Some Bronx residents did double-takes as they passed Roberto Clemente Plaza in the South Bronx on a recent afternoon and didn’t see the used needles and litter they were used to.
The plaza, part of a shopping district known as the Hub, has become a hangout for homeless New Yorkers and a hot spot for open-air drug use since it opened in 2018, according to locals. Mayor Eric Adams has promised a multiagency response to clean up the plaza and the Hub more broadly, which centers around the intersection of East 149th Street at Third, Willis and Melrose avenues.
While some local business owners and residents say the city’s efforts are long overdue, many are skeptical they will lead to long-term change, as opposed to just shuffling people around…