NY Post: NYPD floods Washington Square Park with dozens of cops 24/7 to wipe out junkies, dealers — for good November 1, 2025 by Gabrielle Fahmy
It’s the ‘finest’ Washington Square Park has looked in a long time.
The NYPD flooded the Greenwich Village landmark with 68 additional cops Friday — in a 24/7 crackdown aimed at vanquishing junkies from the beleaguered space, which dealers and addicts alike turned into a veritable narcotics supercenter.
“My goal is to kick them out of the Sixth Precinct entirely,” the new commanding officer, Capt. Nicholas D. Minor, told a cheering crowd of Village residents. “Let’s get them out of there.”
Thirty police officers will now be patrolling the park on foot by day, during a first shift from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with another 30 coming in for an evening shift from 4pm to midnight. An additional eight cover a night shift from midnight to 8 a.m. — all drawn from other precincts.
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“It’s about damn time!” said Washington Square Association President Trevor Sumner. “For the first time in years, I’ve seen optimism among the residents.”“I think it’s wonderful news,” Lilian Migliorini, a Village resident, told The Post. “It’s a great, right step. But I think people need to be tempered with ‘okay, so how long do we have them for before they get pulled for something else.’”
I don’t know if the New York Post is the best barometer of what is actually happening at the park because they crave being inflammatory and click bait. Meanwhile, there is no ‘other’ more contemplative view presented in this story. Are homeless/unhoused people being looped in here too? I don’t know. But at least Trevor Sumner is happy.
I think it’s a good thing. I’m an artist in the park and I have been harassed regularly. It’s a common decency issue. These drugs bring unwanted and dangerous elements to this amazing park. Let the artists flourish there and keep it safe!
Thanks, Sharon, for sharing your experience and perspective. So sorry you’ve been harassed. One concern is that it goes too ‘far’ (feels like a bit of theater – why now?) but we’ll see. Thanks for your great artwork and presence in the park!
Cathryn