer support & just more social services. Even though it seems like there are so many out there, they just tell people no after no after no. These places don’t do enough to help. Some people are on waiting lists to get help all over the city & they just don’t have enough resources to help get housing which is the number I’ve issue so the affordable housing needs to be built & maybe a different type of HUD
style housing so people don’t have to wait so long but maybe do more to keep it or get in. Free housing forever may not be the answer either but maybe improve that program & offer more low income for people who work or can help in other ways like a community garden or coffee shop. There are other answers out there besides just waiting to get on free housing forever too. Maybe little nonprofit helped out communities inside bigger communities. We aren’t doing enough to help. Politicians could take pay cuts & get raises for every homeless they help or maybe they should mentor homeless people so then that homeless person can then mentor th next & get some real help in this country
I think you raise a valid point. Lots of people desire to live in Manhattan. Why I often shake my head at the “affordable housing” euphemism. Why should one person be prioritized, or as some might say “privileged,” over someone else? What is the pecking order for the person who desires to live in Manhattan but doesn’t have the income to support themselves? What is a housing right?
Agreed, except we should try to get to “Housing First” as a number of cities have and the NYC Comptroller has recommended.
Housing first is not a viable solution for people with mental health or substance use issues. Some of these folk do not having adequate living skills. The house/apartment would only become a drug den or worse. Believe me I work in the field or substance use treatment and mental health in a city hospital. It see it every day. No easy solutions but housing first, without rehabilitating people and teaching living skills, is not the answer.
It’s not against the law to be homeless, contrary to what many internet commenters seem to believe
It’s not against the law to be homeless but it is against the law to do many things that homeless people do.
It sure seems like it’s getting that way. Next up, making it illegal to be poor!
Good for you, Alex. Showing some heart.
It is against the law to sleep in the park though.
Correct- but it is illegal to live in areas not zoned for housing. To trespass. To dispose of human excrement or other waste in certain areas. And for the various crimes that often are committed by those who are also homeless. Like stealing. Harassment to others. And even begging. We have laws that often exist for the benefit of the greater good. If you feel the laws are not fair or no longer represent the needs of society then vote to change them. Don’t just not enforce them because you feel sorry for a person or feel it is a way to correct another societal problems.
In mid January this year I was attempting to enter the dog run on the lower level near the softball fields around 70th street (directly north of Pier Cafe) and there was a luggage trolley filled with various unidentifiable items blocking the entrance. When I attempted to move it I heard a female voice on the stairs above yelling some gibberish about keeping off it. I yelled back in response that this was a dog run. The young woman then proceeded to head in my direction and continued yelling. I immediately took out my pepper spray and cell phone and called 911. I walked away from the dog run and her and she headed south. I never knew what happened but the next day all her stuff was gone. Hate to beat a dead horse but my taxes help pay for that dog run and I can bet she has never contributed a penny.
How about tax payers like myself that don’t own, or like dogs .I want to know why there is a taxed sponsored dog run? I find dogs and there smeared mess all over the side walks .2b as big a ‘nuisance’ and frightening to some taxpayers as– the homeless to some NYkers.
The law is to clean up after one’s dogs. Most people do that, actually. A dog is the best form of protection in this lawless City. The dog runs are paid for by tax payers. I don’t have kids, yet I pay for schools. I don’t have cars, yet I pay for parking. I don’t ride a bike, yet I pay for Citibikes’ space. See how that works?
Does your dog also contribute tax dollars? Otherwise based on your logic they should also get the boot! Why should my tax dollars be spent on a free loading animal who just speaks gibberish and gets in my way and costs tax dollars to clean up after. NIMBY!
Because I pay for all the things I don’t enjoy — like kids and schools. Like bike racks and bikes that try to hit me every second I walk. I pay for religious organizations I don’t patronize, too. They pay NO taxes. Grow up. It’s part of life. Also, are you afraid to use your real name and photo on this website? Because commenting under a fake name with no photo does not advance your opinion.
Access to a public place should have nothing to do with how much taxes any party pays or does not pay. If it is public, then access should be unhindered and no one has more or less right to access. And no private individual should block access.
