Exclusive | Public urination, drug use, other NYC quality-of-life complaints are surging and will only get worse under Mamdani: critics

The Big Apple is experiencing a surge in quality‑of‑life complaints, a trend the post‑mortem highlights as likely to worsen under the new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, according to critics quoted by The Post.

Even as the NYPD proclaims a historic drop in serious crime, the city’s 311 and 911 records this year reveal sharp increases in every category of neighborhood nuisance.

Incidents such as public urination, drug use, excessive noise, double parking and other irritants that drive New Yorkers mad have climbed by double digits.

Between January 1 and December 7, NYPD compstat data show that complaints about public urination jumped 20 %, drug use 16 %, public drinking 10 %, noise 15 %, and double parking 11 %.

Only a few categories saw improvements: graffiti reports fell 22 % and abandoned‑car complaints slipped 3 %.

While outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD commander, had set up “quality‑of‑life” task forces earlier this year, the incoming socialist mayor intends to shift the focus of policing.

Mamdani’s ambitious vision for the city’s future includes stopping the removal of homeless encampments, creating a $1.1 billion Department of Community Safety staffed by civilians to handle mental‑health calls instead of officers, and launching a free, citywide bus system to curb car traffic and noise.

“It’s a recipe for disaster,” critics warned.

“Quality of life in this city is in free fall and the numbers prove it,” said City Councilmember Robert Holden (D‑Queens).

“With Mamdani coming in after cheering on tent cities and pushing the same radical ideas that helped create this mess, things are not going to improve, and the city is going to keep burning.”

Professor Eugene O’Donnell of John Jay College of Criminal Justice argues the official figures understate how many New Yorkers feel aggrieved, noting that many may feel their frustrations are ignored.

“It’s even more troubling that the numbers are going up in an environment in which people have been actively discouraged from making complaints,” the former cop and prosecutor added.

O’Donnell said it’s clear the city’s overall living conditions will deteriorate further under Mamdani’s leadership, pointing out that “[Mamdani] has no faith in the police; he’s made that clear.”

“Is he going to encourage New Yorkers to report quality‑of‑life violations?… I haven’t seen any evidence he believes these are actually problems,” he added.

Average residents are asking the same questions.

“More urination, more litter,” fumed Victoria DeLuca, 56, while selling scarves at an Upper East Side boutique this week. “I just don’t know if this is ever going to get controlled. We’re going to turn into California or Philadelphia.”

Kenneth French, a staffer at NYU, reflected on how the city felt safe when he first moved here in 2005 but no longer does.

He recounted an attack he and his husband endured on the subway at the hands of a youth group, and even his dogs received threats.

“My dogs have gotten high from eating pot. I had to take them to the emergency room,” he said.

From 2018 through last year, quality‑of‑life complaints nearly doubled, prompting Adams and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch in April to launch dedicated “Q” teams.

Since then, the NYPD reports it has answered 531,000 311 calls—a 9 % increase from the previous year—and shortened non‑emergency response times by about 20 minutes.

Tisch has pushed back on claims that these units are a modern version of the “broken windows” policing tactics championed in the 1990s by then‑NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton and Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

That policy is widely credited with cutting serious crime by first addressing low‑level offenses such as graffiti, yet it was later criticized for disproportionately targeting Black and Hispanic neighborhoods.

Adams told The Post he believes the uptick in complaints is a byproduct of the city’s crime‑fighting successes.

“When you bring down serious violent crimes, it gives people the opportunity to talk about other issues that are important to them,” Adams said, his term ending on December 31.

“Now people are saying, ‘Hey, I want to deal with this noise in my community. I want to deal with this illegal dumping in my community.’ Because we’ve dealt with the most important thing, and that’s making people feel safe in their communities.”

“We are hopeful that the next administration listens to New Yorkers and continues these important quality‑of‑life initiatives over the next four years,” he added.

Mamdani’s representatives did not reply to requests for comment.