{"id":36191,"date":"2025-03-08T18:30:26","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T18:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/?p=36191"},"modified":"2025-03-08T18:30:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T18:30:26","slug":"mayor-adams-da-bragg-announce-new-community-coalition-to-enhance-quality-of-life-improve-safety-near-washington-square-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/archives\/36191","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Adams, DA Bragg announce new community coalition to enhance quality of life, improve safety near Washington square park"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEWYORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. announced the launch of the \u201cVillage Interagency Task Force,\u201d a new multi-agency quality-of-life improvement hub that will bring together law enforcement, elected officials, and community and business leaders to address public safety and quality-of-life issues in the Greenwich Village and West Village neighborhoods near Washington Square Park.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The new task force is being launched as part of the Adams administration\u2019s \u201ccommunity link\u201d initiative \u2013 a collaborative, multi-agency response to chronic problems across the five boroughs.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew Yorkers have a right to public order, safer streets, and cleaner parks, and this administration has fought for that right since day one, including in the Village,\u201d said\u00a0Mayor Adams.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur \u2018Community Link\u2019 program has already made transformative improvements in neighborhoods around New York City, and the new \u2018Village Interagency Task Force\u2019 will, once again, bring together law enforcement, elected officials, and community and business leaders to effectively address public safety and quality-of-life issues in Greenwich Village and the surrounding area. We will continue to work to keep this neighborhood the dynamic and welcoming destination it deserves to be as we improve safety and quality of life across the five boroughs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPublic safety and community wellbeing takes all of us working hand-in-hand: law enforcement, city agencies, and community leaders,\u201d said\u00a0Manhattan DA Bragg.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is the vision of our interdisciplinary hubs, which are improving the quality of life for the New Yorkers we serve. I am proud to help bring this vision to the Village with the new \u2018Village Interagency Task Force.\u2019 I thank our city partners as well as the hub\u2019s dedicated co-chairs for their collaboration and hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey say it takes a village, and that\u2019s exactly what this partnership represents \u2014 everyone coming together with a shared commitment to making the Village safer and stronger,\u201d said\u00a0Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are now all at one table, looking at the same map at the same time, and taking concrete steps together to address the community\u2019s concerns in the most strategic and effective way possible. I want to thank our project manager, Jessica Cruz, for her leadership on this initiative, and thank you to all of our partners who have rolled up their sleeves to deliver real, lasting results for this neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe deeply appreciate Mayor Adams and District Attorney Bragg for taking decisive action to address the substance-use, quality-of-life, and mental-health crisis that we and many other New York City neighborhoods are experiencing,\u201d said\u00a0Scott Hobbs, co-chair, Village Interagency Task Force, and executive director, Village Alliance; Brian Maloney, co-chair, Village Interagency Task Force, and president, Village Neighborhood Action Group; and Vanessa Warren, co-chair, Village Interagency Task Force, and president, Washington Place Block Association.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur vibrant small business community is also feeling the effects of lawlessness and criminal activity in their stores, with rampant theft and staff harassment. They are eager for real solutions. The formation of the \u2018Village Interagency Task Force\u2019 is a crucial step toward restoring public safety, cleanliness, confidence, and vibrancy of our community. We’re already noticing some important changes and look forward to continued progress.\u201d<\/p>\n

The task force includes community partners from New York University (NYU), New York City Community Board 2, the Washington Square Park Conservancy, and the New York City Police Department (NYPD) 6th Precinct Community Council. The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety will oversee and coordinate task force operations with participating agencies and partners.<\/p>\n

In May 2024, the city first began coordinating and delivering services in Washington Square Park to address the persistent public drug use, homelessness, and quality-of-life concerns in the area.<\/p>\n

In October 2024, Mayor Adams, the NYPD\u2019s 6th Precinct, and local community members engaged in a walking tour of Greenwich Village, including Washington Square Park and nearby streets, to examine conditions, which has continued to be a focus of the NYPD and all agencies operating in Community Link.<\/p>\n

The task force\u2019s initial area of focus will be an expanded area from West 3rd Street through West 9th Street between Washington Square Park and 6th Avenue, including the area surrounding the West 4th Washington Square Park subway station. Members of the task force will work to address a range of issues, including the use and sales of controlled substances, retail theft, necessary infrastructure upgrades, the mental health crisis, prohibited behavior in parks, and more.<\/p>\n

