NYC mayor says even he doesn't feel safe on subway system

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Amazing that no one has mentioned the recent platform pushings, slashings and shootings.... I hope he can clean de Blasio's mess up. Good to see that he gets it...

NYC mayor says even he doesn't feel safe on subway system

A high-profile killing at New York City’s busiest subway station has injected fresh unease into the perception of whether the lifeblood of the nation’s largest city is safe

By MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

January 18, 2022, 6:15 PM • 5 min read

The Associated Press

FILE — New York Mayor Eric Adams rides the subway to City Hall on his first day in office...

NEW YORK -- After a woman was pushed to her death in front of a New York City subway train beneath Times Square over the weekend, Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged to reporters Tuesday that even he didn’t feel entirely safe riding the rails.

The Democrat recounted when he rode the train on Jan. 1, not long after taking the oath of office, he called 911 to report a fight near a subway station, encountered a yelling passenger and another passenger sleeping on a train.

“On day one, I took the subway system, I felt unsafe. I saw homeless everywhere. People were yelling on the trains. There was a feeling of disorder. So as we deal with the crime problem, we also have to deal with the fact people feel unsafe," he said.

Adams, who has been in office for just over two weeks, is an avowed fan of the system, which became infamous for grime, graffiti and crime in the 1980s, but made a remarkable turnaround in recent decades that had mostly erased its bad reputation.

After Saturday's apparently unprovoked attack, Adams initially stressed that, overall, the system is safe.

“When you have an incident like this, the perception is what we’re fighting against. This is a safe system,” Adams said in a news conference hours after the attack.

But even before the killing, his administration had announced plans to boost the presence of police officers in the subway and reach out to homeless people riding trains as part of a mission to combat both “actual crime” and “the perception of crime."

“We’re going to drive down crime and we’re going to make sure New Yorkers feel safe in our subway system, and they don’t feel that way now. I don’t feel that way when I take the train every day or when I’m moving throughout our transportation system," Adams told reporters Tuesday.

Janno Lieber, the acting chair and CEO of Metropolitan Transportation Authority that runs the subway, said he thought the mayor's declaration of feeling unsafe was Adams “showing that he gets it" even if statistics show the chances of being a victim of a crime on the subway are low.

“The mayor is showing he gets it and he is sensitive to the way New Yorkers are feeling," Lieber said. “People don’t feel based on statistics. They feel based on their personal experience and what they’re hearing.”

Police charged a 61-year-old man, Simon Martial, with second-degree murder in Saturday's killing. The woman who was killed, Michelle Alyssa Go, was of Asian descent and police said they were investigating whether her death was a hate crime, though police said Martial, who was homeless, had a history of “emotionally disturbed encounters.”

It follows other recent attacks in the system that generated public alarm. In September, three transit workers were assaulted in one day. In May, several riders were slashed and assaulted by a group of attacks and four stabbings were reported within a few hours in February.

Danny Pearlstein, a spokesman for the nonprofit Riders Alliance representing New York City bus and subway passengers, said that while the subway system is “statistically, overwhelmingly safe” and millions of people use it daily without trouble, violence like Saturday's killing hits a nerve because it feels it could happen to anyone.

“If you hear it happened on the subway, that’s your subway," he said.

Safety and crime were some of the driving factors behind Adams election. The former New York Police Department captain made a point during his campaign last year of talking about the need to combat violent crime, which has ticked up during the pandemic, though it still remains at near modern-era lows.

The subway system, with its 472 stations and more than 665 miles (1,070 kilometers) of track, is a visible marker of the city's safety and economic health. Ridership remains down, complicating the economic recovery for businesses that rely on trains bringing customers to their doors and for the transit system itself, which relies on rider fares to fund its operations.

Daily rides over the last two weeks have hovered around 2.1 million, about 44% of the same time pre-pandemic, according to data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which falls under state control.

Police statistics show major felonies in the subways have dropped over the last two years, but the numbers are difficult to compare with ridership numbers having dropped as well. The drop in ridership has also made the presence of homeless people on the trains more visible.

Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, announced two weeks ago a plan to deploy social workers to help connect those living on the streets with services and to step up the police presence in subway stations and on trains and have them interact with passengers.

Pearlstein said adding more police isn't necessarily the answer.

“If you tell people you’re adding police officers, that makes people think there aren’t enough right now. If you tell people you don’t feel safe, they think well maybe I wouldn’t feel safe either," he said.

