‘An honest examination of what happened must consider larger contextual factors at play, which include a marked lack of truly affordable housing, useful mental health services, and easily accessible and appropriate shelter options.’
To get a sense of what older Bronx residents were doing and thinking on a typical day, City Limits and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism teamed up this week to collect a few vignettes of aging in the borough.
In the 83rd precinct that covers Bushwick, there were 77 murders in 1990, 44 in 1993 and 20 as recently as 2004. Last year, there were eight. This year the 83rd is on pace for six homicides.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a statement at the end of June in support of a transit ban for serial offenders, calling it a ‘common sense issue.’
‘It is time to send the transit fare control apparatus off for recycling, replace it with nothing but open corridors, and ask our police to find new roles for themselves in the subway environment.’
‘There are significant warning signs that could jeopardize the progress we have made against crime.’
‘To reduce crime, we need fewer vacant lots. It’s a proven, cost-effective strategy that empowers neighborhoods and improves quality of life for residents.’
The Block Watcher program was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. The program was revived in 2013 across several neighborhoods, including Bed-Stuy and Astoria, and then halted again in recent years.
It’s likely the jump is because of broader awareness. But there’s a debate about whether to make penalties harsher for sex crimes on trains and buses.
What lessons do the 14 detention facilities already in city neighborhoods have for the debate over where to put new ones? Our reporter and a veteran Bronx advocate weighed in on the air.