Nimby no my dog does not pay taxes but neither do children so while we are at it let’s close down all the playgrounds so those freeloading kids can stop stealing our tax $s.
Some of us take NIMBY as a declaration of common sense and quite frankly a compliment. Not in my backyard? The yard with the expensive zip code I intentionally chose with a certain standard of living in mind? Yep, fine with me
Joanne you have no idea what that woman has contributed or not. I’m not a fan of homelessness though you never know someone’s life story. Homelessness can happen to most anyone.
Most Americans I hear most Americans are only a few paychecks away if something happens like possibly a spouse dying. Sometimes getting back on your feet is so difficult, you a take the wrong path to get back or even you make ok decisions but it’s just too expensive for maybe a single mom with young kids who aren’t even school age so she can go work without childcare. There are so many difficult circumstances that even people with no mental illness, D&A problems or other hindering things can keep us poor. Housing is an expensive need in this country, even outside NYC
I agree 💯 percent. Things took a turn between my son’s father and I and he decided to abandon us when our son was 2 months old. I could barely afford the rent, let alone we were already behind. I experienced homelessness, wouldn’t wish that on any living soul. Let alone with children.
I’m very sorry for her troubles, but that doesn’t give her the right to interfere with other people using public spaces paid by tax dollars. If you make yourself into a public nuisance, you have no right to claim the moral high ground.
Agree. But we have a right to access things in our city without anyone hassling us or preventing us from enjoying access.
That applies whether the person is homeless or not.
Just in today’s NY Times, one article about the rise in assaults starts off about a homeless man, in and out of shelters, who had punched a little girl in the face. Nine days earlier, the same guy had been arrested for assaulting someone else. Meanwhile, another article says that the Supreme Court will hear the case about whether bans on homeless encampments amount to “cruel and unusual punishment.” Grants Pass, Oregon, had been trying to gain control of its own public spaces.
There is way too much willingness to allow dysfunctional individuals to continue to perpetrate their dysfunction. Dysfunction often turns into perpetrating outright harms. It’s more important to protect the citizenry, even from low level harms like converting public space into private dwelling places (i.e. homeless encampments AND illegal buildings), than it is to “dismantle the carceral state.”
Should we just shoot these prople and be done with them? Any other brillant suggestions?
Is it dysfunctional individuals or dysfunctional systems of housing, healthcare, taxation, etc. that perpetrate and perpetuate on our societal wellbeing? If harmful systems and power structures are not dismantled, nothing will change and you’ll be complaining about homeless people into perpetuity.
Societies have rules and laws. Its a huge country and there are places where one can live in the wild without disturbing others. They say if you can make it in NY you can make it anywhere? Well, maybe not everyone can make it here. There is no Hod appointed right or anything in the US constitution that guarantees a person to live how and where they want while requiring others to pay their way. Living in a city entails rules and responsibilities. That is community.
Maybe there should be a right to shelter? It is needed to live, period.
Whenever more free benefit s and amenities are provided, there’s less incentive for people to improve their situation. NY has historically been attractive to those seeking the abundant financial and social services provided. It’s not possible to buy ourselves out of our societal problems unless people are either motivated or able to break the cycle of dependency.
Community is caring for everyone regardless of their ability to care for themselves. It’s an unwritten rule that in order for a society to exist we are required to care for our most destitute. Otherwise we’re just tribes hunting and gathering with no conscious thought. Besides, it’s more expensive in the long run to neglect societal issues, regardless of the concrete thinking “taxpayers” who 9 times out of 10 would refuse to pay taxes if they could. Please spare us the sorrow.
Responsibility goes 2 ways. Giver and receiver. And that includes following laws. In my opinion, a recipient of generosity from others doesnt get to set their terms because they don’t like what is being offered. Free services are free services and why many people make choices so they can pay for what they have.Even choices that they don’t like but because its what they have to do. This city offers a huge safety net for those who experience temporary set backs. We just may need to agree (you and I) that our respective view about community philosophy and responsibility here is different.
