What the hell is that smell??

There is a time in every New Yorkers lives when they are waiting on a platform and a packed train approaches but miraculously the cart that stops in front of you is near empty. You always think you've hit the jackpot with a ton of open seats but don't realize your fate until the doors closed.. you are stuck holding your breath for the next 5 minutes as you realize you are sharing the subway car with the equivalent of a zoo animal and you hope to get out before this lunatic charges you with his winkie out.
I have made the point for many years that the issue of homelessness is not an issue of people not having a roof over their head but rather one of mental illness. NYC like all major metropolitan areas has a huge homeless population who mostly keep to themselves as they fight their inner neurosis. We have shelters but these are just band-aids and the most dangerous ones are never going to use them in good faith anyway. I know the safety nets in this country are very low but they do exist and any 'normal' person who is out of work still finds a way to get his assistance which obviously not ideal still offer some level of normalcy.
Any homeless person who is sleeping on a park bench or pissing on himself should not be walking the streets they are dangerous to themselves and to the rest of the city. This is the reason that chronic homelessness should be handled with mass institutionalization. .
The issue I have is when the animals start mixing with the visitors at the zoo. Not only do you have fears of them shoving you in front of a moving subway car but even if their actions aren't hostile they are often unsanitary and disgusting.
But the danger isn't what I'm most concerned about, it's the odor which is so distinct you could pick it out of a smell lineup. I'm not sure what it is but the combo is some mix of piss, sweat, subway grime and decaying flesh and it is beyond offensive, it is downright dangerous. They tell you that inhaling mold is dangerous and second-hand smoke has proven to be a carcinogen well the smell of a homeless person should be covered by the clean air act.
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