New York state has become overrun with crime. There are stories almost every day detailing the crime wave coming out of New York. Often there are stories of assaults happening on the subway, or violent attacks happening in the streets during the daytime. The amount of violence and drugs that are blatantly occurring on the streets has gotten out of hand.
Last week, Republican congressman Lee Zeldin’s two daughters were mere feet away from a drive-by shooting. His teenage daughters were home alone doing schoolwork at the kitchen table when they heard gunshots. Two teenage girls should not have to worry about a drive-by shooting happening right in front of their home while trying to do homework. You can only imagine how fearful they were as they ran to another room and locked themselves in while they called the police and their parents. No one should have to face this. Violent crime is no longer happening just on the subway but has come to the doorsteps of New Yorkers.
New York State has had to overcome a lot in the last few years, from the pandemic to the governor resigning over sexual misconduct. New York is a tourist state and the pandemic hurt the industry. Now when the tourism industry can finally rebound the increase in crime will only further deter tourists from visiting this great state. It is sad to see what is happening in New York and even worse that it does not have to be this way.
Often, when the stories coming out of New York make the news, it is later reported that the criminal was a repeat offender and they were recently released. Crime does not have to be out of control. What is happening in New York is a choice. There was hope that things would get better for New York City when former police officer Eric Adams was elected as mayor last year. Instead, De Blasio left but the crime stayed. Now with a new governor, nothing has improved. When election time comes around changes should be made. It is reprehensible that the crime crisis is not being addressed by the top elected officials in the state. This is not sustainable for anyone living in New York. To thrive the state needs tourism and business but tourists will stay home and businesses will leave if crime continues to go unpunished. With Congressman Lee Zeldin, who has already faced a knife attack earlier this year, running for governor there is a chance the crime wave could be addressed. His children have been traumatized by the shooting that occurred right in front of their house. With the violence becoming even more personal for him, he would be more likely to address it than Hochul who has not done anything to increase safety in New York since she came into office. It will be up to New Yorkers to decide if they want a different New York on election day.