Eric Adams, New York City’s new Democratic mayor, had an extraordinarily low bar to clear when it came to being perceived as an improvement compared to his predecessor. Adams succeeded the far-left groundhog murderer Bill DeBlasio who, for reasons that are still unclear, decided to run for president and couldn’t get his polling numbers out of the single digits in his own city.
DeBlasio was a disaster. He virtue-signaled at every opportunity while simultaneously destroying the fabric of underprivileged communities. Along with Governor Andrew Cuomo, DeBlasio oversaw the single worst response to the COVID pandemic by both allowing the highest number of per capita virus-related deaths and obliterating his city’s economy. And, of course, like all modern Democrats, DeBlasio was effective at demonizing his political opponents and dividing the city via the tactic of identity politics.
Yet Bill DeBlasio’s most lasting legacy will undoubtedly be his enabling of skyrocketing crime in the city. New York is once again resembling its ‘Gotham’ caricature (are you listening, Commissioner Gordon?) with violence and lawlessness running rampant. The masterful dismantling of criminality in the city by former Mayor Rudy Giuliani is just a memory now.
Until recently, it appeared that Eric Adams might be content with following the DeBlasio playbook, to the letter. Last week, Adams gained national attention with his inexplicable whining about illegal immigrants on his doorstep courtesy of the governors of Texas and Arizona. And Adams’ rhetoric since taking office in January has been indistinguishable from that of DeBlasio. But now, Mr. Adams has apparently had a moment of clarity.
According to Essence:
“After a video clip obtained by The New York Post allegedly showed a 16-year-old boy punching a cop at a subway station last week, Mayor Eric Adams is speaking out about New York’s controversial bail reform law.
‘One aspect that was missing’ from the recording, Adams said, was the fact that the teen was arrested for robbery on Wednesday, ‘just a few days ago. Now he’s back, decides he’s not going to pay his fare…The transit officer could have arrested him for not paying his fare. He didn’t do that. He told him to leave this system and, in response, we saw in the video what happened.’”
During their mostly coinciding tenures, Mayor DeBlasio and Governor Cuomo appeared to be in a competition to see who could be softer on crime. It was a never-ending battle of pro-criminal one-upmanship, and the city is now seeing the fruits of their efforts on its streets.
Violent crime in NYC is up 40% over last year, and 2021 wasn’t exactly a banner year either. Shootings have doubled compared to 2019. As a result, half of New Yorkers now say violent crime is the city’s number one issue. The crime problem has almost certainly inhibited the city’s post-pandemic recovery, and residents have apparently had enough. Rest assured, it is for this reason that Adams is now diverging from the pathetic DeBlasio/Cuomo approach to crime prevention.
What happened to that cop in the subway last week was unacceptable. The assailant never should have been on the street. The idea of cashless bail appealed to so many on the left because of its promise to solve ‘inequities’ in the system. Poor folks who commit crimes had previously been at a disadvantage compared to wealthier criminals, according to advocates of the law. But, as per the usual arrangement, our friends on the left failed to recognize the obvious solution: Stop the crimes from being committed in the first place, regardless of the perpetrators’ race, gender, religion, eye color, sexual proclivities, or financial status.
Any law that allows a robber – whether 16 years old or 60, and regardless of his financial situation – to reenter society within hours so that he can break the law again and assault a police officer is highly problematic. We’re lucky we’re not talking about a murdered cop instead of one who was merely assaulted. Eric Adams has apparently recognized that reality. Better late than never, Mr. Mayor, maybe you can rethink some of your other positions now.