Chris Lange, FISM News
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has acknowledged that progressive politics have played a role in the soaring crime plaguing cities across the U.S.
“Major mistakes made throughout the years that destroyed the trust that the police commissioner is talking about – we have to rebuild that trust,” Adams said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday, referring to comments made by former NYPD Commissioner William Bratton last week. “But we can’t rebuild that trust by allowing those who are dangerous and that have – they have a repeated history of violence to continue to be on our streets,” Adams added.
Bratton slammed progressive crime reforms he decried as having gone “too far” in protecting criminals during a “Bloomberg Businessweek” podcast Thursday.
“The scales right now are tipped very heavily in favor of the reforms of the progressive left. Well intended, some needed, but a bit too far,” Bratton said, adding that leftist policies have resulted in “this growing fear of crime, this growing actual amount of crime in almost every American city.”
Adams said that he agreed with Bratton’s assessment. “We have to rebuild that trust,” he told “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos. The mayor previously said that crime was a national issue and that it’s not “red state, blue state.”
New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, who appeared alongside Adams during the broadcast, said the city “cannot lose sight of the victims of crime.”
We believe the system has to be fair and balanced, but when we lose sight of the victims of crime, we are not doing what public safety is intended to do,” she said.
“We have to rebuild that trust. But we can't rebuild that trust by allowing those who are dangerous and that have a repeated history of violence to continue to be on our streets,” NYC Mayor Eric Adams tells @GStephanopoulos. https://t.co/ahuu0Up1K4 pic.twitter.com/ppgyvXnlEN
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) April 17, 2022
Stephanopoulos also asked the mayor and Sewell about last Tuesday’s subway shooting in Brooklyn, questioning whether there needs to be a better system in place to track individuals like suspect Frank James, whom he said was practically “hiding in plain sight.” James had been arrested dozens of times, including on a threat of terror, and posted lengthy rants and death threats on social media in the years leading up to the subway attack. He was arrested Wednesday for the shooting that left 29 people injured.
Adams responded to the host’s question by saying that social media companies need to be more vigilant in monitoring harmful content posted on their platforms.
“There’s a corporate responsibility when we are watching hate brew online,” said the mayor. “We can identify using artificial intelligence and other methods to identify those who are talking about violence.”
Sewell argued that crime in the city’s subways is still lower than pre-pandemic numbers.
“We recognize that people need to see a visible presence of police in the subway and we’re endeavoring to make sure that that happens,” Sewell said.
Crime in the Big Apple rose by a staggering 58.7% in February, compared to the same time period in 2021, NYPD statistics show. The city has also seen a 40% increase in homicides over the past two years and the highest number of shootings in a decade, according to a transcript of Mayor Adams’ April 3 “Face the Nation” interview posted on the City of New York’s website.