EXCLUSIVE: Post-pandemic New York City is laid bare as homelessness, mental illness and crime escalate and rattled locals and tourists alike believe the town 'has lost its essence' while city cheerleaders insist 'the ship has turned'

Daily Mail ^ | 27 May 2021 | MARTIN GOULD IN NEW YORK CITY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and SHAWN COHEN IN NEW YORK CITY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

[conservative98]

• • Exclusive DailyMail.com photos show an influx of homeless people on the streets as Manhattan struggles to get back on its feet after the coronavirus pandemic cut off its lifeline of tourism 
  • The pandemic upped the ante on homelessness, mental illness and crime - particularly random assaults and stabbings as homeless men and women are seen strung out on the streets 
  • In 2021, almost every type of violent crime is on the rise in New York City
  • According to recent figures from Compstat, the NYPD's data gathering unit, crime is up 30 percent city wide 
  • Still, city officials are optimistic, 'The ship has turned. We are headed towards recovery,' Chris Heywood of NYC&Company, the city's official tourism organization, told DailyMail.com 
  • A Times Square business owner said, 'There's a lot more crime and a lot more drug addicts and vagrants everywhere. In the last three months, I've seen three or four people shooting up right in front of me'
  • A cop patrolling the area told DailyMail.com, 'Times Square has lost its essence. People come here now and just sit' 

These scenes come from across Manhattan as it struggles to get back on its feet after the coronavirus pandemic cut off its lifeblood of tourism, sent many of its wealthiest residents scurrying to places as diverse as Vermont and Florida and upped the ante on homelessness, mental illness and crime - particularly random assaults and stabbings.

'New Yorkers don't feel safe and they don't feel safe because the crime rate is up. It's not that they are being neurotic or overly sensitive - they are right,' Governor Andrew Cuomo declared on Wednesday. 

'We have a major crime problem in New York City.

[conservative98]

Pretty grim photos at the link.

[rfp1234]

Back to the “French Connection” days.

[Secret Agent Man]

its easier to cheer from untouchable mansions and armed guards and security around you 24/7

[euram]

the ship has turned upside down.

[butlerweave]

If it only had a Mayor

[Oscar in Batangas]

‘the ship has turned’

Yah. DIRECTLY into the iceberg

[Steely Tom]

The people who are left there don’t give a chrome-plated fart for New York City’s “essence.” I got ya essence right hee-ya, Jack.

[ConservativeInPA]

You have to be nutz to visit NYC as a tourist. The good days in the city are long over.

[colorado tanker]

Ahhh, back to the Seedy Seventies.

[Flick Lives]

EXCLUSIVE: Post-pandemic New York City is laid bare as homelessness, mental illness and crime escalate and rattled locals and tourists alike believe the town 'has lost its essence' while city cheerleaders insist 'the ship has turned'

The ship has indeed turned. It's listing 30° to port.

[Seruzawa]

All commies rely on massive PR campaigns to cover up the truth of the utter failures of their ideas and actions. Doesn’t matter if they are Chinese or New York commies. They live on propaganda lies.

[Karliner]

Meh, it’s worse here in Cartelfornia. Thanks for changing the rules and laws for allowing the mentally ill more freedom. They can’t take care of themselves.

[a fool in paradise]

What is left that makes New York New York? For locals or for tourists?

[libertylover]

If it only had a Mayor.

And a Governor. And a President. And a news media (see Tagline). And a mostly moral Democrat party leadership.

[JesusIsLord]

'We have a major crime problem in New York City.

No, we have a major governance problem in NYC, NY state, Congress and the White House ... AKA ...democrats.

[Old Yeller]

Green Acres is the place to be,
Farm livin is the life for me,
Land spreadin out so far and wide,
Keep Manhattan just give me that countryside.

[Veggie Todd]

Rudy had it cleaned up pretty well, but they’ve undone all his good work.

[freemama]

A middle-aged man and his partner that I know live in a hoity-toity Manhattan apartment. They have great paying jobs (still) and are snobs. They look down on anything mid-western. Hope they are still enjoying their NYC way of life.

[Fai Mao]

Just die already NYC!