New York City faces a significant increase in crime and a decrease in both population and investment following a decade of left-leaning policies. Many conservatives blame the Big Apple’s current issues on the tenure of former Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and current Mayor Eric Adams (D).
There are a number of reasons behind New York City’s current difficulties. The administration of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) pursued the Broken Windows school of policing, which aimed to cut down on quality-of-life issues, including drug sales and vandalism.
Crime fell dramatically during Giuliani’s tenure.
This trend continued during the tenure of then-Republican former Mayor Michael Bloomberg (D).
The city has seen a profound shift in not only such quality-of-life issues but public perception of the direction of New York. A recent survey found that 61% of New Yorkers said that they feared being a crime victim while 51% said that they feared going out in public.
In particular, New York City was one of the locales most affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The city saw a sharp increase in residents leaving the city and New York State lost a seat in its representation in the House.
Furthermore, both the aftermath of the 2020 George Floyd riots and different approaches to policing appear to have contributed to the ongoing wave of crime currently affecting the city.
The city has seen crime of all types increase by more than a third since 2018.
New York saw a decline in several types of crime so far in 2023.
“New York City could have prevented all four of these crimes by doing what it used to do: policing disorder before it escalates to violence.” How have so many lost sight of this obvious truth? Death at CVS in @CityJournal https://t.co/pKdAsk3NAg
— Christina Hoff Sommers (@CHSommers) July 12, 2023
However, there has been an increase in the number of felony assaults and car thefts. Murders declined slightly so far this year, but are up 30% compared to 2018, while robbery is up about 25%. The city has faced a tripling of the number of car thefts during that period.
New York has also seen a significant increase in the drug trade, including both the synthetic opioid fentanyl and the veterinary sedative commonly called “tranq.”
Furthermore, the New York Police Department currently fields 2,500 fewer officers than at the beginning of 2020.
