Mayor Eric Adams and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr.launched the new “Village Interagency Task Force” , a group of city and community agencies who will tackle quality of life issues near Washington Square Park.

Photo by Lloyd Mitchell.

Mayor Eric Adams and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg unveiled the newly formed “Village Interagency Task Force,” a bold initiative to tackle rampant drug use, homelessness and other societal woes in the Greenwich Village and West Village neighborhoods, including Washington Square Park.

The force will harness the collective power of more than ten city agencies and community partners to address chronic challenges ranging from drug use and homelessness to crime and public disorder. The Village Interagency Task Force is part of a larger “Community Link” initiative launched by the Adams administration, which aims to foster collaboration among various city departments to address pressing quality-of-life concerns across the five boroughs.

“This initiative marks a pivotal moment for our community,” Mayor Adams said during the unveiling in Washington Square Park. “New Yorkers have a right to public order, safer streets, and cleaner parks, and this administration has fought for that right since day one. With the Village Interagency Task Force, we’re implementing a stronger, more effective approach to safety and quality of life issues that have long burdened our vibrant community. We will work tirelessly to ensure this neighborhood remains a dynamic and welcoming destination.”

Bragg acknowledged the significance of this collective effort.

“Public safety and community wellbeing take all of us working hand-in-hand—law enforcement, city agencies, and community leaders,” Bragg said. “That is the vision of our interdisciplinary hubs, and I am proud to bring this vision into reality here in the Village. We are committed to bringing meaningful change to the lives of New Yorkers we serve.”

Several local leaders are leading this endeavor, including Scott Hobbs, co-chair of the Village Interagency Task Force and Executive Director of the Village Alliance, who emphasized the necessity of a united front in addressing pressing concerns.

“Our small business community is also being heavily impacted by lawlessness, with rampant theft and harassment becoming far too common. This task force is a crucial step toward restoring public safety and vibrancy to our community. We’ve already noticed substantial changes and look forward to continued progress,” Hobbs said. 

The task force, which includes representatives from local organizations, New York University, and a range of city agencies including the NYPD, Fire Department, and the Departments of Homeless Services and Health, will address issues such as the use and sale of controlled substances, retail theft, and mental health challenges.

“It takes a village,” Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker said. “Everyone is coming together with a shared commitment to making the village safer and stronger. We are at one table, taking concrete steps together to address the concerns of our community strategically and effectively.”

The initiative follows a series of public outreach efforts that began in May 2024, which involved collaborative operations by the NYPD and the Department of Homeless Services to address issues related to drug use and homelessness in Washington Square Park.

Since the implementation of these measures, there has been a reported 23% decrease in overall major crimes in the 6th Precinct.

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The presidential working group led by Hines is tasked with delivering a report that will “evaluate the potential creation and maintenance of a national digital asset stockpile and propose criteria for establishing such a stockpile” by late July.

“The first thing we have to do is get an accounting of what the government has,” Hines recently told the Wall Street Journal.

On Friday the industry participants in the summit are likely to probe the purpose of such a digital asset reserve if it were to expand beyond bitcoin, which is viewed widely as a store of value.

“With the strategic bitcoin reserve, it was always, we’re gonna buy bitcoin, we’re gonna hold it, and we’re gonna use it to pay down the debt,” said Boring, the CEO of a Washington-based crypto trade group.

“With the introduction of a strategic crypto reserve where you have many different types of cryptocurrencies, it kind of opens the question back up, of like, well, what are we accomplishing with this?” Boring added.

Another crucial topic will be the work being done on two pieces of legislation — one governing stablecoins and another setting overall regulation across the crypto market. These are currently working through the House and Senate.

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There was one legislative victory this week when the Senate voted to repeal a Biden-era rule stating that decentralized finance platforms, or DeFi, report customer information to the IRS.

Leinweber of MarketVector said of the summit that “it’s super important that these people meet. You didn’t have that last year.”

However, he is not sure it will meet the short-term expectations of crypto traders who want to see more movement.

“They can start the discussion,” Leinweber added. “They can push it towards certain directions, but at the end of the day, you have the rule of law so Congress has to approve these things.”

Click here for the latest crypto news, updates, and more related to ethereum and bitcoin prices, crypto ETFs, and market implications for cryptocurrencies

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A Washington County man, wanted for criminal homicide, is back behind bars after the district attorney said he was accidentally released from jail. 

Samuel Valle was arrested this afternoon and brought right back to the Washington County Jail after he was accidentally released in December. 

Meanwhile, local officials have been very tight-lipped about the mishap and it remains unclear when or why 21-year-old Valle was released. 

He’s been wanted since he failed to show up for his court appearance last week, according to the Washington County District Attorney. That hearing was to face homicide charges in a case dating back to 2023. 

Valle didn’t show up because he was accidentally released from the jail in December.

According to online documents, Valle is facing several charges in multiple counties and prior to his court hearing last week, the Westmoreland County Prison said Valle was in their jail in October, where he remained for several court appearances there through December. 

On December 11, he was sentenced, then two days later, on December 13, he was transferred back to Washington. 

Meanwhile, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office said Valle was believed to be accidentally released on December 4. 

We asked the warden and clerk of courts when Valle was actually released and both said it’s an open investigation with the clerk of courts saying all paperwork for his release was handled properly. 

Their office did everything right, even though the paperwork showed that Valle shouldn’t have been released and his bail was continuously denied. 

The district attorney said investigators tracked Valle down on Wednesday afternoon to a home in Washington where he was arrested and is now back behind bars. 

Now the question is – how was he accidentally released and who will be held accountable? 

“Obviously we’re happy today that we apprehended this individual and nobody else was hurt or put in harm’s way, especially these officers who put their lives on the line today,” said Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh. “Obviously I believe the county will be looking into the whatever occurred and we’ll be part of the solution.”

It remains unclear who authorized his release or when it happened. 

The Washington County Commissioners released a statement on Wednesday afternoon after Valle’s arrest saying, “We are collaborating with the county courts to identify where the mistake occurred and ensure it doesn’t happen again.”