Overview
- Reporter accounts this week say dozens of tents and makeshift shelters now line 11th Avenue from West 34th Street to West 46th Street, covering roughly 12 city blocks.
- Local workers and on-scene witnesses report theft, open drug dealing, and prostitution in and around the encampment, with some naming 36th and 37th Streets as particularly troubled spots.
- Under Mayor Zohran Mamdani the Department of Homeless Services has taken over encampment response from the NYPD and uses a policy that clears sites only after seven days of outreach.
- City records reviewed by reporters show 311 complaints in the area rose to 48 so far this year from 40 in 2025, with 28 calls for assistance and 20 complaints about the encampment itself.
- Business and tourism leaders warn the situation is harming visitor safety and neighborhood commerce near the Intrepid Museum, while some camp residents praise the halt to routine police sweeps.