Solutions for the crime wave in New York by Sean Hayes, candidate, NYC Council District 1? “Programs and activities that help communities produce safety, from after-school programs, to gyms, to violence interruption programs, they were closed or severely limited,” she said. “All of these informal and formal systems and networks that typically mitigate violence, particularly for youth…were either shut down, or they were sick and dying. Or losing their jobs. Or had other stressors on them to prevent them from being the strong networks that existed before.”
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.”
We are in a major crime wave. Is this a sign of a movement back towards the Dark Days of the 80s and early 90s? The stats are telling. The following post considers the crime statistics, cause of the crime wave, dispels the myth of the increase in crime is caused by the pandemic and proposes simple, balanced and common-sense solutions. Judges are prohibited, in New York, from considering the dangerousness of a suspect when granting bail, thus, without cash bail or a change in the powers of our judges, we are stuck with releasing to our streets those that prosecutors and judges know are a danger to the community. See extra details on Crime wave in New York 2021.
Additionally, the detractors note that many of the crimes were crime of desperation caused by economic stress on families. However, this argument does not pan out when we consider the statistics. The reality is that throughout New York’s history a link is not found between poverty and shootings. For example, the lowest homicide rate was, in New York, in 2016 and the poverty rate was higher in this year than in the year when we had the highest homicide rate – 1989. The stats do not add up to poverty being the cause of the increase in homicides and shootings.
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 is blessed, at this stage in his life, with the ability, experience and resources to serve his community and he feels that if he doesn’t step forward and fight to turn our politics back to the center, this great city is doomed to return to the Dark Days. Sean believes that in these Post-Bloomberg Days our politicians, in New York City Government, moved away from pragmaticism and towards identity politics, the cancel culture, socialism and national polarizing issues that are harming the people of New York. Discover more info at https://www.seanhayes4nyc.com/.