Mayor Eric Adams was positively De Blasian Sunday when he claimed there is only a “perception” of fear underground.
“We have a safe subway system,” he said after a heinous subway shoving that killed Michelle Alyssa Go. “Cases like this aggravate the perception of fear.”
Bill de Blasio similarly liked to say that attacks by the mentally ill homeless were “rare.” Except they’ve happened again and again and again.
It was just about a year ago that a deranged man stabbed four people while riding the subway, killing two. There are at least a half-dozen cases of people being thrown onto the tracks or into moving trains; most, thank goodness, survived. How many people have to be hurt or killed before it becomes a crisis?
The killing of Go is a crime that shocks the conscience and has far-reaching consequences. The subways are the veins of our city; if they are unsafe, the entire metropolis withers.
Mr. Mayor, stop talking about “perception” and give us some reality. What’s the plan?
Saying we’re only two weeks into your administration is a distraction. You’ve known since November (and let’s be honest, July) that this would be your mission. New Yorkers need to see that he has a strategy to deal with the mentally ill on our streets and subways.
We have some ideas:
- Police officers are not the only solution, but they need to be vigilant. The directive from the previous administration to the NYPD was: Don’t get involved. But cops on the beat are best positioned to see the signs of an emotionally disturbed person. They need to take them to a hospital or shelter proactively rather than waiting for violence.
- Stop outsourcing the mentally ill to homeless outreach groups. Too often these groups are ideologically opposed to forcing people into a shelter — whether that person is in their right mind or not. A social worker task force that answers to the city (rather than a non-profit) could focus on the homeless with mental-health problems, alleviating pressures on the police.
- Work with Albany on broadening the terms for involuntary treatment. Deinstitutionalization was the understandable reaction to the deplorable conditions inside many mental asylums, but allowing the schizophrenic to simply make their own decisions is not compassion. Already there are underused tools, such as Kendra’s Law, which allows family members to petition the state for help. The task force could reach out to family members proactively and get permission for medication and therapy.
The man who likely killed Go has cycled in and out of the justice system with various assaults. Members of the online discussion forum Reddit were describing interactions with him on the main Midtown subway lines; he’s notorious. The city dealt with him when he broke the law, but otherwise they just let him rant and rave and roam the train calling himself “God.” That is no solution.
How many are there like him in New York City? We’d wager fewer than 100. But they are a danger to themselves and others, and require a huge amount of police and medical resources. Whatever money de Blasio allocated to his wife’s Thrive initiative should be canceled and shifted to a solution for this.
We’ve given you some thoughts, Mr. Mayor, but we’re open to any ideas. The city needs action. Fix this.