Pearlstein said housing and health care are needed to address the “humanitarian crisis” in the system, along with keeping the subway as affordable and attractive so more people will ride it and make it safer.

Source: https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/nyc-mayor-feel-safe-subway-system-82336501?fbclid=IwAR1CjmtZWTsKV1OyCOIg8M8CrdHXcA4hvkbbK9czR51Sp9kjg7129YHeXCg

 

[trainfan22]

Don't mayors have security so how does he feel unsafe? You try to get anywhere near Adams I'm sure his security would handle the situation before anyone could lay an finger on him.

 

 

I can totally understand the common person not feeling safe on the subway, but a politician with security? Come on man...

[Via Garibaldi 8]

9 hours ago, trainfan22 said:

Don't mayors have security so how does he feel unsafe? You try to get anywhere near Adams I'm sure his security would handle the situation before anyone could lay an finger on him.

 

 

I can totally understand the common person not feeling safe on the subway, but a politician with security? Come on man...

We don't know how much security he travels with. When I have seen him, he's usually just got some staff with him, and not a huge number either. I think Bloomberg had a larger security detail. Regardless, it's good to see the mayor using public transit again so that he can see what the riders deal with. De Blasio rarely used any public transit and was chauffeured around, so he was out of touch to say the least.

Whether or not he'll be able to fix this mess I'm not sure of, esp. with this Manhattan DA in office.

I've seen him in a few instances. Not many people around him. Maybe he's got one or two people for security...

Edited January 19, 2022 by Via Garibaldi 8

[biGC323232]

4 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

We don't know how much security he travels with. When I have seen him, he's usually just got some staff with him, and not a huge number either. I think Bloomberg had a larger security detail. Regardless, it's good to see the mayor using public transit again so that he can see what the riders deal with. De Blasio rarely used any public transit and was chauffeured around, so he was out of touch to say the least.

Whether or not he'll be able to fix this mess I'm not sure of, esp. with this Manhattan DA in office.

I've seen him in a few instances. Not many people around him. Maybe he's got one or two people for security...

What bothers me more and more is that this shoving  is happening at station's where police presents should be 24/7....No doubt no one should have to worry about being shoved or slashed....But this is not new to New york and they need to come up with a solution and fast........ppl still ride them with they guard completely down knowing there homeless and other mentally ppl on platforms....When i use the train once in a while i dont give those ppl any opportunity to do that....My coindolences to that young lady.. My thang is  how as a mayor you suppose to convince ppl whether ny or torrist that its safe to ride if your saying your not safe.... 

Edited January 19, 2022 by biGC323232

[paulrivera]

13 minutes ago, biGC323232 said:

What bothers me more and more is that this shoving  is happening at station's where police presents should be 24/7

The shoving on Saturday did have police presence, but they were on the opposite end of the platform.

There was also a shoving last year where there was literally a cop within a few feet of someone being shoved (but this person didnt go under the train, they got sideswiped;) and the shover was arrested on the spot.

Nowadays, the crazies don't care if there's a cop there or not. You can have cops there with a top-of-the-line body camera, and the station can have all the surveillance cameras it can get and it will not deter somebody from coming up behind an innocent person to do harm upon them.

Edited January 19, 2022 by paulrivera

[biGC323232]

4 minutes ago, paulrivera said:

The shoving on Saturday did have police presence, but they were on the opposite end of the platform.

There was also a shoving last year where there was literally a cop within a few feet of someone being shoved (but this person didnt go under the train, they got sideswiped;) and the shover was arrested on the spot.

Nowadays, the crazies don't care if there's a cop there or not. You can have cops there with a top-of-the-line body camera, and the station can have all the surveillance cameras it can get and it will not deter somebody from coming up behind an innocent person to do harm upon them.

I got it...And i agree with u 100 percent that if u crazy enough that police or any other presence wouldn't matter....Well the Mta needs to figure out a way to keep and get the homeless out the system so it could be a little safer.....I know its not 100 percent homeless thats cause the most crime...But its a least close to 40 percent 

[paulrivera]

5 hours ago, Via Garibaldi 8 said:

De Blasio rarely used any public transit and was chauffeured around, so he was out of touch to say the least.

De Blasio was using police helicopters on the regular, even for personal use. "Out of touch" is probably the understatement of the century lol.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

50 minutes ago, biGC323232 said:

What bothers me more and more is that this shoving  is happening at station's where police presents should be 24/7....No doubt no one should have to worry about being shoved or slashed....But this is not new to New york and they need to come up with a solution and fast........ppl still ride them with they guard completely down knowing there homeless and other mentally ppl on platforms....When i use the train once in a while i dont give those ppl any opportunity to do that....My coindolences to that young lady.. My thang is  how as a mayor you suppose to convince ppl whether ny or torrist that its safe to ride if your saying your not safe.... 

