New York City's newest sidewalk resident has set up house in the one spot the mayor cannot avoid seeing on his way to work.
Mark Roggemann, 50, has occupied roughly 200 square feet of busy Centre Street walkway across from the Brooklyn Bridge entrance for about six weeks, steps from City Hall and along Mayor Zohran Mamdani's daily route. He has taken full advantage of the loopholes in the city's new homeless-sweep rules, The New York Post reported.
His setup includes a plywood-box bed surrounded by a makeshift fortress of an aluminum clothing rack, potted fake plants, a rolling bin he says holds hot and cold water and Amazon delivery totes for storage. When it rains, he covers the entire camp with a cream-colored plastic tarp.
The encampment sits at the heart of the city's civic center, across the street from the David N. Dinkins Municipal Building. That building houses government agencies and the offices of City Comptroller Mark Levine and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams.
Roggemann said he did not choose the location to get Mamdani's attention. He admitted, however, that he is surprised no one from the mayor's team has come out to visit, even out of curiosity.
"I guess there's concern [that] if they have any interaction with me at all, then it sets a precedent," Roggemann told the paper Wednesday. "If you want to speak to the mayor come camp out in front of City Hall, which, like, sounds like a horrible plan, but with a mayor like Mamdani, that may not be the worst idea."
"I'm just sitting here waiting to see who stops by," he added. Under current city policy, he is unlikely to be moved anytime soon.
The city does not forcibly remove people from sidewalks. Instead, social workers conduct a seven-day "engagement process" before performing a "clean-up" or attempting relocation.
The Department of Homeless Services issued Roggemann a "Notice of New York City Clean Up" on Nov. 6, ordering him to vacate by Friday. On Thursday, he simply wheeled his belongings 35 yards north on Centre Street, still within view of City Hall and now closer to the Department of Education's headquarters at the Tweed Courthouse.
Roggemann said he knew city workers would be powerless to move him after a short relocation, and that proved true on Friday. If the city issues a new cleanup order, starting another seven-day clock, he said he will simply return to his original plot.
Councilwoman Joann Ariola, a Queens Republican whose district includes several neighborhoods dealing with encampments, was blunt. "This is the idiocracy we live in right now," she said.
"A 35-yard move is all it takes to reset the city's clock. He could just keep going in a circle, moving a few feet every week, and the city won't do a thing about it thanks to the current rules. This is lunacy," Ariola added.
She also warned about the message the camp sends to drivers, cyclists and pedestrians crossing into Manhattan. "This camp is basically a billboard saying, 'Welcome to Mamdani's Manhattan, where every street is becoming skid row,'" Ariola said.
Tourists taking in views from the Brooklyn Bridge were also stunned. "We have our own homeless problem in Seattle . . . but even our politicians wouldn't let people stay so long next to our City Hall," said Robert Lawrence, 30, who was visiting from Seattle.
"Considering he's right in their faces, you'd think that someone associated with the mayor would do a better job trying to get this guy help and convince him to leave," Lawrence added. Unlike most of the nearly 5,000 people estimated to be living on city streets, Roggemann said he has access to his own taxpayer-funded apartment in Brooklyn provided by the Department of Homeless Services.
He claimed the apartment was so hot that he packed up most of his belongings in July and took his chances on the streets with his two dogs, Sir and Mage. He said he believed the building's lack of air conditioning caused the deaths of two dogs belonging to an upstairs neighbor.
Roggemann, a self-described artist, first camped in Union Square Park, where he has sold abstract finger paintings over the years. Because living in city parks is illegal, authorities eventually removed him, according to sources.
When he arrived near City Hall, he initially set up in the middle of the Centre Street pedestrian path near several popular food trucks. The vendors soon persuaded him to move 30 yards north for the sake of business. "He was scaring away customers, but he's a good guy and needs help," one vendor said.
"We're the only ones feeding and taking care of this guy. He sweeps for us, and we give him cigarettes, ice cream and food," the vendor added.
Roggemann insisted his dispute is not with Mamdani but with the Department of Homeless Services, which he accused of corruption and "harassing" him. "I'm just some random dude living near a park . . . This is not an encampment," he said.
"There is no structural integrity. There is no roof," Roggemann continued.
He argued that the label is a pretext. "Everything basically goes on wheels and is moveable. They call it an encampment to try and do some cleanups."
The Mayor's Office did not return messages. The Department of Homeless Services declined to discuss Roggemann specifically, saying in a statement, "This administration is focused on connecting homeless New Yorkers to shelter, medical care and the services they need to move into permanent, stable housing."
Marie Colon, a Bronx resident who works at a nearby grocery store, said the situation shows "just how flawed the system is." "I feel bad for this guy," she said.
"You can offer him help, but if he's not accepting, [city workers] need to get him to safety and help him. Having him move for a cleanup and then return doesn't help," Colon added.
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