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I went out in Manhattan last night for the first time since early March. I'm a lifelong New Yorker, I'm not going to pretend there was a time when there were zero vagrants in the streets. But this is becoming something else and everyone knows it.
Tons of emotionally disturbed people wandering around. A guy walked by wearing an 8x10 rug rambling about lesbians refusing to give him a bath. Another guy 5 min later punching himself. A drugged out woman stumbling into the street.
This was on 6th Ave by West 3rd. Again, I'm not pretending that the Village was ever sterile but this is a quantity issue. There are A LOT more troubled people out than ever before. In the name of progressivism, we're not getting people the help they need.
We thought of this, that maybe it just seems like so many more emotionally disturbed people because fewer people out overall. But actually the Village was buzzing last night. Maybe not a typical summer Thu but fairly hopping. https://twitter.com/_Verts/status/1284156106286170114?s=20
Two things that stood out to me last night in the Village: zero police presence and zero yellow cabs. It's freaky.
I love my city, even when it elects bad leaders. Marginalizing police has been a terrible idea but this goes beyond even that. What are we doing to help troubled people who could be a danger to themselves or others? We can't let this continue.
