Monday, October 28, 2013

The bums are back

From the NY Post:

Cops are giving homeless people and panhandlers in the subways the kid-glove treatment, arresting subterranean scofflaws far less frequently than just two years ago, data show.

The ranks of the homeless, meanwhile, have swelled to 1,841 this year — a 13 percent increase over last year’s tally, the city’s Department of Homeless Services says.

For straphangers, it has created an atmosphere of fear.

“I feel threatened, especially taking the train at night,” explained Brooklynite Lortashia Smith, who said she has been followed off trains several times. “The police can definitely do more.”

The NYPD said panhandler/peddler arrests in the subway have increased over the past year, with 409 pinched so far in 2013 versus 395 in 2012. But those numbers pale in comparison to 2011, when it was reported that in a six-month span that year, a whopping 930 panhandlers and peddlers — the two are not separated in the data — were arrested.

“There’s been a drop-off,” acknowledged one police source.

The NYPD refused to provide full-year data for 2011, when cops were busy cracking down on underground quality-of-life issues as part of a Transit Bureau initiative called Operation Moving Target.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, DiBlasi hasn't even won the election and it already looks as if he's in.

Anonymous said...

You better watch out,
you better hold on,
you better grip your iphone
and avoid the con...
... Mayor de Blasio's comin' ... to town!

Anonymous said...

I notice an A train with some graffiti scrawled on an outer portion of one of the cars last week. I guess the sub-swine artistists are starting to practice.

Deke DaSilva said...

The De Blasio Age is upon us!

Squeegee Men will arise from the dead!

Haunted crack-houses re-opening in YOUR neighborhood!

Zombie panhandlers on every subway car!

More Halloween "treats" to come from the Democratic Party!

Anonymous said...

This is 100% Bloomberg and the MTA's fault. The problem has been growing since around 2008 when the economy went in the toilet. That's when the cops stopped kicking these guys off the trains early in the morning. Now it's not uncommon to see a few of these guys per train, even during rush hour. It's basically the 1980s all over again. Anyone who hasn't noticed this doesn't take the train every day... This is not a 'new' problem.

DeBlasio has nothing to do with this. Whether or not he does anything to address it remains to be seen, though it's somewhat doubtful he will. We'll see. It would be smart if he did because seeing this human debris every morning on the way to work really puts the message in everyone's face: NYC's sliding back into the shit & no one gives a damn.

Anonymous said...

They beat those bums at CB7...CB1...city hall...and so on.!

Anonymous said...

Scare tactics abound with these ultra conservative tea bagger Republican trolls posting on this blog.

I think that the continuing BAD ECONOMY (which Bloomberg was supposed to fix up) has more to do with this situation than party politics.

Grow up and get smart!

Anonymous said...

Sorry, Deke, you're not allowed to say any of that - it's "fear mongering", the "race card," and "hate." Even if it's true.

It's going to be hard for Lhota to make his case when the media are so deeply in DeBlasio's corner that they hammer Lhota so that DeBlasio doesn't even have to.

Trilby said...

Newsflash!!! De Blasio has not been elected yet! You could just as rationally blame Lhota, who also hasn't been elected. Really, the conservatism on this website is hilarious at times!

Anonymous said...

Newsflash: deblasio has been public advocate for 4 years. Plenty of time for him to have done something to advocate for these folks

Anonymous said...

This is exactly what the public wanted. Whenever the NYPD kicked the homeless out of the system or arrested them there were cries of racism and that they were bullying the poor homeless from all these homeless advocacy groups, and the public.

Now the cops stopped and people are going to complain that the police aren't doing anything, and that the homeless are back on the train? You cant have it both ways. This is what people wanted, now don't complain when you get it.

georgetheatheist said...

DiBlasi
de Blassio
De Blasio
DeBlasio
deblasio

Oy-yoy-yoy. Now, I'm totally vermischt.

Wilhelm, How the hell you spell your name?

Anonymous said...

Yep, once DiBlasio is in office, the 1980's/early 1990's will be back in nyc!! This time probably with more illegals than ever! And triple the welfare receivers!

Anonymous said...

The last time I was in nyc and used the sludgeway was a least two years ago. What a disgrace. Total opposite of the Giuliani years. Bums and grifters everywhere. Singers, dancers, beggars, a dangerous, stinking mess. I'd rather be in Philadelphia or even Boston.

Anonymous said...

The cops should do something about all the bums on the subway! They should stop and frisk all the bums!!! Oh.....wait.....

Anonymous said...

Because we forgot how and why the city declined, we are going to have to experience it all again.

The only thing for DeBlasio to do is to come up with the excuses why it has happened. Some commenters here are starting already.

Anonymous said...

if the city is in decline it's because of its dumb voters.

You elect a rich blowhard for a third ILLEGAL TERM and this is what you get.

Mayor Rudy took care of business like this. Why couldn't Bloomberg?