Overview

• Barricades, a new command center and extra lighting have been installed in Roberto Clemente Plaza as part of a multi-agency effort to deter drug trafficking and loitering.
• The NYPD has stepped up patrols and enforcement, leading to more than 1,000 arrests and 3,600 summonses across the Hub since early July.
• Sanitation crews have removed over 730 syringes from sidewalks and plazas, though emergency responders still record up to 20 overdoses in the district each week.
• Rep. Ritchie Torres cautions that these measures resemble a “game of whack-a-mole” and insists on a sustained whole-government strategy combining enforcement, health services and zoning reforms.
• Merchants report a 15% commercial vacancy rate and plunging foot traffic as drug use in public view undermines business confidence in the central corridor.