New York City is deploying a multi-agency initiative to tackle quality of life and public safety concerns in Greenwich Village, the West Village, and near Washington Square Park. Mayor Eric Adams and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. on Thursday launched the “Village Interagency Task Force” to address issues like open drug use and sales, retail theft, and other quality of life concerns from West 3rd to West 9th Street, between Washington Square Park and 6th Avenue, including the area around the West 4th Street Washington Square subway station.
The coalition will meet twice a month to coordinate responses to community concerns, including infrastructure upgrades, the mental health crisis, illicit park activity, and more. Task force teams will conduct walkthroughs and observe issues firsthand while engaging with community members
“Public safety and community wellbeing takes all of us working hand-in-hand: law enforcement, city agencies, and community leaders,” Bragg said. “That 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 ‘Village Interagency Task Force.’”
The new taskforce falls under Adams’ “Community Link” initiative, which brings together city departments and agencies with community and business leaders to confront difficult issues like public safety and quality of life concerns.
The city first took action in May to address ongoing public drug use, homelessness, and other quality-of-life concerns in the area. In October, Mayor Adams, the NYPD’s 6th Precinct, and local residents conducted a walking tour of Greenwich Village, including Washington Square Park and nearby streets, to observe conditions firsthand.
Overall major crime in the 6th Precinct is down by 23 percent since January 1, led by double digit declines in robbery, felony assault, burglary, grand larceny, and grand theft auto, according to a press release.
In August, the city launched the “14th Street Community Improvement Coalition,” another Community Link taskforce meant to address a variety of safety concerns along the East Village corridor, including theft, illegal vending, substance use, mental health crises, illegal cannabis shops, and more.
Other Community Link initiatives are currently in effect at 125th Street, the 110th Street Corridor in Midtown West, Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, and Melrose Avenue—also known as ‘The Hub’—in the South Bronx.
The initiative builds on the Adams administration’s efforts to engage local community members as volunteers to collaborate with city employees. This community-driven approach to public safety has resolved over 100 concerns in its first 100 days, tackling issues like sidewalk repaving, graffiti removal, and more.
“New 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,” Adams said.
“Our ‘Community Link’ program has already made transformative improvements in neighborhoods around New York City, and the new ‘Village Interagency Task Force’ 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.”
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