I can tell you that pre-COVID, there were times where the platforms were so packed that it was easy to see how someone could be shoved. I am always on guard too when I use the subway, but it can happen to anyone, especially at stations with narrow platforms, such as Union Square, 72nd St, etc. If I'm waiting for the train at a station that has a shared platform with the express on one side and the local on the other side, I'll wait on the side where the local runs to try to avoid such instances, but as I said, I've been on packed platforms where it was almost impossible.

[Gotham Bus Co.]

Remember when Giuliani dissolved the separate Transit Police Department and moved thousands of cops out of the subways? His policy was simple...

 

 The mayor controls the police and the streets. Therefore, police belong on the streets.

 The mayor does not control crime or the subway system. Therefore, crime belongs in the subway system.  

 

I'm starting to hear echoes of that now.

[HenryB]

well...no one thinks of PSD?

[YankeesPwnMets]

10 hours ago, paulrivera said:

The shoving on Saturday did have police presence, but they were on the opposite end of the platform.

There was also a shoving last year where there was literally a cop within a few feet of someone being shoved (but this person didnt go under the train, they got sideswiped;) and the shover was arrested on the spot.

Nowadays, the crazies don't care if there's a cop there or not. You can have cops there with a top-of-the-line body camera, and the station can have all the surveillance cameras it can get and it will not deter somebody from coming up behind an innocent person to do harm upon them.

The solution is out there, people just don't want to acknowledge it: involuntary institutionalization. Somehow, we've deemed it "compassionate" to let mentally ill homeless people choose to rot away on the street or subway.

[R10 2952]

3 hours ago, YankeesPwnMets said:

The solution is out there, people just don't want to acknowledge it: involuntary institutionalization. Somehow, we've deemed it "compassionate" to let mentally ill homeless people choose to rot away on the street or subway.

Boils down to mental/drug issues and two others- affordable housing and crime recidivism.  Heard someone once say that of all the transient people on the streets, 'a third need public housing, the next third should be in involuntary treatment for mental health or substance abuse, and the remaining third belong in jail or prison'.  

Probably the most astute observation I've seen made by anybody on this problem in the last 20 years- some need basic help, other need more specialized help, and some can't be helped at all because they've become incorrigible.

Edited January 20, 2022 by R10 2952

[RTOMan]

On 1/19/2022 at 9:41 PM, YankeesPwnMets said:

The solution is out there, people just don't want to acknowledge it: involuntary institutionalization. Somehow, we've deemed it "compassionate" to let mentally ill homeless people choose to rot away on the street or subway.

That's going to change in that city...

Little things that happen are going to lead to big things..

Adams is already cleaning house up top with the cops getting rid of all of those who was in the Ex Mayors corner.

Lets face it you City folk see all these new buildings going up all over, you really think they are going to let people who need to be dealt with roam these streets? The Subway? No..

Yet the downside is there will be collateral damage so I suggest some of you kiddie buffs who like to act up and damage trains be mindful..

[QM1to6Ave]

On 1/20/2022 at 1:26 AM, R10 2952 said:

Boils down to mental/drug issues and two others- affordable housing and crime recidivism.  Heard someone once say that of all the transient people on the streets, 'a third need public housing, the next third should be in involuntary treatment for mental health or substance abuse, and the remaining third belong in jail or prison'.  

Probably the most astute observation I've seen made by anybody on this problem in the last 20 years- some need basic help, other need more specialized help, and some can't be helped at all because they've become incorrigible.

 

On 1/19/2022 at 9:41 PM, YankeesPwnMets said:

The solution is out there, people just don't want to acknowledge it: involuntary institutionalization. Somehow, we've deemed it "compassionate" to let mentally ill homeless people choose to rot away on the street or subway.

Absolutely true. There are some city-run programs out there for court-mandated treatment that work really well, and if you don't show up for your treatment, the sheriff's deputy haul you over to the hospital. It really needs to be expanded.

And even the new B-HEARD teams that pair social workers with paramedics to respond to EDPs have shown good results so far. When police are present and available for back up, but the mental health providers are primary contact person with these folks, you get the best possible outcomes. Sad that it's taken this long for people to start to realize that.

Edited January 21, 2022 by QM1to6Ave