New York City Mayor Eric Adams has launched a new initiative to tackle crime stemming from homeless people with untreated mental health problems.
As the "New York Times" reports, Adams announced on Tuesday in City Hall, the town hall of the metropolis, that he would "ban people with serious, untreated mental illnesses from the city's streets and subways".
According to this, the mayor, who declared the clearing of homeless camps as one of his most important tasks when he took office in January of this year, also wanted to admit people against their will.
This involuntary admission is a "moral obligation" to protect affected people from themselves, Adams said, according to the report.
"The common misconception that we can't provide involuntary assistance unless the person is violent persists," Adams said.
Apparently, the Democrat's move comes at a moment that is already very controversial.
In the USA there is increasing discussion about increasing crime and how the police deal with mentally unstable people.
Adams recently said that a rise in crime on the New York City subway was due to this group of homeless people.
According to critics, however, it is not clear who exactly is affected by Adam's advance.
According to the New York Times, 3,400 people were living on the streets and in the subway last January.
It is estimated that hundreds of them are mentally ill.
Under existing state law, both police and medical personnel can authorize the involuntary hospitalization of individuals whose behavior poses a "serious danger" to themselves or others, the newspaper writes.
Homeless people with serious mental illnesses are often admitted to hospitals only to be released a few days later once their condition has improved.