Just try getting that safety net though, it’s ridiculously and needlessly difficult.
Fair enough. But maybe not everyone can make it in NYC? There are many places a person can live where the demands are less. It’s not a human right to live in NYC and many people, people who have jobs and pay rent eventually decide to move elsewhere.
I got into the issues you raise in the long comment that I wrote but then didn’t post. I didn’t post because, unlike you, I did not propose a sweeping change like dismantling harmful systems and power structures. My cynical view is that you’ll be complaining about those structures into perpetuity.
Meanwhile, there should be more that can be done in the short term. Do you want homeless people camping out on the sidewalk right outside your door? If not, are you disposed to wait until harmful systems and power structures are dismantled?
In the long term, I agree that the big driver of homelessness is lack of available, affordable housing. I think we need to get rid of Adams and bring in leaders who will focus on benefiting the citizens rather than benefiting megadonors et al.
“Rousted” ? Really? The homeless and mental health industrial complex in NYC has no reason to actually solve the problem. Right to fail needs to be changed. Keeping these individuals in the community does not work for anyone.
Maybe a reader or the WSR knows of the facts behind research that shows it would cost tax payers less to house and rehabilitate people who are falling through society’s cracks than to pour money into activities like described in this article – this research fueled creation of the Housing Access Voucher Program, or HAVP, supported by tenants and landlords alike, but was just rejected (again) in Gov Hochul’s budget. All of society would be safer, healthier, happier, by stopping this tragic epidemic from worsening further. The HAVP was a concrete solution – a partial and temporary but concrete solution that would help stop the bleeding. It still is a concrete solution. Who has the power to convince Gov Hochul to support it?
There is research that it is cheaper to find housing than to keep putting mentally ill homeless people in psych holds. But the problem is what happens when a mentally ill person moves into the home? Apparently there have been problems with tenants who are not taking their medication and so the homes get trashed
One thing that happens in supervised facilities is that dysfunctional people, esp. violent ones, are often simply transferred to another facility.
Time to bring back the mental institution.
What’s with the tent dwellers by Sodier and Sailor memorial?
There is nothing compassionate, humane or “progressive” about letting homeless people – usually in the grips of mental illness and/or addiction – wallow in their own filth in public spaces while posing a risk to their safety and that of others. There’s a robust social safety net in NYC and myriad services and shelters to help these people, and if they either refuse that help or are too incapacitated to make use of it then they need to be removed from the public environs.
Yes, the problem though is, removed to where? I am starting to think maybe there need to be work camps upstate or something. But then that immediately leads to visions of gulags or Konzentrationslagern. Maybe reinstitute non-voluntary admission to mental health facilities? But I hardly imagine I will still be alive when a day comes that efforts are made toward involuntary commission to mental health facilities.
In Europe you see some homeless people in cities, but nothing like what we have in the US. I guess we just don’t have enough of a system of providing housing?
The city recently spent a large sum
to set up the Safe Haven on West 83. Despite all the controversy- THIS was the shelter of the future. Best in kind. The one that, to quote one of the vocal proponents on the Community Board, “That lit up the eyes of homeless.” And yet, still we have chronic neighborhood street homeless. We don’t hear much about the metrics of this shelter BTW and my understanding is that the neighborhood advisory board stopped having quarterly meeting with the provider. Maybe we are due for an update to understand more how our tax dollars are being used. We keep building new and more shelters and yet they don’t seem
to address chronic homelessness. But they do create social services jobs I suppose. Which is really the goal?
https://apple.news/AVpuNMDT9T6-AQSv01dMR2w
Timely article . Supreme Court taking this up starting Monday.
Why *unhoused”? I have yet to meet a homeless individual who call themselves unhoused, and I interact with homeless people fairly often through work.
Also. Not sure what the point here is. If a homeless outreach worker was there, then presumably the man did not want further assistance, or they would have taken him to a shelter or rehab facility if so needed
We have removed term “unhoused.”
Thank you.
