NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK — The Big Apple saw 53 shootings last week, compared to 2019 numbers of 12. The number of people shot also skyrocketed to 414%, all while they’re seriously debating a decrease in funding for the NYPD at the tune of $1 Billion.
“In the beginning of the year, we saw an uptick in crime and shootings. We saw some leveling off for a few months in the beginning of the coronavirus crisis. Now, we’ve seen something very troubling in recent weeks,” the mayor said Monday.
Many wonder why the increase in shootings is occuring, and I think it’s pretty clear. Former NYPD Chief of Department Joseph Esposito hit the nail on the head, saying that proactive policing isn’t happening in the wake of police reform, and the current state of the Country.
“They’re all looking over their shoulders and in the back of their mind, whether consciously or subconsciously, they’re saying, ‘Why should we bother? We don’t get the support. Why should we bother?’” said Esposito.
The city’s budget is due on June 30th, and proposes to remove $1B from the total $6B that the NYPD currently has.
If criminals are less afraid of the police and being caught, more crime will happen. Who would have thought?
