Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYPD Crackdown On Subway Panhandlers Defies "Common Sense"
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 2, 2013
Modified Dec 2, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Dec 2, 2013
Modified Dec 2, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Just a few weeks ago, New York City was taking "an express train—to the bad old days." According to an October 27, 2013 article in the Post, taking a trip on the subway was to brave a gauntlet of tattered moochers, a tidal wave of Takers whose powerful stench is matched by a brazen desire to create "an atmosphere of fear." So at the urging of the tabloid, the NYPD began arresting these sinister supplicants—71 of them in just two weeks alone—only to find that detaining New York City's most vulnerable citizens is a superb waste of time and money.
“There are more important things we have to worry about, like people becoming the victim of a crime,” a police source told the Post in a December 2, 2013 story. “People are getting thrown onto subway tracks, having their iPhones and iPads snatched. The last thing we’re worried about is a man begging for a nickel on the holidays. It’s common sense.”
One of the 71 arrestees reportedly had 43 cents to his name when he was taken into custody.
Homelessness in New York City is at a record high, taxpayers shell out hundreds of millions of dollars to pay slum lords to keep human beings in a state of limbo, the need for affordable housing has never been greater, but let's focus police manpower on that poor person with a bunch of plastic bags who dares to live among us.
Tagged
beggars
homelessness epidemic
panhandlers
subway
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
5 men charged with trespassing in 2 Manhattan manhole cases
Two people who were found soaking wet and smelling of sewage say they went underground to look for jewelry, according to police and a criminal complaint.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 23, 2026 at 7:49 p.m. ET
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
News
6-year-old girl breaks leg after getting hit by falling bricks in Queens
The girl was walking with her mother in Maspeth on Thursday. The Department of Buildings cited the owner of a garage for “failure to maintain” it.
By
Charles Lane
Mamdani extends ban on permits for new street fairs due to NYPD overtime
By
Carol Chen
Inside the Midtown Bus Terminal rebuild: Decks over Lincoln Tunnel approach, a new park
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Black couple seeking Queens apartment sues over racist text from broker
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .