The scene stretches for blocks, with tents, mattresses, piles of clothing and makeshift shelters occupying portions of the area from West 34th Street north toward West 49th Street.
City workers have begun removing some of the debris.
But the camp is far from gone.
Seven Days Came and Went
Mamdani’s policy gives outreach workers and social-service teams seven days to persuade homeless New Yorkers living in sidewalk encampments to voluntarily relocate.
After that period, police enforcement can begin.
Monday marked the end of that seven-day window for the West Side encampment.
Yet reporters who visited the neighborhood found many tents and improvised shelters still standing around West 44th, West 47th and West 49th streets between 11th and 12th avenues.
Sanitation workers were seen tossing mattresses, clothing and other abandoned property into garbage trucks while NYPD officers stood nearby.
Only portions of the sprawling camp appeared to have been cleared.
One makeshift structure near the Intrepid Museum was among those removed.
For residents and business owners who have complained about conditions in the neighborhood, however, the slow pace is unlikely to end the controversy.
Homeless Resident Praises Mamdani
At least one person living in the encampment welcomed Mamdani’s softer approach.
Liam, a 40-year-old camp resident, told the Post that he believes the mayor is treating homeless people as individuals rather than simply viewing them as a problem to be removed.
“[Mamdani] has more of the human aspect,” Liam said. “He’s taking into account people, not just clumping everyone together.”
He added, “I feel like he’s saying, ‘Would I be happy with this if it’s me on the street?’”
That philosophy may appeal to advocates who have long criticized aggressive encampment sweeps.
But it also puts Mamdani in a difficult position.
His administration must balance the interests of homeless New Yorkers with those of residents, businesses and millions of visitors who expect city sidewalks and public spaces to remain accessible and safe.
And the West Side encampment is hardly hidden from public view.
Residents Have Raised Serious Concerns
The Post previously reported allegations of drug activity, prostitution and suspected stolen merchandise being kept in portions of the camp.
People who live and work nearby have also complained about trash and deteriorating conditions surrounding the tents.
Those complaints raise a straightforward question for City Hall: How long does outreach continue before enforcement begins?
Mamdani has defended giving social workers time to intervene before police take action.
But once the seven-day period expired, the expected enforcement push did not immediately materialize on a scale sufficient to clear the sprawling encampment.
City Hall reportedly did not answer the Post’s questions about where the cleanup effort stood.
Mamdani said last week that the city intended to deal with the camps, but he did not establish a firm date for when the West Side operation would actually be completed.
That leaves New Yorkers watching to see whether the seven-day rule represents a genuine deadline or merely the beginning of another extended process.
Another Controversy Hits City Hall
The encampment dispute comes as Mamdani’s administration faces scrutiny on another front.
Reports earlier this month said the State Department blocked a proposed meeting involving Ana María Archila, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, and Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir-Saeid Iravani.
The planned meeting was canceled amid rapidly escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
President Donald Trump has meanwhile dramatically intensified economic pressure on Iran, announcing what he described as a worldwide campaign to financially isolate the regime.
“Today, I am announcing the MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale,” he continued.
The White House has warned foreign governments against helping Tehran evade the new economic pressure.
For Mamdani, however, the most immediate political problem may be much closer to home.
His administration campaigned on ambitious promises about affordability, government services and a different approach to homelessness.
The West Side is now providing an early glimpse of what happens when those promises collide with the realities of governing America’s largest city.
Residents were told homeless outreach teams would get seven days.
Those seven days are over.
The tents are still there.
