NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has taken responsibility for a miscommunication that led to a lack of awareness about warming buses set up to provide shelter from the cold for homeless people, with at least 17 deaths attributed to the harsh weather.
The city's warming bus initiative aimed to provide a safe haven for those struggling on the streets, but reports emerged of confusion and inadequate signage, leaving many unaware of their existence. Officials overseeing the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in Manhattan had no knowledge of directing homeless individuals to these buses, despite them being located outside the terminal and lacking clear signs.
Mayor Mamdani acknowledged that he bears the responsibility for this breakdown, stating it's never acceptable to pass blame onto others. He has assured that areas with warming buses will now have additional and clearer signage, a critical step in addressing concerns.
Civil rights attorney Norman Siegel welcomed the mayor's statement, saying he's pleased that some mistakes were recognized and corrected. During an outreach effort at the ferry terminal last week, Siegel informed several employees about the warming buses and urged them to spread the word, but officials had previously ordered homeless people to leave after hours.
Siegel noted that a communication breakdown often occurs when different departments lack awareness of one another's efforts. His volunteer group worked with several individuals who were persuaded to seek shelter in one of the warming buses, which had limited capacity. The team plans to return to the ferry terminal on Thursday night to continue their work.
The city has deployed 20 warming buses across the city, but concerns remain about visibility and accessibility. Siegel's organization regularly assists homeless individuals at various locations in Manhattan and is prepared to collaborate with the mayor to address this pressing issue.
The city's warming bus initiative aimed to provide a safe haven for those struggling on the streets, but reports emerged of confusion and inadequate signage, leaving many unaware of their existence. Officials overseeing the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in Manhattan had no knowledge of directing homeless individuals to these buses, despite them being located outside the terminal and lacking clear signs.
Mayor Mamdani acknowledged that he bears the responsibility for this breakdown, stating it's never acceptable to pass blame onto others. He has assured that areas with warming buses will now have additional and clearer signage, a critical step in addressing concerns.
Civil rights attorney Norman Siegel welcomed the mayor's statement, saying he's pleased that some mistakes were recognized and corrected. During an outreach effort at the ferry terminal last week, Siegel informed several employees about the warming buses and urged them to spread the word, but officials had previously ordered homeless people to leave after hours.
Siegel noted that a communication breakdown often occurs when different departments lack awareness of one another's efforts. His volunteer group worked with several individuals who were persuaded to seek shelter in one of the warming buses, which had limited capacity. The team plans to return to the ferry terminal on Thursday night to continue their work.
The city has deployed 20 warming buses across the city, but concerns remain about visibility and accessibility. Siegel's organization regularly assists homeless individuals at various locations in Manhattan and is prepared to collaborate with the mayor to address this pressing issue.
. If you want to make a good first impression, start with a good last impression – that's usually your last chance to make it right 
. This incident could have been much more deadly if they had done their job properly 
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. Like, who's on top of things around here? The mayor says he's takin' responsibility, but what really went down? Was there a cover-up? I mean, warming buses are set up outside the ferry terminal and no one knows about 'em? That's some weird stuff right there 
. And then they're all like "oh, we'll just add more signs" 
. Like, that's not gonna cut it. They need to figure out why this happened in the first place. I'm thinkin' maybe someone's tryin' to keep things under wraps or somethin'. The mayor's all about bein' transparent, but we'll see how it plays out 
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cant believe they didnt have proper signage, its like they expected ppl to just magically know where to find these buses lol anyway, glad mayor mamdani took responsibility and acknowledged his team needs a serious revamp, like how r they gonna keep track of all these buses if they dont even no whats goin on at the ferry terminal? 
. The fact that officials didn't even know about these buses outside the ferry terminal is insane! Mayor Mamdani taking responsibility for this mistake is a huge step forward and I hope more changes are made ASAP 
. We need better signage and awareness so people know where to find help when they need it most.
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. Seriously though, can't we just get the basics right? Warming buses for the homeless aren't exactly rocket science, but apparently, it's too hard to tell people where they are located 
. Glad someone's taking responsibility and acknowledging the mistake, but 17 deaths is still a whole lotta tragic... can we do better next time? And btw, who orders people to leave warming buses after hours? Like, what even is that?
. gotta give props to Mayor Mamdani for owning up to his share of responsibility 
and Norman Siegel for keeping at it 
. can't stress enough how important it is for all departments to be on the same page 
. and 17 deaths are just heartbreaking 
... lets hope we can do better 
. I don't know what department was in charge of this and when they got informed, but it's clear they were clueless 
. It's just basic human decency to make sure people have access to resources when they need them most 
... like, what's the point of having a warming bus initiative if people don't know where to find them? 
... but what about those who can't read or don't have access to a phone? We need to think bigger than just signage here. 
. I remember last year when I was volunteering at a soup kitchen in Manhattan, we had to scramble to find ways to keep our homeless friends warm, and it breaks my heart that this happened again 
. It makes sense that they needed clearer signage and better awareness 
... his volunteer group really made a difference in getting people to use those warming buses 
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, but it's good that he's taking responsibility for the miscommunication. 17 deaths is way too many people who lost their lives because they didn't know about those warming buses. I feel bad for all the homeless people out there who are struggling to survive in this harsh weather. 
. It's not just about visibility though, it's also about accessibility - can they actually get on these buses with all their stuff? 
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