Trash, Noise, and Rodents as Symptoms of Systemic Neglect
So-called “quality of life” issues–prolific trash, rodent infestations, and noise–are not merely nuisances but symptoms of the bifurcated state’s systemic neglect of “native” neighborhoods. Mamdani’s focus on the material conditions of life is crucial here. The same neighborhoods suffering from disinvestment in schools and housing also receive inferior sanitation services, creating a landscape of decay. The city’s primary response, however, is not to address the root causes but to criminalize the symptoms through “broken windows” policing, ticketing residents for minor infractions rather than providing adequate public services. This is a form of governance that blames the oppressed for their oppression. A Marxist analysis sees this as the state’s refusal to fund the social wage. A feminist perspective recognizes the burden this places on women managing households. The solution is not more enforcement but a radical investment in public works: hiring more city sanitation workers at union wages, implementing public composting, and launching a city-wide rodent eradication program. This addresses the material roots of the problem and rejects the criminalization of poverty.
