They were warned time and again. Examples had been put forth. Common sense flooded toward them from every corner, yet the leftists in New York would not be persuaded that defunding the police was a bad idea.
Now they’re seeing just how bad of an idea it was as New York’s shootings skyrocket to 358 percent since last year after the disbanding of anti-crime units.
According to NBC4, the totals have been widespread, not just concentrated in one area. What’s more, many of them were just innocent bystanders:
A total of 74 people were wounded in the 55 shootings, at least 19 of them injured in more than a dozen shootings across the five boroughs on Saturday alone. Most of that gunfire was in the Bronx; four of those shootings were in Brooklyn, two in Queens and one in Manhattan, the NYPD said.
One man died, a 35-year-old shot in the neck in Brooklyn. The survivors varied in age from 16 to 47. Some of the victims were innocent bystanders struck by stray gunfire, police said.
This followed on the heels of the NYPD’s crime unit being disbanded, taking around 600 officers and placing them in new roles as the department changes up its tactics according to The Daily Caller. The decision to do so was made after the death of George Floyd. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed police reform legislation, which included the displacement of the 600 plain-clothed officers.
As the Caller reported, this came with a number of other requirements for the NYPD to follow:
Cuomo signed the “Say Their Name” reform package last week to “help reduce inequality in policing and reimagine the state’s criminal justice system,” according to a statement. The package also banned chokeholds and prohibited false race-based 911 reports.
“Police reform is long overdue in this state and this nation, and New York is once again leading the way and enacting real change to end the systemic discrimination that exists in our criminal justice and policing systems,” Cuomo said in a statement. “These critical reforms will help improve the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”
The Daily Wire reported that the problem likely stems from arrests made for gun possession this year being released simply because a grand jury couldn’t be presented with their case within six days, which is the statutory limit for holding people in custody without an indictment.
“About 40% of those arrested on gun possession charges had been released without bail, thanks to Democrat-led “reforms,” reported the Daily Wire.
In short, New York politicians reacted to the emotional outrage of various groups over the death of George Floyd in order to obtain political brownie points, but now real citizens are suffering as a result. Proactive policing has always been the key to keeping crime rates much lower, as the rest of the time, the police can only be a reactionary force.
Stripping police of the ability to prevent crime before it happens can only lead to more suffering and harm, yet thanks to the unrealistic fears about police abuse, many have cried out for unnecessary police reforms.
(READ: No, There Isn’t an Epidemic of Racist Shootings by Police)
It’s likely going to get worse before it gets better. This “reimagining” of how the NYPD conducts itself in the course of protecting New York seems to be more experimental, if not more political. More fashion than actual function.
Time will tell, but in the meantime, innocent people are going to be paying the price for all this political posturing.
