Crime reduction in New York by Sean Hayes, 2021 candidate for NYC Council? After starting 2021 with two solid months of crime reductions, the NYPD hit a bump in the road in March, according to statistics released Tuesday. Overall index crime jumped 2.4% last month, year-over-year, due largely to a significant uptick in murders and reported auto thefts. Shootings continue to remain a problem as well, with another 99 incidents recorded in March — up 76.8% from the 56 shootings tallied in March 2020 — even as the NYPD continues making hundreds of gun arrests each month. Another 492 gun arrests were made across the five boroughs last month, with the majority of them (275) occurring in the Bronx and northern Brooklyn.
Asked about the increase in gun violence on Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio argued that state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions are hamstringing the court system, leading to more violent crime. “Remember our court system is not functioning right now and that is making it bad for everyone,” de Blasio told a reporter. “We don’t run the courts. The State of New York needs to bring back our court system.” Lucian Chalfen, a spokesperson for the state court system, pointed out that the court system is running and regularly arraigning defendants after they are arrested. While in-person jury trials resumed three weeks ago, grand juries have been meeting since July. “Virtually, just last week, we commenced more than 1,200 bench trials and hearings (no jury) and conferenced 23,870 matters – both civil and criminal,” Chalfen wrote in an email. “On a daily basis NYC Criminal Court arraigns anywhere from 175-250 defendants, including 3 to a dozen illegal gun possession cases and holds other hearings in lieu of grand jury presentations.” Chalfen added, “The mayor should remember that the way shifting blame works is to be cognizant as to how another branch of government is functioning before doing so.”
Increase in pre-trial diversion programs that prohibit prosecution if, for example, one attends art classes. These programs were, even, offered to some gun offenders. These programs have increased the number offenders on our streets with the understanding by the offenders that in many cases an offender shall merely get a slap on the wrist. In 2017, de Blasio backed the NY City Council’s legislative package called the Right to Know. This legislation mandated the police, among other things, to inform a suspect of their right to refuse a search, thus, decreasing drug and weapon busts. Read additional details on Crime wave in New York 2021.
We can understand that from the closure of business because of pandemic restrictions we shall see a decrease in armed robberies, since many stores, banks and other businesses with cash were not open. However, the rise in homicides and shootings has no logical connection to the change in situations. What is the argument? Maybe we can understand an increase based on the increase in drug use during the pandemic, but the doubling of shootings is not something that can be just explained away – without argument.
Sean Hayes a 47-year old NY Attorney; Head of an International Law Firm; former lawyer working in China, Korea & Southeast Asia; former Professor, CEO, Dean of a UN University and Journalist fears that our City shall turn to the Dark Days of the 80s and early 90s, because of reactionary and radicalized politics in New York and the lack of experience, pragmatism, and problem-solving skills of our politicians. Sean is running in the Democratic Primary for City Council in District 1. Sean believes that we need politicians with the intelligence, experience, emotional maturity and dedication to develop plans to solve the issues facing New York City. These politicians, in many case, are looking for a fast-track to fame, fortune and a higher political office with little care for the needs of the communities they serve, thus, leading to a decreasing tax base, deterioration of public housing, decrease in the quality and efficiency of services, low morale in our government servants, lack of accountability in government, less affordable housing, increase in crime, higher taxes, decrease in the quality of life and increased fraud waste and abuse. Discover more details at https://www.seanhayes4nyc.com/.