Mayor Eric Adams defended broadening the city’s ability to involuntarily commit acutely mentally ill homeless New Yorkers after days of criticism, claiming his policy change had sparked “creative energy” and new ideas in approaching mental health.
Detractors of Adams’ plan, which he announced last Tuesday, argue there aren’t enough hospital beds set aside for psychiatric patients to accommodate the proposal and that this shortage of beds will create a revolving door where police detain the mentally ill and bring them to hospitals for care, only to see them released without their problems being fully addressed.
On Monday, Adams pushed back on that contention, saying his announcement has produced “creative energy” that’s led to new ideas flowing to City Hall from around the country. Adams’ new policy seeks to clarify a state law that allows the government to involuntarily remove from public mentally ill people who are a potential threat to themselves or others.
