During his campaign, Mamdani vowed that as mayor he would put a stop to the city’s practice of busting up encampments without making sure the occupants have someplace appropriate to go. This week, he defended his administration’s approach, which has been to put social workers from the city’s Department of Homeless Services in charge of outreach — rather than police. Those social workers would engage with occupants for seven days in a row before sweeping away their stuff.