New York City's Controversial Plan for "Compassion and Care"
Issue #25, with Mayor Adams' new mental health initiative and Miss Cleo
Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
Earlier this week, Mayor Adams unveiled one aspect of the city’s plan to help those with serious mental illness in New York City. It’s been the story of the week, despite the mayor’s own international travel.
I worked on a story with my colleague Alyssa Katz, who is much more knowledgeable about the struggles and challenges for those living with mental illness – and the people who love them.
From our story:
Focusing on the highly visible phenomenon of people behaving erratically — and sometimes violently — on city streets and subways, Adams said that months of discussions with his team and outside experts had yielded a new approach, based on a forceful interpretation of state mental health law.
Specifically, said the mayor, his administration will instruct NYPD officers and mental health teams that people should be removed to a hospital for evaluation when showing signs that they cannot care for their own “basic needs” as a result of apparent mental illness.
This approach drew criticism from advocates and others who worried that there aren’t enough staff, or beds, to provide the necessary care. Some found the idea of involuntarily bringing people in could be seen as detaining people.
A few weeks ago, Alyssa published a heartbreaking story about Clarissa Crader – a retired transit cop who patrolled it around the same time as Mayor Adams – and her 41-year-old son, Justin Campbell. He’s now living in a safe haven shelter after a two-decade history of violent episodes.
Crader’s take on the announcement: “I didn’t hear any long-term solutions.”
But one thing I found out later this week is this announcement was just the beginning.
We had Brian Stettin, City Hall’s senior advisor on severe mental illness, on the FAQ podcast. He corrected some of what’s been reported (including some things shared on an earlier episode of FAQ) and said there will be more.
And one line that struck me about this endless, often heartbreaking work of helping people who need it:
“If we're going to just leave people on the street who are in need of medical care, because we don't have the beds and we don't have the services, then we should at least be honest enough to say that that's the reason we're abandoning people to the street, we should not hide behind this false excuse that we can't help them because the law doesn't allow it.”
Other interesting stories this week
The most resilient New Yorkers taste very good with a little horseradish [THE CITY]
The state is fast-tracking weed delivery services. [THE CITY]
I am probably too excited for the Miss Cleo documentary:
Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!