Mamdani Ditches Adams' Encampment Crackdowns, Risks Chaos on NYC Streets

NYC mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist from a wealthy Uganda estate, pledges to stop Eric Adams' encampment sweeps starting January, calling them failures despite placing over 3,500 into permanent housing. A 2023 audit showed only 119 of 2,308 took temporary shelter, with many sites repopulating, yet officials fielded 45,000 complaints in 2025 alone over unsafe tents near schools and parks. Mamdani offers no clear plan, framing homelessness as a "political choice" while ditching crackdowns that kept NYC's unsheltered rate lowest among major cities. Critics warn this invites disorder.