Business owners and residents along Midtown Manhattan’s “Strip of Despair” are frequently robbed and harassed by drug-addled individuals, leading them to stop resisting or calling the police for help. The area is also known as the “8th Avenue Corridor,” with locals describing it as dangerous due to the open use of hard drugs and emotionally disturbed people wandering the streets screaming at passersby. Recent data from the NYPD shows a mixed bag of progress for the Midtown South Precinct, with some categories seeing decreases while others see increases. Public defecation and drug use escalating into violence are common sights in the area. Locals believe that troublemakers are drawn to the neighborhood by a concentration of homeless shelters and drug addiction treatment clinics in the area. Despite Mayor Eric Adams’ claims that things are improving, residents argue that the police never show up when they call for help.
