Mayor Adams Calls for Accountability on Crime and Housing at Upper West Side Town Hall

It was a packed house in the basement of Goddard Riverside on Columbus Avenue this week, as Mayor Eric Adams visited the Upper West Side to host a community conversation about public safety. The RSVP-only event quickly reached capacity for the small venue, leaving many unable to attend.

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The New York Police Department was also present, represented by chiefs, commanding officers, and captains from the 20th, 24th, 26th, and Central Park precincts.

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine opened the forum by addressing a “common challenge” across all New York City precincts. He noted that staffing levels are down by 25 officers per precinct compared to five years ago, with approximately 3,000 vacancies in the police department due to early retirements and resignations. “I want you to bear this in mind tonight,” Levine said. “We need to fill those vacancies to restore the resources on the ground that many of you are concerned about tonight.”

Levine also addressed the need to bring people off the streets who should not be there, describing it as a painful failure. “It requires both expanding treatment options and resources in our hospitals and permanent residential settings,” he said, “but also finding a way to bring in those who might not want to come off the streets because that is the nature of mental illness.” He suggested the idea of involuntary removal to the audience.

“I inherited a city that was a mess,” said Mayor Adams as he began, highlighting his administration’s achievements. Among the statistics he cited were the removal of 20,000 guns from the streets, robberies on the subway system at their lowest levels in recorded history, and the removal of 70,000 illegal vehicles, many of which have been destroyed.

Mayor Adams called out judges who are repeatedly releasing offenders. “We should not have laws that allow repeat offenders to come into our communities over and over again.” Adams referenced a recent case where a person was arrested with a gun, rearrested with a gun, and let back out again while on two gun charges, only to be caught with another gun. Adams said, “We are hemorrhaging our entire criminal justice system, we are losing district attorneys because we have laws that were passed, the discovery laws, if you don’t turn our information in a certain period of time, people are having their cases dismissed.” Adams added that he wished judges and lawmakers were at the meeting to be held accountable.

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One audience member to pose a question to Mayor Adams, Maria Danzilo, started by saying she was sucker-punched while walking her dog in Central Park a few months ago (which also reportedly happened in early 2023). A resident of the Upper West Side for 45 years, Danzilo added she has never seen the neighborhood this bad, calling out a hot spot for crime at 79th and Broadway. She asked about providing help for people with mental illness, drug addiction, and people recently incarnated, as the recent stabbing of three innocent people who were just going about their daily lives by someone who was decarcerated and put in a facility without proper oversight or accountability. “We feel that the city is just not addressing this mental health crisis that is making our streets more dangerous,” said Danzilo. She cited a report that the Coalition for the Homeless reported that 42% of people entering the shelter system are prisoners released from elsewhere and that the Upper West Side ranks seventh in having the most homeless shelters, yet she keeps seeing new ones. She asked the mayor, “What policy changes do we need to fix this problem, and how can we, the community, help you make sure that we get the things we need to bring our city back?”

Mayor Adams said random acts of violence are a real issue that didn’t start happening overnight, emphasizing that “Nobody wants to do the public safety work, and we have to turn that around.” Adams took issue with the closing of Riker’s Island to build four new jails. “We’re just downsizing the big Rikers into mini Rikers, instead of taking one of those jails and turning them into a state-of-the-art psychiatric facility.” The mayor noted 51% of inmates at Rikers Island have mental health issues, with 18-20% having severe mental health issues. Adams said it made no sense to close the city’s mental health facilities from years ago, throwing those people on the streets.

“Everybody needs to be back on patrol so we don’t have shortages of police personnel,” said Adams, who spoke with NYPD Commissioner Tisch about conducting an analysis of all police personnel. “Cops are masters; as good as they are at fighting crime, they’re masters at hiding out somewhere.” Adams believes more patrolmen will cut down on crime, which is hurting the city’s narrative.

Chief Stevenson, borough commander of Manhattan North, said that we are ending the year with a decrease in overall crime and violence, reaching record lows for the second consecutive year, and an increase in quality of life enforcement. However, the NYPD has seen a spike within the 20th Precinct, with random acts of violence from emotionally disturbed individuals. “We have to do a better job to make you feel safer,” said Chief Stevenson. Seven categories of felony crimes have spiked in the 20th Precinct in 2024. The number of shooting victims has increased by 250% from 2023.

