The New York City (NYC) subway has never been a clean and safe place, and recently, it has grown more infamous for being dangerous. New Yorkers and tourists all joke about the poor infrastructure and cleanliness of the subways. There are even multiple social media accounts that document random things one can encounter when riding NYC subways. However, the idea that “you can see the most random thing in NYC subways” loses its humor once you think of the family and friends of the victims of the violent attacks that have grown more frequent in the subway.
Last week, I saw a post by my cousin who lives in NYC. My cousin, who grew up in New Zealand and moved to the city after college, has always been an outgoing and adventurous person. I have hardly ever seen her worried or in fear–whether it was going sailing in the South Pacific or skydiving. However, this time I saw the fearless explorer sharing her fear on social media. She stated “for the first time, I waited outside of the platform until the train drove in. I simply didn’t want to take a risk. A risk that could change my life forever.” That was a striking post for me to see. Although she said she was ok when I asked her, I saw that the danger of the subway affects her, even if she still goes out everyday.
Eric Adams, the Mayor of New York City, announced a new subway safety plan that aims to address “decades of failures.” More specifically, Adams’s plan starts with having more cops “enforce transit rules.” In contrast, Adrienne Adams, the Speaker of the New York City Council, reiterated that law enforcement should not be “counterproductive by criminalizing people who are in need of housing or treatment.” These comments showcase the existing tension between homeless people and Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) rules.
The NYC subway system has been playing a “Keep Away” game for responsibility. The police kick the ball to the MTA, who have no practical enforcing power to regulate behaviors. The MTA fails to enforce the rules, thus kicking the ball to riders and hoping that everyone will follow the rules of the subway. The ball is kicked further as the riders complain and the city sends in more cops as a result. The city then faces criticism for raising the police budget. What a hot mess! The ball circles around and nothing changes because no one truly wants to take responsibility. I would probably have the same thoughts if I were the policy maker. It is harder to take responsibility than to just kick a problem down the road. However, Mayor Adams, who is a former transit police officer, could have some different thoughts. The city cannot hide from the fact that there have been over 320 reported crimes in the first two months of 2022 in NYC subway, compared to 199 in the first two months of 2021.
The MTA acknowledges that many subway incidents are related to the homeless population who are most affected by the new plan. The plan does propose adding more drop-in centers and private beds for those who experience homelessness, but it is questionable that these will be more appealing or well known enough to the homeless than sleeping in subway stations. More attention to mental health, as well as psychiatric support and stability, are also part of the subway safety plan. Mayor Adams promised there will be 30 specialized teams with cops, doctors and other related professionals at high-priority stations in order to make fast responses and to help out those who might be in need.
I like that the new safety plan tries to address the problems that many politicians have ignored. However, I am hesitant to think the plan will have a long-lasting effect. Firstly, the homeless shelters have not been very successful in providing a stable place to live. In an ideal world, a homeless shelter would provide temporary housing for whoever comes in and help them gain stability. Unfortunately, most homeless shelters are simply a warehouse with beds with the goal of preventing people from freezing to death over cold winter nights and there is little additional assistance. Mayor Adams’s plan to relocate the homeless requires many follow-ups that need to be addressed.
Another issue is funding. It certainly will not be from the MTA itself, since it has been losing money for decades. It could partially come from NYPD, which also experienced budget cuts in recent years, or from the taxpayers, who should benefit the most from the new plan. However, taxes went up in 2021, and asking for more money from the taxpayers might be an unpopular move.
It will definitely take time to fully roll out the plan, but the first weekend of it was not great. Six incidents of stabbing were reported, along with several other worrying cases. While some riders reported that they felt the increase in police presence, the effects on the number of homeless in the subway was negligible. For riders on the subway to feel safe, there is still a good distance to cover.
