Until 2 months ago I lived my entire adult life and raised my family in NYC. This coincided almost entirely with the period I call the interegnum when 20 straight years of non Democratic mayoralties literally turned around New York' problem with crime and disorder and made the city as close to a paradise as its ever been. I would never have raised my children there otherwise. When the idiot residents of New York allowed DeBlasio to become mayor on a pledge to reverse every policy that led to the turnaround I was horrified. I remember speaking to a friend of mine, a very smart and succesful lawyer and I warned him what would happen if the police stopped being proactive and the safety policies of the Bloomberg years were reversed. As you described, he scoffed and said it wouldn't happen. It's horrible how generations need to learn the same lessons over and over again. It will probably take another two decades and a return to 2,000 murders a year before New York gets another Giuliani type. So sad. I live in Texas now.
There is also another (related) problem. Something like 70% of people released from prison are back in jail or prison within 5 years. The System just is not working the way we are told it is supposed to work. It is neither harsh enough to deter someone from committing a crime, and it doesn't really rehabilitate those who do. We have to figure out Who can be rehabilitated (ie they screwed up) an those who can't.
Terrific piece. I was shocked by the 20,000 number. I hadn't realized it had gotten that bad. Any ideas as to why the numbers are a bit down now?
BTW I remember Bernie Goetz well not the least because when it happened my office colleagues could not resist changing my nickname to "Subway" for obvious reasons.
Until 2 months ago I lived my entire adult life and raised my family in NYC. This coincided almost entirely with the period I call the interegnum when 20 straight years of non Democratic mayoralties literally turned around New York' problem with crime and disorder and made the city as close to a paradise as its ever been. I would never have raised my children there otherwise. When the idiot residents of New York allowed DeBlasio to become mayor on a pledge to reverse every policy that led to the turnaround I was horrified. I remember speaking to a friend of mine, a very smart and succesful lawyer and I warned him what would happen if the police stopped being proactive and the safety policies of the Bloomberg years were reversed. As you described, he scoffed and said it wouldn't happen. It's horrible how generations need to learn the same lessons over and over again. It will probably take another two decades and a return to 2,000 murders a year before New York gets another Giuliani type. So sad. I live in Texas now.
There is also another (related) problem. Something like 70% of people released from prison are back in jail or prison within 5 years. The System just is not working the way we are told it is supposed to work. It is neither harsh enough to deter someone from committing a crime, and it doesn't really rehabilitate those who do. We have to figure out Who can be rehabilitated (ie they screwed up) an those who can't.
Terrific piece. I was shocked by the 20,000 number. I hadn't realized it had gotten that bad. Any ideas as to why the numbers are a bit down now?
BTW I remember Bernie Goetz well not the least because when it happened my office colleagues could not resist changing my nickname to "Subway" for obvious reasons.