New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has taken responsibility for a series of blunders surrounding warming buses intended to help homeless New Yorkers cope with the frigid temperatures, which have claimed at least 17 lives.
The mayor acknowledged that a breakdown in communication had occurred between officials overseeing the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in Manhattan and those directing homeless individuals to two warming buses parked outside. Unfortunately, these buses were often difficult to find due to inadequate signage, exacerbating the issue.
Mamdani has vowed to rectify this situation by ensuring that areas with warming buses have clear and additional signs to guide people to these facilities. This move comes as civil rights attorney Norman Siegel expressed relief that the mayor recognizes the mistakes made and is willing to correct them.
Siegel, who leads a volunteer group advocating for homeless individuals, had previously alerted several employees at the ferry terminal about the availability of warming buses and urged them to spread the word. However, officials often instructed homeless people to leave the waiting area after several hours, leaving many vulnerable to harsh weather conditions.
The attorney likened the situation to a classic case of "the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing." Despite this, Siegel's team successfully convinced at least six individuals to take shelter in one of the warming buses, which had limited seating capacity. He plans to revisit the ferry terminal again on Thursday night to continue helping those in need.
The city has deployed a fleet of 20 warming buses across New York City, but their locations are often unclear due to inadequate signage. As the situation remains dire, it is clear that more needs to be done to ensure that these buses are accessible and well-promoted to those who rely on them for survival.
The mayor acknowledged that a breakdown in communication had occurred between officials overseeing the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in Manhattan and those directing homeless individuals to two warming buses parked outside. Unfortunately, these buses were often difficult to find due to inadequate signage, exacerbating the issue.
Mamdani has vowed to rectify this situation by ensuring that areas with warming buses have clear and additional signs to guide people to these facilities. This move comes as civil rights attorney Norman Siegel expressed relief that the mayor recognizes the mistakes made and is willing to correct them.
Siegel, who leads a volunteer group advocating for homeless individuals, had previously alerted several employees at the ferry terminal about the availability of warming buses and urged them to spread the word. However, officials often instructed homeless people to leave the waiting area after several hours, leaving many vulnerable to harsh weather conditions.
The attorney likened the situation to a classic case of "the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing." Despite this, Siegel's team successfully convinced at least six individuals to take shelter in one of the warming buses, which had limited seating capacity. He plans to revisit the ferry terminal again on Thursday night to continue helping those in need.
The city has deployed a fleet of 20 warming buses across New York City, but their locations are often unclear due to inadequate signage. As the situation remains dire, it is clear that more needs to be done to ensure that these buses are accessible and well-promoted to those who rely on them for survival.
Like, come on, make sure the info gets from ferry terminal to warming bus people! 
it's a classic case of miscommunication and I'm actually kinda impressed that Siegel was able to get 6 people into one of those buses despite all the red tape 
hopefully they can get those signs fixed ASAP so ppl don't have to suffer in the cold
I think this whole warming bus debacle just highlights how much we're all missing the ball when it comes to supporting our most vulnerable citizens. It's like, come on guys, a little signage wouldn't kill anyone! 
. I mean, he's acknowledging the communication breakdown, but isn't that just a bit obvious? Like, didn't we all see it coming? 
. I mean, what if the signs aren't up in time or something? That would just be a total fail 
.
. I mean, if Norman Siegel's team was able to get people into those warming buses despite all the obstacles, that's pretty impressive 
.
. Part of me is like "yeah, good for you, Mayor Mamdani!", but another part of me is all like "wait and see, dude..." 
like, have you tried that new ramen place downtown? I mean, it's not fancy or anything but their tonkotsu is TO DIE FOR! 
anyway, back to NYC... I heard they're having some issues with the warming buses and I'm like, what's wrong with just putting up a big sign that says "WARM BUSES HERE" 
? And don't even get me started on how hard it is to find them sometimes... my friend's cousin works at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and she said they have to go through so many hoops to get directions to those buses. Like, why can't they just make it easy peasy?! 
!!! how can people die like that? 17 lives lost 
my heart goes out to all the homeless folks struggling in NYC 
we need more warming buses ASAP 
and better signage too, can you imagine not knowing where they are?! 
The situation with the warming buses in NYC is really concerning 
. It's unacceptable that officials didn't get it right from the start - no clear signage at key locations like ferry terminals is just a recipe for disaster 
. It's also worrying that some people were being told to leave the waiting area after just a few hours - what if they couldn't find another spot? 
.
.
The city needs to get their act together when it comes to helping homeless people survive the cold weather. It's not rocket science, folks! 
They just need to make sure those buses are easily accessible and visible to everyone in need. I mean, come on, 20 buses deployed across the city with questionable signage? 
We need to see more action from our leaders, not just lip service. 
hopefully more ppl will get involved to help out too 
! And yeah, the city needs to get those signs up ASAP 
... it's just basic human decency 
I mean, come on, we're talking about people's lives here. It's not just about being able to find a bus, it's about finding one that can actually help someone survive the night.
. And I agree with him – more needs to be done to make sure these buses are accessible and promoted to those who need them most. It's just basic human decency, right? We should be able to rely on our system to get us through the tough times, not have to fight for it.
. We can't keep relying on Band-Aids when people are literally freezing to death outside. It's time for a more systemic solution that actually works 
. Like, can't they see how hard ppl struggling with homelessness r? 
It's not just about the buses, it's about visibility 
and clear info 
. I mean, who wouldn't wanna help ppl struggling in the cold 
? It's like, basic human decency 
.
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. It's like the city is just dropping off the ball on this one... 
.
. But hey, at least the mayor's taking responsibility for the mess. And kudos to this civil rights attorney guy, Norman Siegel – sounds like he's on a mission to help those in need 
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. We need to get these buses out there and make sure people know about them ASAP 
. Come on, NYC! Get it together! 
And now the mayor is saying sorry and trying to fix it, which is cool, I guess 
It feels like they're just kinda... winging it 
at this point. We need better signs and more transparency so these buses don't get left behind