The decision was announced by the mayor of New York after a series of attacks on the metro of the metropolis. A related bill is expected to be submitted for voting in 2023
After a series of attacks on the New York subway, the mayor of the American metropolis Eric Adams announced on Tuesday a plan for the confinement in mental institutions against the will of homeless people suffering from chronic mental illness.
“If a serious mental illness results in someone being homeless and is a threat for him, we have a moral obligation to help him get the treatment and care he needs,” Adams said during a press conference.
“Today we are launching a long-term strategy to help more people with serious mental illness who are not receiving help find their way to treatment and recovery,” he explained.
Bill to be filed for vote in 2023 in New York predict that police, social services and public health agencies will be able to intervene on city streets and subways to arrest and institutionalize homeless people believed to be suffering from mental and psychiatric illnesses against their will.
“We still have the mistaken belief that we can’t help someone against their will if they’re violent, suicidal, or in immediate danger,” Adams pointed out.
“This is a myth that needs to be dispelled. We will do everything we can to help those suffering from mental illnesses that put them at risk and prevent them from meeting their basic needs,” the mayor of New York assured.
Before yesterday’s announcement, council workers and hospital staff could request involuntary institutionalization only for homeless people who posed an immediate danger to themselves or others.
Adams, who took office as mayor of New York in January, immediately pledged to remove homeless people living there from the city’s subway stations. His resolve was strengthened after the killing in early January of an Asian-American woman who was pushed onto subway tracks by a man known to hospital staff and police to suffer from psychiatric problems.
In New York, according to associations and social services, there are 50,000 homeless people.
The number of crimes in the American metropolis began to increase in 2021 after the pandemic, and the feeling of insecurity of citizens worsened this year in some districts and the metro, after a series of attacks with firearms or knives.
Based on weekly statistics from the New York police, 391 people were killed in the big city from January to November 27, compared to 440 during the same period last year.
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With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