The coalition will meet twice each month to coordinate direct responses to these concerns and will deploy teams to conduct walkthroughs to observe issues in real time and speak with local community members on the ground. Since January 1, 2025, overall major crime in the 6th Precinct is down 23 percent, led by double digit declines in robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny, and grand larceny auto.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe NYPD is focused on addressing quality-of-life issues because they contribute to the sense of disorder that make New Yorkers feel unsafe,\u201d said\u00a0NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we understand that enforcement is only part of the solution \u2014 we need the expertise of city agencies and community leaders to tackle these issues from every angle. The Community Link initiative has been an effective program in areas across the city, and now, will help us make Greenwich Village look and feel safer for all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cImproving quality of life and addressing public safety concerns\u00a0requires\u00a0strong\u00a0collaboration between agencies, and this announcement reinforces our multi-agency\u00a0commitment to making the city more vibrant, livable, and thriving for\u00a0all New Yorkers,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0DHS Administrator Joslyn Carter.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince May, DHS outreach teams have been working alongside NYPD officers in a Community Link operation at Washington Square Park, engaging with individuals experiencing homelessness and achieving meaningful results by connecting\u00a0them\u00a0to critical services and support. We look forward to continuing this vital work and strengthening our partnerships to\u00a0ensure our most vulnerable neighbors can\u00a0regain stability and lead fulfilling lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNYU is thankful for\u00a0the grassroots organizing efforts of the\u00a0West Village\u00a0and Greenwich Village communities in the establishment of a\u00a0\u2018Village Interagency\u00a0Task Force\u2019 to address chronic and complex quality of life concerns in the Park and its surroundings,\u201d said\u00a0<\/strong>Linda Mills, president, NYU.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis interagency hub \u2014 composed of mayoral and city agency leaders, the Manhattan district attorney, social services groups, and local stakeholders \u2014 is a promising model for a coordinated\u00a0effort to understand and address the needs in the area, and to deliver tangible improvements.\u00a0As a neighbor\u00a0and major stakeholder in the success of this effort, we stand ready to partner with and\u00a0provide effective and sustainable resources\u00a0to improve quality of life for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWashington Square Park is a true cultural icon of New York City with a rich history of arts and activism, and is a meeting point for all New Yorkers and tourists from all over the world,\u201d said\u00a0New York City Councilmember Carlina Rivera.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a microcosm of the city, it is also a flash point for some the city\u2019s current struggles, including housing insecurity, substance abuse, and mental health. The Village Interagency Task Force is a community-centered and collaborative approach that will improve quality of life and public safety in the Greenwich Village neighborhood. I am proud to be part of this task force and commend Brian Maloney, Vanessa Warren, and Scott Hobbs for volunteering their time and efforts to improve our community. Thank you to District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Mayor Eric Adams, and Deputy Mayor Chauncey Parker for organizing this important initiative.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTime and again, we\u2019ve seen that a multi-agency approach is the most effective for neighborhood public safety and quality-of-life improvements, said\u00a0Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking across agencies and with local partners consistently delivers the best results. I\u2019m hopeful that the \u2018Village Interagency Task Force\u2019 will resolve chronic issues near Washington Square Park, and I\u2019m grateful to DA Bragg and Mayor Adams for taking action on these longstanding concerns.\u201d<\/p>\n

DOHMH has been working closely with community partners and service providers to engage New Yorkers in the area who are struggling with substance use disorder, by connecting them to care and resources to lead a healthy life.<\/p>\n

Additionally, DHS outreach teams have participated in a joint Community Link operation with NYPD officers in Washington Square Park since May of 2024, engaging daily with individuals experiencing homelessness.<\/p>\n

In that time, outreach efforts have resulted in 2,692 engagements and 81 individuals placed in DHS beds. In late January 2025, the joint Community Link outreach operation was expanded to additional locations in the West Village Hub outside of Washington Square Park, which resulted in 19 engagements and four homeless individuals placed in DHS beds. DHS non-profit contract provider Manhattan Outreach Consortium operates in the West Village neighborhood daily, ensuring there is sustained outreach by DHS.<\/p>\n

The announcement adds the Village Interagency Task Force to Mayor Adams\u2019 Community Link initiative \u2014 launched in 2023 to bring together various city departments and agencies to collaborate with local communities and business leaders as they address complex and often chronic community complaints that require a multi-agency response.\u00a0Since its inception, Community Link has already convened five community improvement coalitions throughout the five boroughs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEWYORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. announced the launch of the \u201cVillage Interagency Task Force,\u201d a new multi-agency quality-of-life improvement hub that will bring together law enforcement, elected officials, and community and business leaders to address public safety and quality-of-life issues in the Greenwich Village and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":36192,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1469,31,1378],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-york","category-news","category-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36191"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36193,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36191\/revisions\/36193"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}