Authorities in New York City have begun acting on their plan to put a stop to the city’s homeless population from sheltering on trains and in the subway.
The crackdown comes amid a rise in violent crime in the subways, including six stabbings this past week alone. Mayor Eric Adams has said that from now on, the subway system’s widely flouted rules of conduct will be strictly enforced.
Teams of officers with the NYPD and mental health professionals are being sent out to identify mentally ill and homeless people who may be living on trains, and work to get them the help they need.
“No more smoking. No more doing drugs. No more sleeping. No more doing barbecues on the subway system. No more just doing whatever you want,” Adams said last Friday when he announced the new plan.
Inside Edition was there as mental health professionals and police fanned out across subways. One unhoused woman said she was grateful.
“I don’t want to stay out here,” she told Inside Edition Digital.
Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal, West 4th Street, the West 42nd Street Corridor, the Fulton Street Corridor and Jamaica Center are the top stations that will be monitored, according to the city.