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De Blasio Had Police Boot Homeless From Rail Station To Have A ‘Clean’ Press Event

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Anders Hagstrom Justice Reporter
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New York Mayor Bill de Blasio ordered police to kick homeless people out of two subway stations Sunday to make sure the stations “looked nice” during a press event.

De Blasio, a Democrat, planned the press event so he could call on Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo to fix the New York City subway system. The mayor rode the subway for four stops, speaking with camera-bearing reporters as police cleared out homeless beggars from the first and last stops, the New York Post reported Sunday.

“I wish he had the same attention to detail when he wasn’t on the subway. Too bad he doesn’t care about quality of life for all passengers and not just himself,” an NYPD source told the New York Post.

The mayor’s office gave New York’s finest until 11 a.m. Sunday to “make sure nobody’s hanging out” and to ensure the stations “looked nice,” according to another law enforcement source.

New Yorkers who frequent the stations were pleasantly surprised to find the stops devoid of vagabonds.

“I see a lot of homeless people in a week — up to 25. On average five a day. Today, I have seen only one,” a new kiosk manager told the New York Post.

De Blasio rode the subway with a gaggle of reporters, telling them that the subway system’s decrepit state was Cuomo’s fault.

“The governor should step up, say once again he’s responsible — because he seems to change that message every week or two, whether he’s responsible or not,” De Blasio said, according to The New York Times. “He’s responsible. It’s clear. Just take ownership and fix the problem.”

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman Joseph Lhota, a Republican, fired back, saying MTA is presenting a 30-day overhaul plan this week.

“The mayor’s comments today were completely disingenuous,” Lhota told the New York Times “What we need is leadership, not photo ops.”

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