Protesters condemn what they call "violent sweeps" of NYC homeless encampments
NEW YORK -- A rally was held in the East Village on Friday afternoon as multiple groups protested the city's tearing down of homeless encampments.
On Wednesday, there was a standoff and several arrests after crews forcibly removed one in the area. Mayor Eric Adams and other officials continue to defend their process, CBS2's Alice Gainer reported.
Those demonstrating at Tompkins Square Park say they are "violent sweeps" of homeless encampments and are calling for an end to it.
"The rhetoric is they're sweeps and we're just taking people off. What's missing in that message is we're out there every day engaging individuals and really building that trust," said Gary Jenkins, commissioner of the city's Department of Social Services.
Speaking during the 178th CityLaw Breakfast on Friday morning, Jenkins was grilled about the procedure.
"It's not as though we go in the same day. We go out there with the outreach team and we provide notice that we're going to come and clean this area," Jenkins said. "We do provide storage for those individuals, so we don't just discard all their belongings."
Jenkins said there are 3,000 specialized beds available along with mental and physical health services.
Groups on Friday said they want real housing, like apartments for the homeless, alleging shelters and the safe havens to be dangerous.
"I think the solution is permanent housing for people," one person said.
"The violence that happens there ... I have never been in the shelter system and I'm lucky, but I'm uplifting the voices of the houseless folks who are saying it's terrible," said Holden Taylor of the group Brooklyn Eviction Defense.
Commissioner Jenkins said the city is working to improve safety protocols.
The mayor, who says he does announced checks of facilities overnight, repeated his challenge to others.
"I'm asking all those who believe we can do a better job to join me in the streets like I am at 2, 3 in the morning speaking to people who are homeless to tell them there's a better way to go," Adams said.
So far, more than 300 encampments have been dismantled.