Mayor Eric Adams vowed Friday to dismantle homeless encampments on the New York City subway system, after MTA officials revealed that transit crews and community homeless-tracking workers they found 29 encampments in subway tunnels and another 89 in stations earlier this month.
The camps, authorities said, collectively housed more than 350 people.
“We are dismantling and will dismantle every camp in our system. It’s not acceptable,” Adams said during an interview on PIX 11.
“Previous administrations may have seen this and passed by. We won’t. I am sending the right message that our subway system must be safe and reliable for our passengers.”
Encampments in the subway tunnels were identified by community workers overnight from Feb. 2-3, MTA officials said Thursday.
Authorities said they were immediately evicted, but it is unclear what happened to the people after they were evacuated from the subway.
During a separate appearance on 10110 WINS, Adams said the tunnel encampments also reveal how vulnerable the subway system is to terrorist threats.
“As a former transit police officer, I understand how dangerous these tunnels are, but we also need to be clear that we are susceptible to terrorism in our city,” he said.
“We are still a target, and when you have a group of people using the tunnel systems without law enforcement intervening, not only is it dangerous for homeless people to be on the tracks, but there is also the possibility that a person is trying to do something harmful.”
Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul this week launched a new initiative to move people sleeping on trains and stations into shelters or mental health treatment. Under the plan, police will also be stricter in enforcing subway rules that prohibit homeless people from boarding large cars and require passengers to exit stations when their trains reach the last stop.
The mayor said community workers have made 125 daily interactions with homeless people on the subway over the last week.
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