Commentary By Judge Glock

Everyone in the City Will Suffer from Mamdani’s Decision to End Homeless Camp Sweeps

Governance, Cities New York, New York City

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Thursday said he will end the clearance of homeless encampments in New York City.

The inevitable result of this decision will be more crime and disorder on the streets — and more deaths among the homeless themselves.

Mamdani claims that encampment clearances are cruel because they aren’t “connecting homeless New Yorkers to the housing they so desperately need.”

But such complaints ring hollow when New York City has the most expansive “right to shelter” laws in the nation.

Those sleeping outside have the option to get inside. They just don’t want to take it.

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Judge Glock is the director of research and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor at City Journal.

Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

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