New Yorkers on edge over crime while mayor blames the media
Briana Oser
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In a Wednesday interview with Fox 5, Mayor Eric Adams blamed a panic over crime among New York City residents on the media. He should instead have taken responsibility for his own soft-on-crime policies, which are not up to the city’s demands post-COVID-19.
New York City’s shoplifting rate shot up by 44% in 2022, but Adams’s proposed solution will give first-time perpetrators a slap on the wrist. And although the New York Police Department boasts that seven major crime categories have seen a slight decrease so far this year, crime is still up 34% since 2018.
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A new poll by the Siena College Research Institute published Wednesday revealed that 16% of New York City residents have been physically assaulted in the last year. Almost 40% of residents have “witnessed violent or threatening behavior among others in a public setting.” Sixty-one percent of New York state residents worry that they might become the victim of a crime.
The research director of SCRI said the concern is much worse in the city: “New Yorkers across the entire state agree that crime is a serious problem but New York City residents are more likely to see crime as a serious problem in their community and as a threat to them personally compared to those that live in either the metro suburbs or upstate.”
When Fox 5 news anchor Rosanna Scotto asked Adams to explain the nervousness of his residents, he said, “How do they start their day? They start their day picking up the news, the morning papers, they sit down and they see some of the most horrific events that may happen throughout the previous day. It plays on your psyche, we’re clear on that. But my mission is to move people from what they felt, to what they’re feeling.”
It is highly possible that Adams is not exposed to the same level of crime as most residents. He is, after all, a powerful mayor with a personal security team. His civil duties probably do not place him in the middle of, much less threatened within, crime scenes.
So if he is without the same experiences as his residents, is he right to blame their fear on media-inspired fear-mongering? If almost 40% of New York City citizens have been witnesses of crime so far this year, can’t we reasonably conclude that their worries are not just the result of alarming headlines?
In 2022, overall crime rates were up by 22% compared to 2021. This was mostly due to the 44% surge in shoplifting. Adams released his plan to combat this drastic increase in May. The plan involves enrolling first-time offenders in “diversion programs” to help them explore the societal causes that lead to shoplifting. It will also install social resource kiosks in stores for criminals and train employees in “de-escalation tactics.” The only part of the plan that could actually bring down the rate of shoplifting is Adams’s proposal to establish a database that will help retailers report repeat offenders to “facilitate stronger prosecutions.”
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Government kiosks will not stop thieves in their tracks and encourage them to question their life choices. Retailers will not be able to combat gun-wielding criminals with soothing words. These ideas are unrealistic and strange, especially coming from an ex-cop who should know the real key to lowering crime: Holding people responsible. To respond to a 44% spike in shoplifting, Adams should increase jail time, double down on prosecution for offenders, and install more law enforcement where necessary.
Even if the media were to stop reporting, New York City residents would still witness crimes. Adams’s proposal might temporarily appease the anti-police liberals who were involved in the city’s Black Lives Matter protests, but it will not ensure the safety of residents.
Briana Oser is a summer 2023 Washington Examiner fellow.