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j3ychen t1_ix27l4l wrote

I think these threads can be constructive given crime is on a lot of people's minds. Anecdotally, I do feel like the city has gotten less safe and at the same time have noticed recent uptick in police presence on streets and in subway stations, yet I don't know how helpful that is.

Now that the elections are over, I am curious to hear people's thoughts on two fronts:

  • If you don't feel like crime is a problem in NY, what do you think needs to be done to reassure people who feel otherwise?
  • If you do feel crime is a major problem in NY, what do you think the solution is? Or what can ordinary NYers do?
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NetQuarterLatte t1_ix2fdhj wrote

I’m pretty sure crimes and quality of life is not a problem for many people in NYC.

I’m also pretty sure that most of those people completely lack the awareness of how privileged their life is (even for NYC standards).

So they are not equipped to comprehend anyone who complains about those things.

To compound the issue, we have the politicization of it: people who have concern about crimes get labeled in all kinds of derogatory or dismissive manner, so the people who is unaware of their privileged start thinking that those who express concern must be malicious or brainwashed by the media / GOP.

I’m also convinced that people who have been downplaying concerns have actually made them worse. And have unwittingly helped the GOP in this past election cycle.

Because the act of dismissing the concern of someone tends to make the concern become more intense. That must have suppressed turnout (for people who couldn’t get themselves to vote republican), or must have increased turnout (for people who could hold their nose and vote republican).

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j3ychen t1_ix359ic wrote

Thanks for the assessment — I think you are right. But that still doesn’t answer the question of what the solution is.

It seems like people either were saying “Stop listening to Republicans” or “Vote Republican” (or some other variation) during the election season. Now that that’s over, I am wondering if anyone has any non-political ideas of what a solution might look like.

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NetQuarterLatte t1_ix3oavc wrote

I wrote a few in a past thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/nyc/comments/yong64/left_unmonitored_in_his_cell_he_etched_his/ivfq98g/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3

In addition to those, I believe the solution should include what progressives used to advocate for:

  • Increase trust in the police (such as having police officers that reflect the demographic of the communities, increase community relationships, etc)
  • Diversion programs, summer work programs
  • Stronger educational systems, better teachers (was there any insight from Teach For America?)
  • Improve family stability (to address the disparity of many POC growing in a single-parent home)

But what we have today is the advocacy of approximately the opposite:

  • too much denial that a problem even exists
  • dissemination of distrust in the police
  • weakening of schools/education (such as the exaggerated “rights” of a few students over schools/teachers and the education outcomes of the cohort)
  • “celebration” of single-parenthood and weakening of parents abilities to influence their children
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WickhamAkimbo t1_ix8mbtw wrote

> Because the act of dismissing the concern of someone tends to make the concern become more intense.

Yep. It's one thing to have a problem. It's an entirely worse thing to have a problem and realize that half the population denies its existence and will actively fight attempts to solve it.

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SilenceDooDooGood t1_ix4wjea wrote

I do feel like it is a problem, so I'll move on to the next question...

>If you do feel crime is a major problem in NY, what do you think the solution is? Or what can ordinary NYers do?

The solution is to fix bail reform, and lock up repeat offenders, while also implementing long term social solutions to these problems such as better educations, afterschool and sports programs, etc. so we can stop criminalizing the youth in low income communities.

In terms of bail reform, we need to allow judges to hold people pre-trial if they determine they are a danger, which is nothing something the law currently allows for. we also need to reform discovery laws which are crushing the DA's offices with an undue amount of work producing documents that sometimes have no impact on a proceeding. We need to bring back involuntary institutionalization, but in a compassionate way, no lobotomies or shock therapy. Violent mentally ill people need to be kept on their meds and kept away from the general population. We should make it a crime to sleep on a train or sidewalk; the only penalty being you are held in a shelter overnight. But we need to stop letting the homeless refuse services, they need the help and they'll never get there if we don't make them. These are a few suggestions that would help greatly.

What can people do? Be vocal. Many on this sub could stop denying the problems. That's a start. I'm not advising anyone to go out and become batman, but if you feel comfortable intervening if someone is in danger, do so (at your own risk). Those of us who can have to keep a watchful eye. Sometimes just being alert and making eye-contact with someone who a menacing say a train can prevent them from flying completely off the handle. Ultimately tho, for the public's part, its going to take advocacy, not action in the moment.

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swiftcleaner t1_ixaq36p wrote

The prison system itself is a shit show. Prison should be seen as a punishment, but reformation should be a top priority. There are people who genuinely where fucked by the system and led terrible lives. If you know anything about repeat offenders, it happens because prisoners aren’t given any guidance after jail. It’s the institution’s fault. Involuntary institutionalization was known to be abusive and I’m sure should it be reinstated, it would need to be HEAVILY monitored.

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tiregroove t1_ix5nujy wrote

>We should make it a crime to sleep on a train or sidewalk; the only penalty being you are held in a shelter overnight. But we need to stop letting the homeless refuse services, they need the help and they'll never get there if we don't make them. These are a few suggestions that would help greatly.

We should make it a crime to be this absolutely fυскіnɡ stupid and ignorant, the only penalty being you lose the right to vote.
Are you fυскіnɡ serious? Criminalizing homelessness?

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NetQuarterLatte t1_ix6ikoz wrote

Moving a homeless person from a train or from the streets to a shelter sounds reasonable.

Making it mandatory also seems reasonable, specially if that’s becoming a public disturbance. If I understand correctly, the only thing that would be illegal would be to refuse it.

Criminalizing homelessness is terrible because homelessness is not something people usually choose, it’s something they are a “victim” of.

But people who purposefully choose to stay homeless when there are available alternatives? I don’t think that’s in the same league of moral/ethical consideration.

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tiregroove t1_ix7jax1 wrote

>But people who purposefully choose to stay homeless when there are available alternatives?

One day you ought to ask a homeless person (or actually look it up) WHY they don't go to a shelter.
It wouldn't possibly cross your mind that there might be a reason now, would you?
https://www.thecity.nyc/2021/4/5/22366758/new-yorkers-choose-streets-over-homeless-shelters

The other reason they MIGHT be homeless is (who woulda thunk) the enormous wage/wealth disparity, where wages have stagnated for 15 years while housing/living costs have multiplied by at least a factor of 4 over the past 20 years, and yet all that gets built is more and more luxury housing because guess what, there's no profit for developers in building 'affordable' housing.

Otherwise known as 'late-stage capitalism.'

It's completely tone-deaf and sanctimonious of you and anyone else to pass judgement on homeless, or tell them what they should do, or suggest laws be passed to criminalize people simply for being poor.
I find it comical no one is suggesting passing any legislation to increase funding for homeless services and looking for solutions like increasing taxing on developers, who are making end-runs around zoning laws to build more and more unnecessary luxury skyscrapers while getting BILLIONS in city and state subsidies, i/e free money, while letting the homeless forever twist in the wind.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/31/nyregion/nyc-tax-credit-housing-crisis.html

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NetQuarterLatte t1_ix7ujyr wrote

NYC already spends 3 billion per year in homelessness.

You’re once more mixing people who become homeless involuntarily with those who choose to stay homeless.

You can’t blame that on capitalism.

If you’re blaming incompetence on the homeless shelter operations, lack of safety etc, then I’m with you here.

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needimmortality t1_ix6z6tf wrote

The guys above phrased it poorly but he is right to suggest some sort of action (forced treatment ,forced move to a shelter , etc) is needed to tackle the homeless problem in the short term. Sure , do long term things but need something short term.

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