For shame. They could have at least helped him go to a temporary shelter
Perhaps he didn’t want to go to a shelter? I’ve never been in a homeless shelter (thankfully), but I’ve heard rumors that they’re not exactly what one would call “luxurious”. Many homeless choose to live on the street because they see it as a better choice than a shelter. I’m not advocating that we house the homeless in the lap of luxury, but I’m thinking that “safe” and “reasonably clean” would be a minimal standard that could be met.
Love this. So why do they keep opening up new state of the art facilities and yet the old “terrible one” continue? New contracts awarded to existing providers. Old shelters don’t close? Just new people to house. And then the street population grows because they don’t want to go to the shelter. And the excuse if that we need more social workers to convince them? It seems like a cash cow and when you ask for success metrics you are shunned. What is going on? Our Comptroller is married to someone who runs shelters?
If there was a homeless outreach person among the various personnel, and the article states that there was, then he was offered shelter and refused. We can argue that anyone who voluntarily chooses to live on the streets is in some way mentally incapacitated but until the law is changed and adults who pose no danger to themselves or others can be involuntarily committed or involuntarily forced into shelter even when the temperature is above freezing, you will always have a percentage of people who decline shelter.
I agree we can house illegal migrants but not our own people living on the streets.
Anyone who lived near Riverside Park in the 1970s and into the 80s remembers when parts of it were filled with trash, including abandoned cars, and people lived under the overbuild and in the wooded areas. It was unsafe after dark, and parts of it were unsafe even in daylight.
We can be sympathetic to homeless people, but this city has few enough parks as it is, and they cannot be allowed to become encampments.
There are a good many churches and houses of worship scattered around the UWS that could be usefully converted to barracks for homeless folks to claim a little private space and feel some sense of stability. What are churches for other than to help the sick and needy? A good number of homeless are military veterans who did their duty and are now spurned because there are no provisions in city or state budgets to provide real assistance. We are told by scientists that it won’t be long until much of New York will be submerged as the ice caps melt. Then we all…or our children and grandchildren will…be homeless.
And plenty of these houses of worship do already run shelters. Some are year round and some are seasonal. But not every homeless person on the street wants to avail themselves of these. For one, they all have rules—whether it is when lights out or wake up time or simply taking a shower and keeping reasonably clean. Some of the homeless who choose to stay on the streets and refuse help do not want to abide by any such rules.
Good! That means they’re doing their job. Has this journalist ever lived in LA? That’s what happens when city officials don’t roust the homeless.
The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’” Ronald Reagan. None of this will fix 1 problem, at most it moves it around a little.
A wonderful sentiment. Let’s have all these government functions handled by private companies, which are generally totally committed to providing goods and services at reasonable prices with guaranteed high quality and superior customer service. Look at some of the prisons that have been turned over to private companies. Yes, there is incompetence and corruption everywhere – but one of the differences is that the government doesn’t provide goods and services under pressure to make profits and pay its chief executives ridiculous amounts of money. Imagine turning over the subways to a private company (which actually was proposed back in the 60’s) – the first thing that would happen is overnight service would be shut down, low-patronized lines discontinued, and fares raised to profits could be made. Oh – part of the deal would be that the company running the subway couldn’t make a profit – then what company run by anyone is their right mind would do it?
Actually sounds like a great and logic plan for the subway or the MTA in general.
I’m sure you know that the old IRT subway system started out as private companies leasing the tracks paid for by the city and itself providing the rolling stock, etc. The BMT was a holding company that took over the bankrupt Brooklyn Rapid Transit Co. That history supports your point. Not a good idea for public transit to be a private company, much as Americans like to think, business good, government bad. IND was called “Independent” because it wasn’t run by a private company – it was built and controlled by the City!
One never thinks they after being a good person, paying taxes with most of their income they would be forced on to the side walk. This without ever having broken the law. But this is a reality. It is not just homeless people it’s everyone.
Where would anyone go if shelters and out reach shelters are full. If someone wanted a peaceful night’s rest , the park would be the place under a tunnel with less exposure to the elements. This is what this person did.
