Even NYC Mayor Shocked by "How Bad This Place Is"

Mayor Eric Adams expressed how shocked he was to learn "how bad this place is" when he spent three hours with a team of NY police officers as they patrolled the subways after dark.

He also added during an interview with the NY Post journalist who went along for that ride that he was astonished by the poor "deployment of resources," allowing for an almost 40 percent surge in major crimes over the last year.

"And I started peeling back layers," he tells the reporter, "and what it started to unveil to me is how we just had this good shell, but underneath — it's bad."

In 2021, NYC saw a significant crime increase to the highest level in years. Felony assaults were above  22,000 for the first time since 2001. Murders reached 486, the most since 2011. Shootings have declined nearly 12% this year, and murders are down 13%. On the other hand, robberies are up almost 40%, and grand larcenies and auto thefts have also gone up by 50% and 48%, respectively. Transit system crimes are up 54%. 

"We can no longer ignore quality-of-life issues," Adams says.

The mayor traveled by subway from Manhattan to Brooklyn in order to see firsthand the changes that have evolved since he worked as a transit cop. 

"We have to be smarter riders," Adams insists, pointing to examples as he comes across them, including women standing on their own in secluded or poorly lit areas. 

Instead, Adams says, "They should be standing by, you know, the help button right there, right near the steps."

"We have to be smarter riders to not allow people to be the victim," he adds.

Photo Credit: NYPost/Paul Martinka