A Manhattan church was forced to take action after homeless people defecated and left needles on its front steps.
The 100-member Trinity Presbyterian Church is in Midtown, an area normally bustling with business and tourist activity, but it has become a haven for drug users as the city experiences surges in gun violence and homelessness.
“These people would come and crap all over the stairs!” an angry member of the church told the 360aproko news.
The superintendent in charge of the church also has become a security guard and stands watch for up to 10 hours a day. He said the front door has to remain locked even during Sunday services, and attendees have to enter at the side.
“I don’t open it up anymore,” he said about the front entrance. “They were throwing syringes in there, smoking pot on the steps.”
Lawrence Jones documented the same thing happening in other parts of the Big Apple since the coronavirus pandemic began and the city has been on lockdowns.
“I have seen so many drug deals go down,” an Upper West Side resident told Jones. “I don’t want those days to come back.”
Many residents blame Mayor Bill de Blasio for his “defund the police” message and for disbanding the anti-crime units.
