Tough love underground

Unlike the new mayor and newish governor, we took the subway to their joint press conference at the Fulton St. station downtown yesterday on how to better address homelessness in the system. We very much like what we heard. The city-owned, state-run subway needs cooperation at the highest levels, and that includes helping people trapped at the very bottom, sleeping on the trains and in the stations, which is no way for anyone to live.

A robust new effort from Gov. Hochul and the state to bolster homeless outreach and services is part of the plan, as are two significant changes how the NYPD will handle individuals sleeping on trains and platforms. Coming from ex-transit cop Eric Adams and new Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, the new direction seems better for the cops, the passengers and for the unfortunate souls straphangers step around.

Mayor Adams rightly wants cops to focus on subway crime like robberies and assaults and empower social service and mental health specialists to assist people in distress. Instead of a cop getting a homeless person up off the bench or the floor, the officer would call on a bolstered crew of outreach teams to do so. (Of course, there are times when a homeless person is creating a real public safety risk; that would still be cops’ responsibility.)

The other smart shift that Adams and Sewell are implementing is having non-transit cops on patrol always check on the subway stations in their sectors. More eyes and more uniforms are always welcome.

The system’s rules are clear: Lying down is not allowed nor are large wheeled carts. There is a onehour limit to remain in a station and all passengers must exit the train at the final stop.

If Manhattan offices are going to repopulate when the omicron wave crests as Adams understandably wants, trains must be safe and clean. And if the distraught, desperate, often drug-addicted and mentally ill individuals are ever going to get the help they need, they need attention and engagement, not malign neglect.