NYC’s Mental Health Crisis: Increased Involuntary Removals Amid Rising Violence

Police Response to Mental Health Crisis

In January 2022, police responded to a call on the Upper West Side regarding Alex Brass, who was believed to be suicidal. They took him to the hospital against his will, where he spent three weeks. Brass expressed feeling dehumanized and distrustful of the medical system.

Key Points:

• The Adams administration aims to increase the number of people removed involuntarily from streets and subways to tackle a mental health crisis in New York City.
• This initiative follows serious incidents, including recent stabbings attributed to a homeless man named Ramon Rivera.
• The NYPD initiated an average of 126 involuntary removals each week from January to October.

The city has not disclosed how many individuals were removed multiple times within that period. They have identified lists of individuals who are chronically homeless with severe mental illness, but the suspect in the stabbings was not on those lists. The city lacks full statistics on all forced removals.

Brian Stettin, a senior adviser for the mayor, stated that the city faces a crisis involving individuals with severe mental illness known to the mental health and criminal justice systems. Efforts are underway to push legislation in Albany that would expand the criteria for involuntary hospitalization. This would now include those unable to care for basic needs, in addition to posing imminent danger to themselves or others.