New York crime wave solutions by Sean Hayes, candidate, NYC Council District 1

Crime reduction in New York by Sean Hayes? “Programs and activities that help communities produce safety, from after-school programs, to gyms, to violence interruption programs, they were closed or severely limited,” she said. “All of these informal and formal systems and networks that typically mitigate violence, particularly for youth…were either shut down, or they were sick and dying. Or losing their jobs. Or had other stressors on them to prevent them from being the strong networks that existed before.”

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea has continued to insist that criminal justice reforms, including the state’s 2019 bail reform laws that went into effect last year, are driving the increase in violent crime, despite evidence to the contrary. The reforms prohibited judges from setting bail in most cases, except those charged with violent felonies. “We have one simple ask,” Shea told an interviewer last week, after a Brownsville man killed his girlfriend and two of her children before turning the gun on himself. “We need to give judges discretion to keep dangerous people in jail.” But New York’s wave of gun violence is coming at a pivotal moment in the city’s history. In June, Democratic primary voters will likely choose the next mayor. That same month, the city’s budget will be due, setting up another massive public battle over whether to redirect money from the NYPD to the city’s poorer communities, predominately Black and Latino, who are disproportionately affected by gun violence.

Increase in pre-trial diversion programs that prohibit prosecution if, for example, one attends art classes. These programs were, even, offered to some gun offenders. These programs have increased the number offenders on our streets with the understanding by the offenders that in many cases an offender shall merely get a slap on the wrist. In 2017, the NY City Council passed legislation that moved to close Riker’s Island and to replace Riker’s Island with jails around the City. With one jail scheduled to be built in City Council District 1. The new proposed system shall, only house 1/2 of the present jailed population. Thus, the Mayor’s Office and City Council proposed additional alternatives to incarceration programs such as the Mayor de Blasio and the NY City Council commenced program to decrease the number of people in prison and implement a supervised release program. Many of those scheduled to be released shall be dangerous to the community. See additional information on https://www.seanhayes4nyc.com/post/new-york-is-in-the-middle-of-a-crime-wave.

Detractors are Wrong, the Pandemic Did not Lead to the Increase in Crime: The argument that the pandemic caused the increase in crime is tragically flawed if we consider the matter logically and via statistics. The detractors note that poor economic conditions and a shift in routine activities led to the 2020 Crime Wave. The arguments are tragically flawed and are being used as a mere red herring by these detractors.

Sean Hayes a 47-year old NY Attorney; Head of an International Law Firm; former lawyer working in China, Korea & Southeast Asia; former Professor, CEO, Dean of a UN University and Journalist fears that our City shall turn to the Dark Days of the 80s and early 90s, because of reactionary and radicalized politics in New York and the lack of experience, pragmatism, and problem-solving skills of our politicians. Sean is running in the Democratic Primary for City Council in District 1. Sean believes that we need politicians with the intelligence, experience, emotional maturity and dedication to develop plans to solve the issues facing New York City. These politicians, in many case, are looking for a fast-track to fame, fortune and a higher political office with little care for the needs of the communities they serve, thus, leading to a decreasing tax base, deterioration of public housing, decrease in the quality and efficiency of services, low morale in our government servants, lack of accountability in government, less affordable housing, increase in crime, higher taxes, decrease in the quality of life and increased fraud waste and abuse. See additional information on https://www.seanhayes4nyc.com/.