Liberals Are Furious NYC Mayor Wants to Take Dangerous Mentally Ill People Off The Streets

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New York City mayor Eric Adams (D.) on Tuesday empowered police to remove
potentially dangerous mentally ill people from the street and commit them
to psychiatric institutions, infuriating liberal groups who say the policy
would cause "trauma."

Adams signed an order instructing police to take mentally ill people into
custody for psychiatric evaluations at hospitals. Liberal groups were
quick to slam the effort, claiming the mayor’s approach would cause
"trauma," the New York Times reported. A New York City council member went
as far as to suggest that police presence causes mentally ill people to
become dangerous.

"The Mayor’s attempt to police away homelessness and sweep individuals out
of sight is a page from the failed Giuliani playbook," said Donna
Lieberman, executive director of the New York chapter of the ACLU.

But New York City Police Department commissioner Keechant Sewell and other
city officials welcomed the effort, saying it will resolve a lingering
homelessness crisis, which posed a danger to citizens on public
transportation this year.

"The NYPD works day and night to improve the quality of life of all New
Yorkers, especially our city’s most vulnerable populations," Sewell said
in a statement. "This deserves the full support and attention of our
collective efforts."

The shift comes as crime in New York City approaches its highest level in
decades, with a number of high-profile offenses in 2022 caused by mental
illness. Just days after Adams’s inauguration, a homeless man with
schizophrenia shoved a woman in front of an oncoming train, killing her.
In April, a black nationalist, who had related his history of mental
illness on social media, shot 10 people in a Brooklyn subway car.

More than 3,000 people live on the streets of New York City, according to
a January report. Many are mentally ill.

Adams’s order broadens officers’ authority to remove potentially dangerous
mentally ill individuals. Until now, police had only apprehended those who
made an "overt act" likely to cause imminent harm—a legal standard that
Adams’s office called a "persistent myth" among city law enforcement.

The directive empowers officers to follow existing state laws, which
instruct police to apprehend anyone who appears to be mentally ill and is
likely to cause harm. Adams said officers had been reluctant to fully
enforce the law because they misunderstood its reach. It also forces
hospitals to retain the mentally ill until their condition improves or
they receive a long-term plan for treatment.

Left-wing activists have hobbled police efforts to handle dangerous
mentally ill offenders—an approach supercharged after the police killing
of George Floyd in 2020. The backlash led to police budgets being defunded
in some cities and low morale causing officers to leave departments in
droves.

Before running for mayor, Adams served in the NYPD, where he retired with
the rank of captain. In a June poll, 56 percent of New Yorkers said the
city was headed in the wrong direction under Adams’s leadership.

Published under: Crime, Eric Adams, New York City, Police

https://freebeacon.com/democrats/new-york-city-mayor-allows-cops-to-
detain-and-commit-the-mentally-ill/