– The army to the rescue in the New York subway
Faced with an explosion of acts of violence, the city mobilizes the national guard, heavily armed, to supervise users.
Published today at 2:29 p.m.
Members of the National Guard and State Police at Grand Central Station, March 6, 2024.
GETTY IMAGES AFP/ADAM GRAY
Iain Forrest no longer plays cello on the New York subway. “I was beaten, choked and now hit in the head,” the medical student told the New York Post. His last assault filmed shows a passerby hitting the young man in the head with a water bottle. Abu Khan, 64, was pushed onto the rails a few days ago by a stranger and pulled up at the last minute by other passengers on the platform before the train arrived.
These stories are symptomatic of the climate of insecurity that reigns in the bowels of the New York subway. “At night, the police desert the metro,” Antonio Singleton tells CBS. Next to him, his wife, Julia, continues: “In the morning, there are only homeless people in the trains. Sometimes I’m too scared and I take the bus.”
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It is to respond to the concerns and complaints of 3 million daily users and tourists that New York decided to use the strong method. The state’s governor, Democrat Kathy Hochul, announced Wednesday the deployment of the army to the main lines.
At least 750 members of the National Guard and an additional 250 members of the State Police will be distributed throughout the transit system. They will come to lend a hand to the police. Random bag searches will be reinforced. Those who refuse to do so will not be able to go to the docks.
The plan also calls for more surveillance cameras. It will allow judges to ban people convicted of a violent crime from riding the subway. “People going to work should not fear that someone sitting next to them is carrying a knife,” the governor insisted. Many of the people arrested by police today are repeat offenders.
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The figures are alarming: the number of serious crimes in the metro of the megacity of 8.5 million inhabitants exploded by 45% in January 2024 compared to last year. Thefts, violence, brawls: three deaths have been reported since the start of the year. On February 12, rival gangs opened fire, killing one person at a station in the Bronx. A few days later, a driver was stabbed at a Brooklyn station.
As the November presidential election approaches, Democrats are trying to allay New Yorkers’ concerns about crime with these announcements. In 2022, the Republicans had already made it a campaign theme to achieve electoral victories in the state, during the race for Congress.
Those who now refuse to submit to a search will be excluded from the subway, warned New York State Governor Kathy Hochul.
Getty Images via AFP/Adam Grey
Political recovery, some protest, while defenders of civil liberties believe that the measures go too far. These “strong approaches” do not address the “long-standing problems of the homeless, poverty or access to mental health care,” Donna Lieberman, executive director of the Civil Liberties Union, told a local channel. New York.
Questioned Wednesday by the media, several users agreed with him, criticizing the heavily armed soldiers, “like after September 11.” It is also difficult to imagine how the army will plan to monitor the vastness of the network, which has more than 400 stations. For the moment, checks should be limited to the busiest areas.
Virginie Lenk has been a journalist in the international section since 2019, specialist in the environment. She previously worked at RTS.More info
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2024-03-08 13:29:02
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