Homeless encampments have been a hot topic lately in New York City due to deaths during the times of below freezing weather. The Mayor and city officials have been attempting to remedy the situation as critcs have pointed at the recent decision to end homeless encampment sweeps. -- 📺 Watch NTD News 24/7 on cable, broadcast, and streaming: https://www.ntd.com/watch
New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani has been working to address the death toll due to hypothermia.
Temperatures below 32 degrees have been an issue raised as some believe the mayor ending of
homeless encampments may have added to the death toll. NTD Char Marshall has more detail.
During a press conference on Monday, New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani said 16 people have
been found dead during the recent stretch of below freezing temperature weather.
City has been introducing more warming beds and homeless shelters since the beginning of the cold
snap. Preliminary findings show hypothermia played a role in 13 of the cases and three of these
deaths appear to be overdose deaths. Some critics claim that Mamdani's decision to stop the sweeping
of homeless encampments in New York City is the cause of homeless deaths in the cold. After the
conference, I traveled to different popular homeless encampment areas around Manhattan
to report how the situation looks. Most areas did not have as many homeless as reported by other
news outlets during previous weeks. But at one known spot across the street from the United
Nations building, I found someone sitting under a blanket that seemed to be motionless, so I called
3-1-1 code blue for them. Code blue in New York City means it's 32 degrees or colder and people
are urged to call the phone number 3-1-1 for any people that appear to need assistance from the
outdoors. I didn't record the incident out of respect for the paramedic team and the homeless
person. It only took 15 minutes for paramedics to arrive and to check on the man who was not happy
about the paramedics touching him to check if he was alive and responsive. The man began yelling
obscene words at the paramedics who quickly left at the homeless man's wish before he might decide
to get violent as he seemed to get angrier the longer they stayed. It's now the person's choice
whether or not they wish to go to a help center like this one now that homeless encampments are
not currently being swept. A severe cold front continues to bear down on our city. Today is our
11th consecutive day of below freezing weather and we could very well be in the middle of the
longest period of consecutive sub 32 degree weather in our city's entire history. Many of the
homeless on the streets make the claim of past bad experiences with violence and theft being the
reason for not staying in homeless shelters. Sean Marshall, NTD News.
