Overview
- Local reporting documents the encampment growing to about 12 blocks along 11th Avenue from West 34th to West 46th, a development recorded on Sunday.
- Workers and residents say the site shows visible sanitation problems and open criminal activity, including theft, street drug dealing, and prostitution.
- Reporters observed NYPD patrols driving through without intervening and City Hall did not immediately respond to requests for comment, leaving cleanup and outreach to limited sanitation and outreach teams.
- Business and tourism leaders near the Intrepid Museum and Javits Center say the encampment hurts visitor experience and local commerce, and city 311 records reviewed by reporters show complaints in the area rose to 48 this year from 40 in 2025.
- The situation reflects Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s campaign pledge to stop routine sweeps, a policy change praised by some people living in the camp and criticized by civic leaders who warn it could worsen public‑health and safety problems without a paired plan for services and removals.