New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) told reporters he “felt unsafe” taking the subway.
According to ABC News, Adams recalled when he took the subway on January 1. He called 911 to report a fight taking place near a subway station, as the outlet reports.
He then came across a passenger who was yelling and another sleeping on the train.
“On day one, I took the subway system, I felt unsafe. I saw homeless everywhere. People were yelling on the trains. There was a feeling of disorder. So as we deal with the crime problem, we also have to deal with the fact people feel unsafe,” Adams said.
On Saturday, a woman was killed after a man shoved her onto subway tracks in Times Square, as The New York Times reported.
Adams said during a news conference the “senseless act of violence” was an example of why the city needs to address the issue of mental health.
“To lose a New Yorker in this fashion will only continue to elevate the fears of individuals not using our subway system,” he said.
On Tuesday, Adams vowed to “drive down crime and we going to make sure New Yorkers feel safe in our subway system, and they don’t feel that way now.”
CNN reported in June shooting incidents in the city were up to 73% in May compared to the same period of time in 2020, citing the New York City Police Department.
The outlet noted police officers and commanders “blame a mix of factors for the rise in crime. The end of the pandemic has brought residents out of their homes. Guns have flooded these communities, often traveling a so-called ‘iron pipeline’ of trafficked weapons from southern states with more lax gun laws.”
Former NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea told CNN the department is “never going to let it go back to the bad old days. We have a spike in violence right now, as many other cities do.”
He was asked if it was controllable.
“Absolutely. We’re going to need help though. We’re going to need help,” Shea said.