NYU has joined a coalition of local lawmakers, businesses and nonprofit organizations aiming to improve safety of Washington Square Park by addressing residents’ “quality-of-life concerns” related to drug use, homelessness and mental health.
The Village Interagency Task Force is part of Mayor Eric Adams’s Community Link initiative with the New York City Police Department, Department of Buildings and a dozen other city agencies to address ongoing safety concerns across the five boroughs. In a press release announcing NYU’s involvement, President Linda Mills said the university was grateful for efforts to address “chronic and complex” issues in the area.
“This interagency hub — composed of mayoral and city agency leaders, the Manhattan district attorney, social services groups, and local stakeholders — is a promising model for a coordinated effort to understand and address the needs in the area, and to deliver tangible improvements,” Mills said. “As a neighbor and major stakeholder in the success of this effort, we stand ready to partner with and provide effective and sustainable resources to improve quality of life for our community.”
The task force, announced by Adams and District Attorney Alvin Bragg earlier this month, will initially focus on the northwest corner of the park near Lipton Hall. The group began its assessments in February and will now meet twice a month to coordinate responses to substance use, retail theft and other breaches of park regulations. Members will also assess opportunities for infrastructure improvement.
As an additional component of the initiative, law enforcement will be deployed to surveillance zones from West Third Street to West Ninth Street between the park and Sixth Avenue, as well as the area around the West Fourth Street subway station. NYU’s involvement in the initiative has not been clarified.
Arlene Peralta, assistant vice president of community engagement, told WSN that the program’s implementation is a result of months of meetings with local community groups, small businesses, social service providers and university administrators.
“The task force seeks to facilitate solutions beyond the scope of a single city agency while providing comprehensive outreach by coordinating and utilizing existing tools and resources,” Peralta wrote in a statement to WSN. “This partnership will ensure that everyone in the neighborhood is getting the help they need, while also enhancing the experience of those who live and work here.”
In an interview with WSN, Brian Maloney, a co-chair of the task force, said that chronic drug overdoses in the park are creating a safety hazard for residents in the village. Maloney also said that many properties at the park have been vandalized with graffiti, which creates an increasing sense of danger and destroys the park’s reputation.
“It feels like there are no rules for anything. The most complicated part of this is getting the users to not only get the help they need, but be held accountable for what they bring along with themselves,” Maloney said in an interview with WSN. “We are justifying things that are unjustifiable, and that’s no longer okay.”
In June, Councilmember Erik Bottcher declared a “humanitarian crisis” in the West Village –– including Washington Square Park –– for the rise in displacement and lack of services for homeless and mentally ill people, as well as increase in assault and harassment incidents. Adams took a walking tour of the area in October, before composing the task force in December.
The initiative was inspired by other community-driven initiatives in Harlem and midtown Manhattan. In July, Adams and District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced the Midtown Community Improvement Coalition to address issues such as retail theft, illegal scaffolding and unlicensed cannabis shops. The coalition was modeled off of the 125th Street Business Improvement District Interagency Hub that aimed to improve the environment for local businesses.
“This task force is a great indication to our neighbors, businesses and residents that the city is listening to us,” Maloney said. “We didn’t think they were listening for a long time, and they not only listen, but they’re bringing every available resource to help.”
Contact Eva Mundo at [email protected].
