Lessons from recent New York City history for Mayor Mamdani
The trial for Randy Rodriguez Santos, the man accused of murdering four unhoused New Yorkers in 2019, is underway. This case is horrific, but the violent death of people living on the streets is unsurprising. It happens all too frequently.
The danger of being unsheltered has been compounded recently by the deep winter freeze. As many as 16 New Yorkers (as of this writing) have died as a result of the extreme cold. While we don’t know their living situations, it’s reasonable to assume that at least some were unhoused.
