Editorial: Target the drug dealers

As The Village Sun has been reporting, Washington Square and the surrounding streets are grappling with serious issues of open drug use and drug dealing, homelessness and untreated mental illness. These concerns are seriously impacting quality of life and safety in the park, as well as nearby residents and businesses, plus all who visit the area.

There was a murder in the park earlier this summer and — in two stories broken by thevillagesun.com — the park’s administrator was attacked and injured, and a man’s death in the park two weeks ago is being investigated as a possible drug overdose.

Other park issues include vending — by both expressive-matter artist vendors and unlicensed pot vendors — and buskers’ amplified music, plus skateboarding and biking, which are not allowed in the park.

But crack, heroin and the untreated mentally ill on the streets are the biggest challenges. This problem has been building in the park for some years now — focused in its northwest corner — and only grew during the pandemic, spreading into the nearby streets. Many charge it’s because of changes in our criminal-justice system, among other things — such as lawmakers not wanting to penalize drug users.

Whatever the reason, many residents, merchants and local stakeholders are now saying, “Enough!” They want the laws and the park’s rules enforced. They want action to address the park’s entrenched, open-air drug supermarket.

Washington Square and the Village are not yet Kensington, Philadelphia — yet they are a smaller version of it. If you haven’t watched those videos yet — they’re chilling. Similar sad situations are playing out in places like San Francisco and Portland. It’s a national problem. Zombie nation. …

The answers aren’t necessarily easy. Last summer residents on W. Fourth Street banded together to hire security guards — armed with handguns. The block association was advised that since the dealers all have weapons, the guards should, too.

But the first step clearly is to cut the drug supply — target the dealers. The 6th Precinct is making narcotics busts in the park, on Eighth Street, on Sixth Avenue, as thevillagesun.com has reported.

But Captain Jason Zeikel, the precinct’s commander, notes police “can’t just go in and grab everybody” in the park’s corner: They must witness sales or do buy-and-busts, building strong cases, so the arrests “stick.”

More officers for the 6th would help. Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who has made addressing untreated mental illness a top issue, is helping lead the call on the precinct’s need for reinforcements, reaching out to Philip Banks, deputy mayor for public safety. As of press time, Bottcher hoped to hear back after Labor Day. On homelessness, Bottcher is hopeful about the mayor’s plan to create more affordable housing by residentially converting now-underused office buildings in Midtown South. Bottcher, whose district reaches as far east as Sixth Avenue, has been participating in multiagency walk-throughs focused on addressing street conditions.

Assemblymember Deborah Glick, for her part, has been in direct contact with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on area shoplifting. She says Bragg is really focusing on organized shoplifting rings, which resell the stolen goods online.

Councilmember Christopher Marte, meanwhile, whose district currently includes Washington Square Park, is independently meeting with stakeholders on various issues about the park and neighborhood. He hopes especially to help broker a compromise between the park’s artist vendors and police and Parks Enforcement Police, who have recently tightened enforcement in the fountain plaza. It’s a key issue both for the park’s enjoyment and its creative tradition. Marte said the overall goal is for the park to be both “fun and safe.” He admits, though, it’s been hard to stamp out the drugs. Marte has gone on the same multiagency walk-throughs of Sixth Avenue with Bottcher, and they have both done similar walk-throughs in the park.

We reached out to Councilmember Carlina Rivera, who will represent the park in the new year, due to redistricting, but did not hear back. The same for a press spokesperson for Mayor Adams. Rivera might well be deferring to Marte at this point, since the park’s still in his district. But it’s disappointing that the mayor is not showing leadership on such a pressing community issue.

When we did exit polling at P.S. 41 for the general election in 2022, a number of voters living nearby said safety — specifically, the deterioration of Sixth Avenue — was their top issue. Despite being registered Democrats, some voted for Republican Lee Zeldin for governor, as a result. In short, people are alarmed about what’s going on on the streets. Yes, empty storefronts and a drop in foot traffic are part it, but it’s bigger than just that.

Adams himself has warned that some Asian voters, afraid about crime, are now trending G.O.P.

Mr. Mayor, heed your own words! This is a very serious issue for voters.