Al, Eric and the Q

What spurred Al Sharpton’s epiphany this past week that crime in NYC is out of control?  

He saw the video in the NY Post of the guy stealing ten steaks from a downtown Manhattan Trader Joe’s.  Here’s a link to the video:

https://nypost.com/2022/02/08/video-shows-man-nabbing-10-steaks-from-nyc-trader-joes/?utm_campaign=iphone_nyp&utm_source=mail_app

Sharpton complained to MSNBC that drug stores are even “locking up my toothpaste.”  

Well Sharpton, the crime crisis goes way beyond keeping your Crest under lock and key.

The prestigious Quinnipiac Poll that was released this past week is shocking. I’m attaching a link so you can read it for yourselves.

http://poll.qu.edu

Here’s what you’ll find.

Almost 75 percent of New Yorker voters think crime is a very serious problem.  That’s the highest number Quinnipiac as ever recorded.  The previous high was 50 percent.  

Crime is up in almost every police precinct and in the transit system.  Less than six years ago, the great majority of people felt safe riding the subway during the day. Now less than half of those surveyed feel safe.  And at night, the numbers are even worse.  A little over 25 percent feel safe on the subways.

How far has this city sunk?  What have our elected officials, the people whose sworn duty is to protect we, the citizens, what have they done?  How many lives have they destroyed by their feckless and reckless behavior? 

I think we’ve hit rock bottom and when you’re at the bottom the only way out is to rise up.

In that same Q-poll that is so devastating about crime, homelessness and hopelessness, in that same record-setting poll, more than 60 percent of NYC voters are optimistic about the next four years with Eric Adams as Mayor.  They think he has strong leadership qualities, the right stuff to right the sinking ship.  

Almost 70 percent say he has strong leadership qualities.  57 percent say he understands the problems like they do and 54 percent say he is honest and trustworthy.

I’ve been covering NYC politicians for forty years.  From Koch to Dinkins to Giuliani to Bloomberg to Deputzio. I’ve seen them rise and fall.  I’ve seen them soar and squander the people’s support.   

As I wrote in my very first blog on Friendwithoutbenefits.com, Mayor Adams needed to hit the ground not running but racing and that was before two cops were murdered and people were shoved onto subway tracks. 

As subscriber Hillel so astutely comments in last week’s blog,  

“Our true sense of justice needs reactivation. It is not OK to continue the status quo.”

Mr Mayor, your honor, use your bully pulpit to reactivate the “true sense of justice” that the voters are demanding.  Remind your colleagues in government of the laws they are sworn to uphold and whom they were elected to protect.  Show them the Quinnipiac Poll.  Show them how the public believes in you (for now).  Tell them the status quo sucks!

And to my fellow citizens, keep a scorecard of those public officials who will spurn the Mayor thereby spitting in the eye of every citizen of this city.

Keep a scorecard because your influence DOES count, when you USE it!