Long weapons.
Camouflage style uniform.
The landscape of the
New York subway
, usually packed with hurried workers or tourists moving from one place to another in Manhattan,
changed drastically these days
: the arteries that pump the New York pulse were filled with hundreds of
National Guard agents
, who check bags and wallets at the stations and are on alert to
stop a wave of violence
that is shaking the city's subway and worrying the authorities.
Some 750 National Guard soldiers and 250 New York State Police officers joined the local police to guard the entrances and exits of the terminals, as determined by Governor Kathy Hochul, and
will be able to expel anyone who refuses from the subway. to be reviewed
.
“It will help citizens and visitors feel safe,” he said, announcing a security measure not seen in the city since the 9/11 terrorist attacks and that implies
a new “iron fist” approach
from the government. democrat.
This force adds to the already strong police presence of 1,000 officers ordered by Mayor Eric Adams, after
crime in the subway skyrocketed 45% in January
compared to the same month last year.
The paradox is that in New York City serious crimes (murders, rapes, robberies and serious assaults) have generally decreased (2.9% compared to last year), but
crimes on the subway went the other way
.
Although they fell a little in February, it is still worrying for the authorities because it is
the main means of transportation in the city
with millions of passengers per year.
Julieta Sartori, 31, is an Argentine photographer specializing in newborns and lives on Long Island, from where she often takes the subway to Manhattan, while her husband does so every day.
“He works at night and returns at dawn on the subway and that's why he sees the worst of the city.
I have friends who travel at night too and it is very complicated
.”
Sartori describes to
Clarín the
sordid and violent
landscape
that is seen.
“There are many more homeless people, everything is much dirtier than before.
There are men with their private parts out
.
We have seen people relieving themselves on the platform.
It happened to me the other day with a friend that we were walking on the subway and a man appeared to us and dropped his pants.
Obviously all these things make one feel insecure.”
She and her husband try to avoid the subway by driving to Manhattan, especially on holidays.
“There are all the crazy people on the subway and people prefer to avoid it,” she says.
This Thursday there was
a fierce fight
inside a train between two men, when they were traveling through Brooklyn, and one ended with a bullet in the head while the passengers screamed in terror.
Everything was recorded by a journalist who was just traveling on the subway.
But it was not an isolated incident.
Just a week ago, just before the governor's announcement, there had already been a series of worrying cases:
On February 23, a man died after three people boarded the train he was traveling on and began fighting.
On February 29, a subway driver was attacked by a man who cut him with a knife when he looked out the window to ensure that the formation could leave, following protocol.
On March 1, a 27-year-old man was approached by a stranger who shouted anti-LGBTQ slogans at him and then injured the victim with a sharp object.
On March 3, a teenage girl was attacked with punches at the 168th Street station after a dispute.
That same day, a 64-year-old man was kicked in the back by an unknown person and fell to the tracks at Penn Station.
He managed to be rescued and suffered injuries.
On March 5, two passengers were attacked with a hammer by a man at a Queens station.
Sartori agrees with the new presence of the National Guard: “Personally, I feel safer.
During the pandemic they had also sent agents.
Now they are much more armed and sometimes people get uncomfortable.
But it gives me security.”
Lisa Daglian, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee (PCAC), a civil organization that analyzes conditions and guarantees the transportation rights of New York citizens, told Clarín
that
beyond the statistics “
in general, the system metro is safe
.
But there is a mental health and homelessness crisis in the city, worsened by the pandemic, that must be addressed through increased support services, resources and housing so that all passengers feel safe underground.”
Daglian points out that
the perception of security is key
.
“It is important to have a partnership between all levels of government, the police and the transport authority.
Perception today is a reality for many people, so it is important for everyone to feel safe as well as being safe.
“Increasing uniformed traffic presence is one of many tools that can be used to address safety, but it must be accompanied by improved support services to make the city more equitable and safer for everyone.”
Dorothy M. Schulz provides an interesting view from the academy, but also from the field.
She is an emeritus professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York (CUNY) and also a retired captain of the MTA-Metro North Railway Police, for which she has been in charge of security control operations on the subway. .
Consulted by this newspaper, Schultz points out that “since the pandemic,
the number of homeless and mentally ill people
has increased in New York, particularly in the subway system.
Many of the people are not likely to kill or rape, but since they are often not mentally stable,
they are likely to attack people who they believe may be threatening them
.
“You cannot anticipate their behavior, so it is difficult to prevent these types of attacks.”
“Also – says Schultz –
Covid had a long-term effect
on people's behavior.
“Many are depressed and now have trouble maintaining their emotions, which leads them to lose self-control.”
Schultz adds another variable to the panorama:
the “undocumented” immigrants
who have arrived in New York, a Democratic state, in recent months, expelled from Republican states where they are not wanted.
“The increase in people crossing the southern border of the United States and coming to New York has also contributed to many people feeling that there is less social control in the city.
Even if they do not specifically contribute to crime, there are more people on the streets, more people selling things or sleeping on the subway, leading others to
feel that the authorities are not in control
.”
He adds that “the number of passengers on the subway has dropped by 70% since Covid.
Many people are still working from home or shopping online.
If there are more sick people with mental health pathologies and fewer people on the streets, they feel uncomfortable being outside.”
Asked whether the massive presence of forces in the subway will be effective or could complicate passenger circulation, Schultz points out that “
the deployment of police officers in the subway can be effective
.”
I was a police captain on a commuter rail system (Metro-North) and was in charge of officers at Grand Central Terminal, one of the largest transit hubs in the United States.
Police officers who actively patrol and interact with the public can be effective in preventing crime and can make people feel much safer if they are visible.
Agents who work at a location every day know the people and understand the atmosphere of the location;
“They can help people and above all, they can anticipate problems.”
However, he points out: “I don't think that National Guard soldiers will be effective in the subway.
In fact,
I don't think they will help reduce crime
.
In New York (and in the United States) we rarely see military personnel on the streets or on public transportation.
These guards, in their military uniforms, will scare more people and not make them feel better.
People will worry about terrorism or one of the guards making a bad decision.
The army and the police have very different training and functions in society, they should not mix.”
The most progressive sectors
criticize the governor's measure
because they believe that filling the subway with uniformed men is “an overreaction” with political motivations.
In fact, New York Republicans criticized Democrats about crime in the city in the last legislative elections in 2022, a message that helped them capture votes.
The governor gave some clues in this regard.
"I want to
change the psychology
around crime in New York City," she said.
“I'm also going to show that Democrats fight crime too," she added. "So this narrative that Republicans have said we're soft on crime, that we defund the police?
No".
But an increased police presence can be
a double-edged sword
: Some people will like to see additional security, but others may think they are going overboard just to imitate Republicans in showing a "strong hand."
Expert Daglian said ridership continues to rise since the pandemic, despite insecurity, although “we are seeing
changes in when people travel
, including more off-peak and leisure travel.
The subway and buses are the only way many of us have to get around the city.
Passengers are resilient because they depend on transportation every day.”
Washington. Correspondent
ACE