“Gun violence is a public health crisis that continues to threaten every corner of the city,” said the former African-American police officer when announcing a series of measures.
“Public safety is my administration’s top priority, and that’s why we’re going to get guns off our streets, protect our people, and create a safe, prosperous, and just city for all New Yorkers,” he said. this elected representative of the right wing of the Democratic Party.
Arrived at the town hall on January 1 on a program to fight against insecurity and socio-economic inequalities, Mr. Adams is confronted with an upsurge in various violent incidents.
One of the key measures of his plan is the reinstatement of plainclothes police patrols, ‘anti-crime units’ renamed ‘anti-gun units’ which were cut in 2020 following the death of the African American George Floyd, killed by a police officer in Minneapolis.
These police officers were feared, when Michael Bloomberg was mayor (2002-2013), for their controversial searches of young Blacks and Hispanics suspected of carrying firearms.
Gun violence in New York – disproportionate to what it was 30 years ago – increased slightly in 2021 (+4.3% compared to 2020, itself up on 2019) in particular due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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