The Patriot Post® · Homeless Die Under Mamdani's 'Warmth of Collectivism'

When it comes to New York City’s socialist mayor, Zohran Mamdani, it would appear that his promised “warmth of collectivism” is anything but warm. Indeed, it is downright cold, and unfortunately, at least 14 Big Apple residents “have died outside during the freeze.” This number includes homeless individuals who failed to take shelter and succumbed to the frigid elements.

The irony is that Mamdani specifically campaigned on a promise of greater access to affordable housing. Of course, his means of accomplishing this will only make housing conditions worse, as rent freezes don’t incentivize more or better housing; they have the opposite effect, as fewer people with means are willing to invest in a financially losing proposition.

But Mamdani’s socialist take on housing appears to be just the tip of the iceberg of the new mayor’s ideologically incompetent leadership. While he may talk a good game and smile big for the cameras, when it comes down to making the hard, realistic, and genuinely compassionate decisions, he has failed to meet the moment.

As warnings about the severe cold weather were coming down, Mamdani’s “compassionate” homeless policies were exposed as anything but compassionate. Mamdani’s homeless policy is effectively hands-off. He has barred the policy department from removing homeless camps that have popped up across the city. Furthermore, he has barred law enforcement from forcibly moving vagrants into homeless shelters against their will, even when it is for their own protection.

The result, as Mamdani admitted, “At least 10 New Yorkers have tragically lost their lives after being found outdoors. We don’t yet know whether every case will be ruled hypothermia.” And he acknowledged a day later that at least six of the individuals who died “were known” to the city’s department of homeless services.

The mayor’s problem is that his socialist compassion has blinded him to the reality that many of these vagrants are simply incapable of making rational decisions. Indeed, they would likely not be homeless if they weren’t in a state of mental illness and/or drug addiction.

Those who are incapable of helping themselves should not be left to fend for themselves where they may end up harming themselves or others.

Mamdani could have easily avoided this sad situation if he had stuck with the program initiated by former Mayor Eric Adams, in which clinicians, backed by law enforcement, sought out and determined whether a homeless individual could care for themselves. If they were deemed incapable, they would be involuntarily taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

Mamdani specifically campaigned to end this program and any actions to dismantle homeless camps. Apparently, Mamdani is envious of San Francisco.

The mayor encouraged people to call the city’s non-emergency public service number, 311, if they saw anyone on the sidewalk who they believed might need help. Why not instruct people to call 911 if they believe someone needs critical help, especially given the frigid temperatures? Mamdani’s policy makes little sense, but it demonstrates that he is too constrained by his radical leftist ideology to recognize the damage it is doing to the city’s residents — ironically, damage the very residents he claims to focus most on helping.

Hopefully, this situation serves as a wake-up call to Mamdani. His promise of big-papa government is failing New Yorkers, and he’s just over a month into his term.