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NYC Homeless Problem Out of Control – DeBlasio Blamed

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Despite repeated pledges by Mayor Bill de Blasio to resolve the city’s ongoing homelessness problem, the situation only seems to be getting worse. In the latest case to come to light, a homeless couple has been living for months in front of a vacant, city-owned building in Upper Manhattan. According to neighbors who spoke with the New York Post, a police officer familiar with the situation “explicitly” blames the problem on the mayor.

A finance worker who lives around the corner claims that he has called 311 and the NYPD at least 20 times during the past year. The man said he held three “lengthy conversations” with desk officers at the 28th Precinct, but they responded that they were powerless to intervene.

Homeless Lynn Chapman says cops have spoken to her many times, but never actually forced her to leave.

“One of them explicitly blamed Mayor de Blasio, saying something along the lines of, ‘Look who our boss is and the directives we’re getting from the top,’” said the finance worker. “If it were privately owned, I would imagine something would have been done.”

Another neighbor recounted de Blasio’s September 2015 vow that “homeless encampments — which were tolerated for many, many years in this city — are not going to be tolerated.”

“I don’t take to heart any promise the mayor makes,” Reginald Adams cynically commented. “If he says expect less homeless encampments, you can expect to see more.”

Investigating the reported encampment, the Post discovered more than 30 feet of garbage spread around the stoop at 321 W. 116th St., a boarded-up, five-story building with a sidewalk shed and scaffolding that – according to documents – the city seized over unpaid taxes in 1978.

Neighbors alleged the mess stemmed from a homeless woman in a wheelchair and her boyfriend, who surrounded themselves with dirty couch cushions fashioned into a makeshift bed, a bag of rotting sweet potatoes, and other highly unpleasant items.

“It’s disgusting, and it’s always like this. Customers are concerned because this filth is here. ” fumed Jammie Waldron, 27, who owns a nearby home-decor store. “It’s disheartening and sad, but I’m trying to make a life here and they are making an obstruction to my business.”

The homeless woman, who identified herself as Lynn Chapman, 55, said she grew up in the neighborhood. Chapman said she stayed away from homeless shelters for fear of violence, and claimed that police had bothered her at least 40 times but never actually forced her to leave.

“They’ll come over and say, ‘We’ve been getting calls. We are putting them on the back burner, but do us a favor and take a walk around the block,’” she disclosed.

City Hall referred an inquiry by the Post to the Department of Homeless Services, which stated: “We will continue to engage with and offer services to these individuals to bring them in off the streets.”

The department spokesman added, “We are working to aggressively reach out to more potential clients who are living on the street than ever before and help them understand and accept the range of resources and services available to them.”

However, shortly after the story about the eyesore in front of West 116th Street was published, the city finally took action. A crew of sanitation workers carried away the repulsive trash from the sidewalk. Sanitation worker Eric Stephens told the New York Post that his supervisor called and asked him to “do this special favor for her” and clean up outside the boarded-up building. Observers commented that while this was a good first move by the de Blasio administration, they still see a serious increase in homeless people dwelling on the streets over this past year.

Sholom Schreiber

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