Source: Anadolu / Getty
New York City has been struggling with rising crime rates for a few years now, and though the rate has been dropping across the city in recent months, crime inside the subway system has still proven to be problematic.
Looking to tackle the growing problem, Governor Kathy Hochul has decided to take things up a notch and is now deploying the National Guard to patrol New York City subways to help curb criminal activity.
According to Raw Story, Governor Hochul announced Wednesday (March 6), that she has called on the National Guard to provide 750 troops to help the NYPD maintain peace and order in the crime-ridden subway system throughout the five boroughs of New York City along with 1,000 members of state personnel. Just last week, a train conductor was inexplicably slashed on his neck when he peaked out the window of his train car to check the platform. That act might’ve been the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Naturally, many New Yorkers took issue with the decision as it will have New Yorkers feeling like they’re living in a police state (in the subway at least), but the outcry doesn’t seem like it’ll have Hochul backtracking anytime soon.
Per Raw Story:
“The service members of the New York National Guard are always ready to assist our partners as they ensure the safety and security of our fellow citizens,” said the force’s commander Major General Ray Shields in Hochul’s statement.
Hochul, who is responsible for the state-run authority that runs New York City public transit, highlighted the weekend case of a man kicked onto the tracks at New York’s busy intercity Penn railway station.
“Three people rushed to save him, pull him back into safety,” she said in a briefing. “These brazen, heinous attacks on our subway system will not be tolerated. People worry they could be next, anxiety takes hold. (Passengers) shouldn’t worry the person sitting next to them is carrying a knife… that’s what we’re going to do with these checkpoints.”
People will be randomly chosen for bag checks in subway stations and violent passengers will even be banned via a new program. How they’ll go about enforcing that ban is anyone’s guess. Will they use face recognition technology or something? Should be interesting to see how that plays out.
No word on how long this new extreme measure will last but this has the potential to end badly as New Yorkers are known for their “f*ck off” attitudes.
Be safe out there, y’all.
What do y’all think of Kathy Hochul’s decision to deploy the National Guard in the New York City subway system? Let us know in the comments section below.