New York City’s homeless population “soared” in recent weeks; hitting the highest level in years with more and more people showing-up at the Big Apple’s “hotel shelters.”
“The number of homeless New Yorkers living in hotel shelters surged over the last two years, despite Mayor Bill de Blasio’s 2017 declaration the costly operations would be closed down by 2023, city figures show,” reports the New York Post.
“There are 5,473 households living in hotels across the city in August 2019 — two-thirds of which have children. That’s a dramatic 36% increase from the 4,012 households in August 2017, and roughly flat with August 2018’s 5,445 households,” adds the Post.
“The sooner we open more high-quality borough-based shelters, the sooner we can phase out these stop-gap measure once and for all,” said Department of Homeless Services’ spokesman Isaac McGinn.
New statistics show the number of arrests in New York City are down a stunning 27% from the same period last year, with police officers saying city officials no longer “have their backs” under the current administration.
The downturn comes days after what members of law enforcement describe as the ‘Pantaleo Effect.’ Officer Daniel Pantaleo was fired from the NYPD over his role in the death of Eric Garner on Staten Island earlier this month.
“Police Benevolent Association chief Patrick Lynch responded by angrily telling his members to ‘proceed with the utmost caution’ when answering calls — and new statistics obtained by The Post on Monday suggest officers are heeding his warning,” reports the NY Post.
“Arrests dropped 27% between Aug. 19 — the day Pantaleo was fired — and Aug. 25 compared to the same period in 2018, with police making 3,508 busts compared to 4,827,” adds the Post.
“Who wants to be the last cop standing?” a Manhattan cop said. “If someone’s in trouble and needs help or if a cop’s in trouble, obviously, you do what you have to do as a police officer. But if it’s discretionary, why put yourself in harm’s way?’’
Read the full report at the NY Post.