Andrew Yang’s Comments About Mental Illness Are Deeply Offensive

Andrew Yang still doesn’t get it. In one of his final interviews before Tuesday’s New York City mayoral primary, Yang doubled down on his offensive remarks about people with mental illness, framing them as a blight on the city’s economy.

During a radio segment with conservative billionaire John Catsimatidis, the conversation turned to a discussion about how many people with mental health issues are living on the streets. Yang’s proposed solution: increasing institutionalization of the mentally ill. “We need to get them the care that they need, but that will also supercharge our economic recovery, because we all see these mentally ill people on our streets and subways," he said. "And you know who else sees them? Tourists. And then they don’t come back, and they tell their friends, ‘Don’t go to New York City.’”

These comments come after Yang first expressed similar sentiments during the mayoral debate last Wednesday, when he said, “Yes, mentally ill people have rights, but you know who else have rights? We do! The people and families of the city." He continued, "We have the right to walk the street and not fear for our safety because a mentally ill person is going to lash out at us." 

Yang’s sweeping generalization of mental illness — primarily his framing of all those who suffer from mental illness as violent and criminal — adds to the stigmatization of mental health issues. His comments have stirred discussion on social media about the harmful stereotypes that the mentally ill face on both an interpersonal and systemic level.

Yang's remarks also make it plain that he cares more about attracting tourists to the city than helping unhoused residents who are already here, many of whom have experienced violence, poverty, and other mental health triggers. His framing of this humanitarian crisis as a “public safety” concern reinforces stereotypes that say unhoused mentally ill people pose a danger to society. Having a mental illness does not necessarily make a person violent, and this characterization further isolates these individuals as “other” when there is already a shortage of help for mental health issues in America.

Teen Vogue has reached out to Yang’s campaign office for comment.

Yang is not unfamiliar with controversy. During his 2020 presidential run, his brand centered on the idea of him being a man of color who fights for the working class, a claim that has since been debated and, in large part, debunked. Just last spring, Yang wrote an inflammatory op-ed for the Washington Post about how Asian Americans could be part of the “cure” for anti-Asian racism after hate crimes against AAPI communities increased during the pandemic. He encouraged the AAPI community to “embrace and show our Americanness in ways we never have before.” After many pointed out how damaging that mindset is to Asian Americans, Yang suggested his piece had been misinterpreted.

As an Asian man, Yang is in a unique position to advocate for compassion and greater mental health services. The AAPI community has continuously expressed a need for a better understanding of mental illness — given that it is taboo to discuss the topic within many AAPI families — but Yang has demonstrated again and again that he may not be the mental health ally we deserve.

Furthermore, not only is Yang’s stance disparaging to the mentally ill, it’s also not entirely factual. Yang has painted New York City’s unhoused residents as a threat to tourists and the economy, but studies actually show that they are more at risk of violence and endangerment than the other way around. The unhoused population includes many people who have simply lost the ability to afford rent or left unstable home situations behind. The Coalition for the Homeless has found that the main cause of homelessness in New York City is lack of affordable housing, and that the city’s homeless population is disproportionately Black and Hispanic/Latinx.

As other New York City mayoral candidates and mental health advocates have pointed out, Yang’s umbrella statements lack empathy and contribute to stigmas the mentally ill and homeless face. As studies have proven, these mischaracterizations prevent folks from getting health care, employment, and more.

Yang’s top competitor in the race, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, told the New York Times that he was “really disturbed” by Yang’s “demonization” of people with mental health problems. Similarly, Maya Wiley, a former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio and current mayoral candidate, says that Yang’s comments were "deeply lacking in compassion" and that he might have been fearmongering for votes. On Twitter, Wiley’s senior advisor called out Yang’s comments as anti-Black given how mental illness and homelessness affect Black people.

Despite the numerous opportunities Yang has been given to clarify his statements, he has doubled down on describing mental illness and homelessness as primarily a safety concern. His remarks are offensive, inaccurate, and harm mental health and housing advocates in their uphill battle to destigmatize mental illness and get care to the unhoused. New York City deserves better.

Want more from Teen Vogue? Check this out: Andrew Yang Isn’t Actually That Progressive

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Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue