Subway Crime Rates: Fear Versus Facts
Panic about increased criminal activity in subways isn’t backed by facts, contrary to what Marc Molinaro suggests in his recent opinion piece. While Molinaro is fond of using data to draw attention to a supposed ‘alarming spike’ in violence, he fails to highlight key context. What’s often left out of the conversation is the total number of transit users on MTA subways, roughly 4 million daily passengers. Envisioning this figure over the span of a year even with a conservative estimate, we arrive at around 700 million subway rides.
When you consider the total criminal incidents reported by Molinaro for 2024, at 1,177 incidents, you realize it’s a rather insignificant portion—roughly in the thousandths of a percent— considering the hundreds of millions of subway rides taken each year. We must understand the unique and personal suffering that the victims of these crimes go through, for sure. Their pain must be acknowledged and addressed promptly through lawful means, whether criminal or civil.
Nevertheless, it is important to consider the narrative around crime in addition to raw figures. The way we discuss and spread word of criminal activity has the power to shape our collective perception of safety. Everyone from law enforcement, to MTA employees, to riders themselves all have a part to play in the prevention of crime. Gaining an accurate understanding of the problem will, in turn, help improve overall safety.
The Mayor and the Police Commissioner have announced the successful removal of 3,000 firearms from the streets of New York. However, the question remains, how many more are still in circulation? A query begs for an answer from public leaders such as the Mayor, Governor, and Police Commissioner — should stronger implementations of stop-and-frisk be considered?
Should that be the suggested course of action, they ought to explain their reasons so that New Yorkers can understand their position. Alternatively, if their answer is a resounding no, their explanation needs to be equally transparent, making their stance clear to the populace. Four individuals were tragically murdered in the city; they’re part of the more significant number of over 400 Americans who were shot today, with over 100 of those cases proving fatal.
Does any Republican-majority state or federal legislative body have the courage to pass effective gun legislation? The right to bear arms is constitutionally protected, but what about the right to safety, free from firearms threatening limbs and lives? Another tragic incident involves a mentally unstable person with access to a semi-automatic weapon.
When will legislators take decisive action to prevent anyone with mental disturbance from gaining access to weapons? Typically, we can count on the likes of Trumpauld to shift the blame for the most recent shooting onto political figures like Joe Biden or Barack Obama. Dennis Middlebrook’s letter accurately assessed how Trump would have compared to FDR as a presidential candidate in 1944.
If Trump had emerged victorious in that hypothetical contest, it’s feasible that we’d be living under a tyrannical regime today. Trump’s very slogan, ‘America First’, echoes Charles Lindbergh and his Hitler-sympathizing associates who used the same phrase to advocate for isolationism before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Our gratitude extends to those who gave generously to the Gaza’s malnourished children. Interestingly enough, it seems to expose a contradictory sentiment within the MAGA movement: supporting Israel while harboring anti-Semitic sentiments. A comment from Jeffrey Nelson makes for an intriguing observation: the aspiration to make America ‘great’ again may not be as rosy as it seems.
On a tangent note, we might as well question the widespread usage of vaccines that have played a significant role in eradicating and preventing serious illnesses. Recently, Lee Zeldin and the EPA expressed intentions to overturn the 2009 declaration recognizing greenhouse gases as public health threats. This statement serves as a cornerstone for the government’s legal ability to confront climate change issues.
Stripping away this declaration essentially betrays our future generations, undermining the sacrifices made in the face of climate change. The headline, “Trump’s sweet Coke deal will worsen U.S. health,” sadly reveals an unsettling truth— most people just don’t seem to care.