Socialist NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani was swept into office with barely 50 percent of the vote during the 2025 election on promises to make life essentially ‘free’ for most New Yorkers.
But it’s becoming clear that Mamdani’s promises were far easier than his ability to actually deliver on them, and New Yorkers—even supporters—are noticing.
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For instance, the blocks-long homeless encampment that has marred Manhattan’s West Side for weeks is still there, even after Mayor Mamdani’s seven-day deadline for tearing it down—drawing cheers from vagrants.
One of the sidewalk-squatting hobos thanked the lefty mayor Monday.
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“[Mamdani] has more of the human aspect,” Liam, 40, a homeless man from Washington state, told the New York Post this week. “He’s taking into the account people, not just clumping everyone together.”
“I feel like he’s saying, ‘Would I be happy with this if it’s me on the street?’ ” Liam added.
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No one at City Hall had anything to say about the ongoing situation when The Post inquired, the outlet said.
A visit by Post reporters on Monday found that much of the sprawling homeless encampment, stretching from West 34th Street to at least West 49th Street on Manhattan’s West Side, remained in place, proving that Mamdani never really had any intent on cleaning up the filth, because with socialism, chaos is the point.
Only a small number of the makeshift structures had been removed, including one located across from the Intrepid Museum.
Sanitation crews and a few police officers were observed cleaning portions of the encampment, but the work appeared to be progressing slowly.
The pace of the cleanup contrasts with Mamdani’s stated policy of giving homeless outreach and social service workers seven days to encourage people living in sidewalk encampments to relocate before the New York Police Department begins enforcement actions.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! Residents are furious as homeless encampments are SURGING in Ugandan Mayor Mamdani’s NYC, after he hindered police’s ability to clear them
“Streets along Manhattan’s west side are looking like SKID ROW thanks to Mamdani’s policy which BANS police from clearing… pic.twitter.com/lOlVqCFE6X
— Fitzgerald Kennedy John Jr. (@FitzgeraldJr17) July 23, 2026
Mamdani’s NYC homeless camp crackdown falters as meth-addicted trans vagrant rails against shelter ‘lockdown’ https://t.co/AJVjHqJC2v pic.twitter.com/SK1De47IPC
— New York Post (@nypost) July 23, 2026
The seven-day deadline passed Monday with only limited enforcement activity taking place.
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City sanitation workers were seen loading items, including clothing and mattresses, into garbage trucks while police officers monitored the cleanup.
Some people living in the encampment said their belongings had been removed.
However, many tents and makeshift shelters remained standing, including locations near West 44th, 47th, and 49th streets between 11th and 12th avenues, where several individuals were still present.
The Post first reported on the growing encampments earlier this month, alleging that drug activity and prostitution were occurring in at least one area and that stolen merchandise was being stored at others.
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Local residents and business owners have complained that the trash-filled encampments have created safety and quality-of-life concerns for both the neighborhood and tourists.
Critics have also argued that the NYPD was initially limited in its ability to intervene because of Mamdani’s approach to addressing the homeless crisis.
Last week, Mamdani said the city would take action to address the encampments but did not provide a specific timeline for when the effort would be completed.
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Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department blocked a planned meeting between a top Mamdani administration official and the terrorist regime of Iran.
The Mamdani official was initially scheduled to meet with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations before the Trump administration stepped in.
The report stated that Ana María Archila, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, had been scheduled to meet Tuesday morning with Amir-Saeid Iravani, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, at U.N. headquarters in New York.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
