The people of The Bronx have long been sounding the alarm about open-air drug markets in the Hub of the South Bronx, only to see our concerns fall largely on deaf ears.
If I were elected governor of New York, on Day 1, I would direct the State Police to partner with the NYPD to dismantle every open-air drug market in the city .
It would send a message that New York is no longer in the business of accepting the unacceptable.
An open-air drug market is more than a broken window.
It is a window into a broken system that is fundamentally failing the people of New York where it matters most: on the core government functions of public safety and public health.
There is nothing compassionate or progressive about allowing those with severe mental illness and chemical addiction to languish on the streets of New York, posing a threat not only to themselves but also to those around them.