[a_c_s]

Statistically safe maybe, but speaking for Manhattan the streets have plenty of unsavory and seemingly-unsafe people around. I have a close friend who worked at an office a block away from a methadone clinic (in a busy part of midtown) and the clients would be hanging around the neighborhood propositioning people while the police did nothing. And this was before 2020.

The perception of safety is almost as important as safety itself. The visible, chronically homeless population is as visible and challenging for citizens to deal with as ever. Leaving these people to the streets is bad for everyone and definitely makes NYC feel much less safe than it might actually be.