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-Short Attention Span Theater-

Greenwich Village isn't so freewheelin' anymore

2025-04-13

[NYPOST] The bohemian Mecca made famous for its anything-goes attitude, counterculture musical scene and clashes with police is begging for law enforcement, a shocking new survey found.

The Sixth Precinct Community Council polled 600 neighborhood residents and found 487 of them — 83% — want more cops on the streets.

And 74% of Villagers said the Empire State needed stronger prosecution for drug dealing, while 80% thought New York needed stricter bail laws, according to the first-of-its-kind survey, conducted in February and March.

''The village is frequently criticized for being liberal — but clearly the numbers here indicate we're not happy,'' said precinct council member Steve Zammarchi.

No place is more emblematic of the decline than Washington Square Park — where Bob Dylan used to sing songs about social injustice. Despite falling citywide crime, the green space continues to be overrun by junkies and dealers — and repeat offenders are on a loop — arrested, released and back by lunchtime, neighbors said.

''Enough is enough,'' said Village-raised Trevor Sumner, president of the Washington Square Association. ''Liberalism is being challenged and people are realizing that our attempts to honor some ideals are leading to worst outcomes.''

Sumner says he would have described himself as ''quite liberal'' up until two years ago, but his personal views shifted when conditions in the park took a nosedive after the pandemic.

But it's not just in the park. The Sixth Precinct routinely posts on X about nabbing drug dealers plying their trade in broad daylight on Sixth Avenue — something that would have been unimaginable only a few years back.

''It's very hard for me to unsee the realities of the outcomes on the streets. It's shifted how almost everyone I know who's active in the community is thinking about voting,'' he said, blaming Albany's bail reform and discovery changes for the unending cycle of lawlessness.

Major felonies have surged over pre-pandemic levels, with 1,789 reported in 2024, up from 1,534 in 2019 — a 16% climb. So far this year, felonies are down 21%, compared to last year.

The conservative shift is showing up in voting records too, a Post analysis found. Nearly 13% of voters in the neighborhood backed President Trump in 2024, up from the 8% of 2020 supporters, according to Board of Elections data.

Eli Klein, who runs an art gallery in Greenwich Village, grew up in a very prominent liberal family — his mother Janet Benshoof was the founder of the Center for Reproductive Rights and a champion of the left. But the former lifelong Democrat said the party abandoned them.

''The left has gotten more extreme as opposed to us really going the other way. There's a lot of recidivist criminals on the streets. The progressives push really soft on crime stuff. It's hard to believe that a huge section of our population wants career criminals on the streets,'' he said.

Longtime village residents say the free-love energy of the past has morphed into something less poetic.

''There's a lot more crazies, unstable people. It's just an eyesore, it's disconcerting,'' said Philip Spinelli, 75, who's lived on Christopher Street since the 1960s.

Back then, they say, they were protesting for a cause. Now, not so much.

''We have literal zombies walking through the streets and framing it as somehow these reforms have given them some kind of dignity — this is not dignity,'' said Sumner.

The NYPD did not return The Post's request for comment.

Posted by:Fred

#2 I hung out in the village way back when, mostly at the night owl cafe for the music of John Sebastion and Zal Yanovski etc. (AKA lovin' Spoonful) It was a real laid back kind of place I still miss the memories. There were druggies but they were tolerated and pitied mostly.

Posted by: alanc 2025-04-13 17:23

#1 "We have literal zombies walking through the streets and framing it as somehow these reforms have given them some kind of dignity — this is not dignity," said Sumner.

I used to be liberal when it came to drugs. But even that liberalism included the idea of "Do what you want in private." The idea that people could become human garbage in public was never part of the equation.

Posted by: Crusader 2025-04-13 00:48

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