Fears surging crime in New York could ‘frighten away’ desperately needed tourists
The bashing of a pop star on a New York street has highlighted a huge issue facing the city where a cop has quipped that “only Central Park squirrels are safe”.
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The random bashing of British pop singer Tom Grennan on a Manhattan street on Thursday night may have come as shock to him, but it wasn’t a surprise to New Yorkers.
Hours after finishing a gig in the city, the performer of ‘Little bit of love’ – one of the most acclaimed songs of last year – was assaulted in what his management said was an “unprovoked attack” and robbery outside a bar.
“Tom is currently being assessed by doctors for his injuries which include a ruptured ear, torn eardrum and issue with his previously fractured jaw.”
New York is no stranger to crime and violence but even for residents used to being on their guard, the last few months have been unnerving with surging crime rates and some exceptionally cruel and arbitrary incidents.
It’s being called “the stuff of nightmares,” fuelled by “rage and randomness”.
There are concerns rising crime could deter tourists from coming back to one of the world’s greatest cities and keep commuters at home rather than returning to the office.
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Crime up by almost 60 per cent
In February, overall crime in the city went up 58.7 per cent compared to the same month in 2021. Theft was up 79 per cent; assault by 22 per cent and murder by 10 per cent.
Only shootings were down, by a mere 1 per cent, according to New York Police Department (NYPD) data.
The city’s new mayor has insisted New York will not be “surrendered to the violent few”.
And while New York’s hard scrabble suburbs remain at the epicentre, bizarre violent crimes are cropping up even in tourist hot spots.
Bizarre, callous crimes on bystanders
In March, two employees of the famed Museum of Modern Art were stabbed after a man jumped confronted them reportedly after his membership to the storied institution had been revoked. He was alleged to have attacked the staff members when they refused to allow him entry to see a film.
A 34 year old woman was stabbed when she intervened in an attempted robbery at the 34th Street-Herald Square Subway station, one of the busiest on the network and just moments from the visitor honey pots of the Macy’s department store and the Empire State Building.
In February, a 34-year-old man was caught on CCTV brutally punching and flooring a four year old child in broad daylight in the middle of Times Square.
Then there’s the deaths. Police continue to search for a gunman who in March casually wandered up to a homeless man sleeping in the city’s Downtown area, looked around to see if anyone was watching, and then shot him dead at point blank range. The whole episode was recorded on chilling camera footage.
In February, Christina Yuna Lee died after being stabbed more than 40 times by a man who followed her into her Chinatown apartment and up several flights of stairs.
NYPD figures show hate crime is up 189 per cent year on year with attacks against Asian and Jewish people increasing the most.
Add to that the kids caught in the crossfire. In just the last four weeks, two children have died after they found themselves in the middle of shooting incidents, including a 12 year old boy who perished as he ate dinner in a parked car.
Tourists ‘frightened away’
And of course there was the bizarre Brooklyn Subway shooting earlier this month which saw 29 people injured after the attacker let off smoke canisters and began shooting during the peak hour. Only a jammed gun many have prevented greater injury, reports have said.
Crimes on public transport, including the Subway, are up 73 per cent.
Michael Goodwin, a columnist with the New York Post, said the Subway attack was “the stuff of nightmares” and there was a danger it could lead to an exodus from the city.
“People who might have come here to visit or live from around the world will be frightened away. They will be noticed only by their absence.”
The New York Post reported that the only police precinct to see crime fall was the one covering Central Park.
“Only the squirrels are safe,” an officer told the paper. “Tourists will never come back.”
A recent survey by pollster Quinnipiac University found 65 per cent of New Yorkers were personally worried they would be a victim of crime, the highest figure since polling began in 1999, reported Fox News.
“I don’t feel safe anymore. I would rather take the bus for two hours, versus taking the train for 45 minutes,” Subway commuter Nicole Robinson told America’s ABC network.
‘Rage and randomness’
In previous crime waves, much of the nefariousness was between drug gangs or due to opportunistic robberies. That still occurs, but heres;' something different now too.
“Randomness is the key variable that increases the fear in a lot of people,” Christopher Herrmann, an assistant professor at New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
“If I am an average citizen who just takes the Subway, I have zero fear or risk of being a victim of a crime. Throw the randomness thing in, and everyone becomes a potential target or a potential victim. That’s what worries a lot of people,” he told the New York Times.
Prof Herrmann said mental health, and a lack of care and management of people with those issues, could be a factor in driving up crime.
It’s not the only factor, however. Some criminals appear more brazen. There have also been controversial changes to bail laws, enacted by previous State Governor Andrew Cuomo, which reduced the number of crimes for which suspects could be locked up for while awaiting trial. Critics have said that has led dangerous people to continue walking the streets.
However, the lessening of the pandemic has also had an effect. There are many more people on the streets and on the Subway mingling together meaning a rise in crime was almost inevitable.
And while crime has gone up, it’s still nowhere near the peak of the eighties and early nineties. In 1990, the city saw around 2200 murders, in 2021 it was 485.
New mayor promises to get tough with crims
In November, New York City residents elected a new mayor – Eric Adams – whose platform was largely based around combating crime.
In January, Mr Adams, a former cop, vowed to “get the guns” out of criminals’ hands.
“This is not just a plan for the future. This is a plan for right now.”
After the Brooklyn attack, he said: “We will not surrender our city to the violent few”.
There will be more officers on the street, visible on Subway station platforms. Controversially he will also send teams of police – some not in uniform – into problem areas to tackle gun crime. Bail laws are being tightened.
New York is as resilient as ever. In the hours after the Brooklyn Subway attack, the trains were thronged once more. A child may have been punched in Times Square, but the tourists are still out in force gazing at the forest of neon signs and visiting Broadway shows. Bars and restaurants noisily spill onto the streets.
But Mayor Adams will be keen for the “rage and randomness” currently gripping New York to lessen. He wants commuters commuting and visitors visiting once again to keep the economy turning and create jobs after a difficult few years.
That won’t happen if the fear is a trip to New York, as Tom Grennan has found out, could involve a visit to hospital and the police station as well as to the Statue of Liberty.
Originally published as Fears surging crime in New York could ‘frighten away’ desperately needed tourists
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