Only one part of the Hochul-Adams plan to bolster subway safety has been implemented: more cops. Two officers were on the platform Michelle Go was pushed from, but they were not able to stop the tragedy, which advocates say underscores the need to do more.
Governor Kathy Hochul, with Mayor Eric Adams, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, and NY State Director of Operations Kathryn Garcia, at the Fulton Street Station on January 6, 2022Governor Kathy Hochul, with Mayor Eric Adams, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, and NY State Director of Operations Kathryn Garcia, at the Fulton Street Station on January 6, 2022More than a week before 40-year old Michelle Go wasin front a moving train at Times Square on Saturday, Gov.
Six officers were at the Times Square station during the time when Go was killed — including two on the same platform she was pushed from — but they were not able to stop the tragedy from unfolding. Advocates for those living in the subways and transit riders say the incident underscores the need for the kind of assistance to the homeless that Hochul promised, even though they cast doubts on the effectiveness of her plan.
“I'm expecting the first wave of those state sponsored professionals to be out by the end of this week or early next week," Lieber said. The city already has a contract with Bowery Residents’ Committee to handle outreach to people experiencing homelessness on the streets and subway. But Daglian said she rides the subway every day and can’t remember the last time she saw such an outreach team aiding people who could pose harm to themselves or others.the city’s oversight of its $88 million outreach contract with BRC, citing 6% of total costs that didn’t comply with contracted requirements.
Asked for further details about the SOS teams, James Plastiras, spokesman for the state Office of Mental Health, which will implement the program, said he was not able to respond to WNYC/Gothamist in time for publication. Those resources — like single-occupancy rooms, supportive housing for those with mental health and substance abuse issues, and ultimately permanent housing — are severely limited or too bureaucratically difficult for most unhoused people to access.