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The question from the concerned mother’s table at the forum came from Lauren B. Schultz, who raised issues like the Halloween night shooting at the McDonald’s on 71st Street and an incident where a homeless man threw a garbage can at her child. She then asked what immediate steps are being taken to restore safety and protect families. Schultz also asked the mayor to use his strong relationship with Governor Kathy Hochul to push for more mental health beds, as she promised during her recent campaign.

Adams said he’s never been at a community meeting where someone didn’t bring up the need for mental health clinics. Molly Park, the appointed commissioner of the New York Department of Social Services (DSS), detailed that about 75% of the shelter system’s population are families with children. There are one million low-income households that are rent-burdened. Park said her goal is to make the shelter system smaller. “Last year, we moved 18,500 households out of shelter and into permanent housing,” said Park, calling it a record number with more to do.

Heather Groger, a nurse, mother, and founder of the Friends of the Ederle Playground advocacy group, questioned the lack of accountability in shelter placement and management on the Upper West Side. “I know this [topic] has been pounded already, but on 83rd Street you have a safe haven next to an elementary school where residents overlook the kindergarten playground from their beds,” said Groger. She elaborated on neighbor reports of loitering, stalking, trespassing, and open drug use, which she said endangers child safety, particularly when combined with untreated mental health issues.

Groger also called attention to the West 59th Street shelter currently being constructed for women in substance abuse recovery, located next to Gertrude Ederle Playground. “There’s a shelter serving this exact population seven blocks away that often has empty beds,” she said. Groger emphasized that the 59th Street shelter, still in its building phase, could instead be repurposed into “desperately needed affordable housing with the administration’s direction.” She also criticized Park for citing the importance of housing children, pointing out that none of these shelters are designated for children.

Park responded that there are particular issues with West 83rd Street but would not mention them at the forum. “Let’s follow up offline; I’m happy to give you my card.” She then expanded, saying the options are to shelter people experiencing homelessness or to leave them on the street. “We should be working towards housing, absolutely, and we do every single day.”

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Members of the audience began interrupting Park during her remarks. One woman shouted, “Maybe not everybody gets to live in New York City.” Park, visibly taken aback, responded with a surprised “Wow” and turned toward Mayor Adams for support. Adams intervened, asking the audience to allow speakers to finish and maintain order.

“I don’t subscribe to ‘maybe everyone should not live in New York City,’” Adams said firmly. He elaborated that while people may not agree on everything, the city would not just be for the affluent, as anyone can fall on hard times. Reflecting on his own experiences, Adams shared, “I’ve been on the verge of homelessness.” He reminded the audience of the city’s legal obligation, stating, “That’s the law. Right to shelter is the law, and we’re going to follow that.” Applause followed his statement.

Park responded by suggesting practical measures, such as shading the windows overlooking the playground, a solution implemented at other sites in the past. “There are solutions that we can have, but our kids, my kid, all of our kids, are going to interact with people experiencing homelessness,” said Park. “It is New York City. It is the reality that we live with, right? And it is a question about whether we do it in a way that is managed and controlled and with dignity, or whether the people are on the street … in conditions that are not fit for any person.”

Groger returned to the microphone, stating that Park had not addressed her question or the issues she raised. “You’re bringing problems, not solving them,” she said. In response, Mayor Adams highlighted the city’s housing crisis, pointing to a 1.4% vacancy rate and an almost nonexistent percentage for affordable housing. He urged attendees to assess his administration’s progress by the numbers. “Year one, year two, we broke records in new housing that we put in place,” Adams said, adding that the city also set records for the number of people housed through the voucher program and for transitioning individuals from homelessness to permanent housing. He concluded, “We’re not going to solve this problem of homelessness, folks, in two years and 11 months. Let’s not kid ourselves.”

Mayor Adams closed the night by urging the audience to invite judges and lawmakers to future meetings. “This is a powerful group of people. The Upper West Side is the number one voting block of Democrats in the country,” he said, emphasizing the need to hold everyone in the criminal justice system accountable.

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