There is no reason why people should be living like that when there are Tiny Homes on Trailers. There are parks that don’t allow traffic in them. They could give the people six months to find a job, and buy the trailers to they are living in. This way the problem could be solved.
There of Course could also be Social Services with that sort of offer. Giving people real hope and actual roof over their heads that they can own is better than making them wayside transients.
It is time for the United States to care of business at home before we take care of others. If we can afford a multi multi billion gift to Israel and Ukraine to take care of their people, which I am not opposed to, there should not be a homeless problem here. Certainly this man is a victim of circumstances but that does not mean he wants to be homeless. The answer to this problem, which is nationwide, is not an elusive one and if this nation wanted rid itself of this problem, it would disappear immediately. Think about it, 12 people paid by tax payer money, to remove one poor homeless man and offered him no help/assistance of any kind. Third world countries could do no worse.
There are many services in the City for the homeless. Individuals need to be taken to them. The problem isn’t affordable housing; there’s no such thing as affordable housing. The City should re-invest in SROs (Single Room Occupancy). The City should also reconsider the creation of a state-run mental institution. The subway violence is being perpetrated by mentally unwell individuals. And an overwhelming majority of the homeless population suffer from mental illness.
Why does this article make it seem like they ganged up on an innocent child.
To the editors: I cannot figure out how to contact you regarding another story — 160 West 74th Street — so I will post the link here regarding construction being done long “after hours.” https://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/OverviewForComplaintServlet?requestid=2&vlcompdetlkey=0003083986
Any interest in following up? Thank you.
GOOD WORK!
Well thank goodness all those officers were there to protect us from his sleeping 🙄
We need more and plenty of “low Income” housing not so called “Affordable”. “Affordable Housing”. is a BIG JOKE . You have to earn nearly 100 thousand dollars a year to qualify…yeah affordable to the rich and wealthy…not your average New Yorker…hence high levels of homeless…it’s not rocket science people The fact that this is constantly ignored tells you that the powers that be don’t give two cents…pun intended.
I did the shelter system 20 yrs ago had an SRO for 2 yrs then got a Section 8 voucher I’ve been in my same apartment a brownstone in Brooklyn for 17 years and now I have to move I can’t find any place that will accept my voucher I’m about to be 61 years old and they won’t help me until I’m actually in court I was served in 90 day notice and my time is up May 31st and I have no place to go I’ve applied for all these affordable housings I’ve looked everywhere i just had a hip then double knee replacement so u need bottom floor or 1st with elevator i hope i wont b next to have to set up camp outside again we need Real Affordable Housing not 5 apts set aside in fancy new buildings i hope that man gets some help living outside is not fun especially in winter and if any 1 reading this knows of a 1 bedroom Section 8 apt in Brooklyn Preferably that will take a clean quiet 61 ye old woman please comment m thank you
Have you looked here? I did a google search and there are hundreds of Section 8 apts available in Brooklyn. I’m a little surprised by the price range though, as there are actually lower rents in non section 8 apts in Manhattan. https://www.affordablehousing.com/brooklyn-ny/section8-owners/
Anyone know what happened to the homeless man who lived for decades on Broadway in the 80s? Last seen in front of the newly opened Naya and Panera near 85th?
I saw him sleeping on 72nd and WEA, in front of the shoemaker by Kossar’s, but that was several months ago. I lived on that block for 12 years and the same 3 homeless men were always present so I was surprised to see him there.
I don’t know if anyone remembers ‘tie-dye guy,’ but he once told me that he’d gone to Harvard and lived in my building long before I showed up. I thought that was one of his lucid moments, but I don’t know if it was true or not. During the height of Covid an outreach group came with the DOS and removed his encampment, and I never saw him again. I always wonder what became of him.
I’m more amazed that they could round up such a contingent for one homeless guy in riverside park while nary a cop let alone ranger is to be found in Central Park where chaos reigns every weekend
The cops were brought in here only as a safety measure. ..
The Honeless Outreach Progran ( that was doing a pretty decent job..) was dismantled by DeBlasio… with no effective solution to replace it as part of the “defund” the police movement back in June of 2020.
So ..that’s where the real blame should lay