How's that criminal justice reform going for you, Blue Cities?
Not well, is the answer, and after cozying up to the "Defund the Police" movement and bail reform earlier in her time as governor, Kathy Hochul is bowing to pressure to crack down on crime.
Mayor Adams was elected largely on a platform of getting crime back under control--he was a New York City cop and commissioner, and he has been pressuring the governor to help him fight a crime wave that has turned the New York City subway into a lawless and violent zone.
Hochul is finally doing something to help after rebuffing Adams for over a year.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Wednesday that she would deploy National Guard soldiers and State Police officers to the New York City subway system, where they will patrol platforms and help check bags.
Ms. Hochul said a large show of force in the system, which is operated by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a state agency, would help commuters and visitors to the city feel safe.
Additional law enforcement officers would add to an already large presence in the subways, where Mayor Eric Adams ordered an additional 1,000 officers in February following a 45 percent spike in crime in January compared with the same time last year.
Ms. Hochul said she would deploy 1,000 members of the authority, the State Police and the National Guard to “conduct bag checks in the city’s busiest stations.”
Breaking News: Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to deploy the National Guard and the State Police in New York City’s subway system, where they will patrol platforms and help check bags, after a series of violent crimes. https://t.co/FtUsQPIN9i pic.twitter.com/h4goK5lB6s
— The New York Times (@nytimes) March 6, 2024
You do have to give her credit. When she reverses course, she goes all out. Deploying the National Guard and surging the State Patrol into the subways is a big move, although it sounds rather dystopian. They won't just be making their presence felt; they will search subway riders for weapons.
There will be 750 members of the New York National Guard and an additional 250 personnel from the State Police and the M.T.A.
They will be working with the New York Police Department to make sure no weapons are brought into the subways.
It leads one to wonder...is this reversal just about fighting crime, or is it something more? Cracking down on criminal behavior can be accomplished without using the military to search citizens on their way to and from work, right? It's not like this has been standard practice during more peaceful times.
You can support the police and crack down on criminals without turning the city into a police state.
Hochul has embraced other police state tactics, which lend some credence to this concern. Last year she announced the development of a monitoring system to keep track of New Yorkers' social media activity.
BREAKING: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that New York is "collecting data" from "surveillance efforts" on social media.
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) November 14, 2023
If you say something considered “hate speech” on social media, Hochul’s administration will try to contact you.
“What’s being said on social media… pic.twitter.com/M6V30r3kmw
None of this would be necessary if the Democrats hadn't spent years undermining public safety in the first place. Bill DeBlasio and Alvin Bragg have worked tirelessly over the years to destroy public peace, and now there is a surge of the military into New York City to combat the criminals who have been running wild due to their policies.
Democrats ruined things, and now they are reversing their policies in a manner that reduces freedom for everybody.
It's almost like there is a plan.
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