NEW YORK CITY—Crime and shootings in New York City have been rising for three consecutive weeks amid protests and unrest. During the weekend of Friday, July 17 and Sunday July 19, New York City reported 22 shooting incidents with 24 victims. During the month of June overall, the New York Police Department has reported that the number of shootings increased by 130 percent compared to June 2019. Last week on July 12, a 1-year-old boy was fatally shot at a family cookout in the Bronx, the youngest gun violence victim to recently be reported in New York City.
According to the New York Government Website, in an effort to curb the violence, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Friday that they will implement a new initiative called the “End Gun Violence Plan”, that will aim to address and manage increasing crime in New York’s 5 boroughs. The plan will consist of shifting police resources, such as patrol and investigation, to areas with high gun violence. Resources such as mobile trauma units and clergy on the streets will also be deployed to help keep crime down, as well as increased foot patrols.
“New Yorkers are resilient. We’re going to get through this… but we’re going to need some help, in terms of the laws that make sense, maybe refining some laws and making New York City as safe as it can be”, NYPD stated in a tweet on July 20.
The NYPD has pointed to bail reform, and the recent release of approx. 2,500 inmates from city jails to be explanations for the increasing crime rate. Unrest from Black Lives Matter protests and death of George Floyd are also believed to be contributing factors to the increasing violence as well.
“I’m devastated of what’s happening to the people of the city that really need the police”, NYPD Lieutenant Mack told Fox News on Monday, July 20.
