Crime and thrown syringes in the Subway ratify mental health crisis in New York: MTA to Mayor | The State

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ANDRÉS CORREA GUATARASMA / Courtesy

Syringes allegedly used by drug addicts accumulate on the tracks and stations of the New York Subway, evidencing a “mental health crisis” in NYC that wreaks havoc on the transportation system, reported the city’s transit chief, Sarah Feinberg, in a new letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio.

In his letter asking more police help, Feinberg cited “hundreds of needles” on platforms and tracks, along with cases of assaults involving the mentally ill and multiple suicides and attempts to commit it.

“In the last month alone, we have experienced multiple cases of violent assault, including a homicide, that involved people suffering from mental health problems, ”Feinberg wrote.

“At stations in Upper Manhattan and on the Lower East Side, hundreds of needles are regularly disposed of AND, just last week, the morning rush hour trains were stopped for some time while police had to speak to one person. on the road that refused to leave the right of way ”.

“As you know, COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the mental health and homeless crisis in our city… Sadly, these are challenges that have only gotten worse in the transit system in recent weeks, ”continued Feinberg.

Several transport workers agree with Feinberg’s complaint. “They hang out on the banks (…) So it’s up to us clean after them, ”he told New York Post a worker at the Delancey-Essex station on the Lower East Side.

Another employee at the 23rd Street and 6th Ave station commented that syringes are more common on the tracks than on the platform. “Since it’s more of a quality of life issue, the police don’t really handle it, so our guys are supposed to monitor. But who wants to kick a junkie out into the cold? So we just tolerate it. “