Society

Faced with growing insecurity in the subway, New York City is calling on the National Guard to protect users with heavily armed soldiers who are not unanimous.

Acts of violence are exploding in the New York subway. Tourists and daily users (more than 3 million) are worried about the situation and no longer hesitate to file complaints. To respond to their fears, the state governor, Democrat Kathy Hochul, is using strong-arm tactics: last March, she announced the mobilization of the army on all the main lines.

“At least 750 members of the National Guard and 250 additional members of the State Police will be distributed throughout the public transportation system. They will come to lend a hand to the police. Random bag searches will be reinforced. Those who refuse to comply will not be able to go to the platforms,” reports Tribune de Genève. There will also be more surveillance cameras to help judges identify people guilty of crimes and ban them from taking the metro. No more fear that the millions of people who have to go to work will sit next to a “knife-carrier”. The governor insists that there will be no more repeat offenders.

The situation is alarming. Indeed: “the number of serious crimes in the metro of the megacity of 8.5 million inhabitants exploded by 45% in January 2024 compared to last year. Thefts, violence, fights: three deaths have been reported since the beginning of the year,” indicates the Tribune de Genève.

While 20% of users said they would travel more by metro if there were fewer people with “erratic behavior” on platforms and in stations, some defenders of individual and civil liberties believe that the measure goes too far and is in no way a response to the problems of poverty and access to mental health care, already rooted for years in public transport. How could these armed soldiers monitor the 400 stations of the megalopolis? Is this measure too ambitious?

We're waiting for the first indications…

(MH with AsD - Source: Tribune de Genève - Illustration: Unsplash)