Killings in NYC subway system skyrocket to highest level in 25 years — even as ridership plummeted

[beijingwalker]

Killings in NYC subway system skyrocket to highest level in 25 years — even as ridership plummeted​

By David Meyer,
Craig McCarthy and Gabrielle Fonrouge
October 11, 2022

The Murder Express is running local.

Killings in the New York City subway system since 2020 have skyrocketed to the highest annual levels in 25 years, even amid plummeting ridership numbers, as the city grapples with an overall spike in random violence, NYPD data show.

Since 1997, the earliest data The Post was able to access, there had never been more than five subway murders in a single year until the COVID-19 pandemic struck in 2020 and brought that number up to six for the first time in decades.

The next year, murders shot up to eight. So far in 2022, there have already been seven killings.

Together with 2020’s toll, that’s 21 slayings — which is more murders than the transit system saw between 2008 and 2019 combined.

“It used to be ‘I know if I don’t go to this neighborhood, I will be safe,’ but today you don’t have that,” said Professor Maria Haberfeld from CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal, a former lieutenant in the Israel National Police.

The number of murders on the subways has skyrocketed since 2020.Composite
“You can take the subway anywhere at any time of day, in broad daylight, and there is no guarantee of safety,” she told The Post.

The transit killings come after public officials have repeatedly promised to flood subway platforms and cars with police officers under Mayor Eric Adams’ subway safety plan, which has sought to reduce violence by cracking down on quality-of-life offenses and homelessness.

Despite the efforts, overall felony crime on the subways is up a whopping 42% compared so far this year compared to the same period in 2021 — and this year’s death toll is on pace to eclipse the eight murders clocked last year.

Police investigate a fatal stabbing on the subway.Christopher Sadowski

Most recently, two Big Apple dads – Tommy Bailey, 43, and Charles Moore, 38 – were separately knifed to death on their commutes home from work in random attacks that have left experts scratching their heads.

“It makes no sense,” said Chris Herrmann, an assistant professor at John Jay, who once served as a crime statistics expert at the NYPD.

“The victim wasn’t threatening, the victim was leaving, it doesn’t make sense when it comes to the victim-offender relationship,” Herrmann said, referencing Moore’s Oct. 6 murder at the 176th Street station in The Bronx, which happened right after the Citi Field worker had exited the train.

“It’s definitely a much more violent subway system, and it’s ironic when you look at the ridership numbers, it’s still down, so those numbers stand out even more.”

Seven people have been murdered on the subway system so far in 2022.Christopher Sadowski

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2019, when an average 142 million people rode the trains each month, three murders happened in the subway system. These days, an average of just 81 million people are taking the train monthly, a small uptick from 2020 and 2021, which saw an average of 53.3 million and 63.3 million riders per month, respectively.

Dr. Dorothy Schulz, a professor emerita of law and police studies from John Jay College, said the low ridership numbers could be why so much violence is happening underground.

“Less subway activity by commuters or tourists has contributed to the fact that the percentage of people who are on the subway or streets with mental-health issues is higher,” Schulz told The Post.

“The subways are safer when there are more legitimate riders, commuters, tourists, whatever. That’s a place where the quaint expression ‘there is safety in numbers’ comes in,” Schulz said. “It keeps the others in check [on] the subway particularly, because if you are alone, there is a sense of vulnerability, and if there is someone looking to attack, they sense that.”

There were more murders on the subway over the last three years than 2008-2019 combined.Michael Dalton

The MTA pointed out that homicides per million riders dropped 18% between 2021 and 2022 but acknowledged “violence is never acceptable.

“There’s no way to console those who have lost loved ones, and with murders dropping this year citywide by 14%, we are confident the NYPD will bring the same success to the transit system,” MTA rep Sean Butler said.

While overall crime on the rails is down 5% so far this year compared to the same time period in 2019, when ridership numbers were stable, straphangers are still 53% more likely to be the victim of a felony crime this year when factoring in the low ridership numbers.

During a crime-stats press briefing Friday, the morning after Moore was killed, NYPD Transit Chief Jason Wilcox intimated that violence in the subways is more “perception” than “reality.”

The number of murders on the subway system have been going up since 2020.

“The mayor, the NYPD and the MTA implemented a subway safety plan at the start of this year. The mission then and now is to confront the many challenges we race on the subways, including crime, quality of life and homelessness,” Wilcox said.

“We fully understand that perception could sometimes influence behavior just as much as reality can. So as the commissioner said, we remain committed to ensuring our public transit rides are not only safe but that they feel safe, too.”

To ensure New Yorkers are feeling safe underground, he said, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell partnered with the MTA to record audio announcements that’ll air every 15 minutes at 400 subway stations through the end of October.

“Hello, I’m NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell. New York relies on its subway system like no other city in the nation. And your NYPD officers are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to keep it safe,” one of the announcements states.

“Enjoy your ride, and thank you for choosing mass transit.”

Killings in NYC subway system skyrocket to highest level in 25 years — even as ridership plummeted

Killings in the New York City subway system since 2020 have skyrocketed to the highest levels seen in 25 years, even amid plummeting ridership numbers, as the city grapples with an overall spike in…

nypost.com

 

[beijingwalker]

A dozen bloody attacks on NYC transit system in two weeks​

By Gabrielle Fonrouge
October 10, 2022

Three murders. Five stabbings. Countless other attacks.

Over the past two weeks, more than a dozen people have been violently attacked on the New York City transit system, including three fatally, in a string of bloody, frightening incidents.

As more New Yorkers get back on the subways and buses in the waning days of the COVID-19 pandemic, major felony transit crime has shot up nearly 42% so far this year compared to 2021, NYPD data show.

While transit crime so far this year is 5% lower than for the same period in 2019, before ridership was decimated by the pandemic, violence has remained a consistent concern for commuters, many of whom have no other way to get around.

Here is a rundown of some of the most violent incidents to happen on the transit system in the past two weeks:

1. Sept. 30: Dad of two fatally stabbed on the L train ​

Tommy Bailey, a hard-working father of two known as a “Canarsie legend” for his athletic prowess, is stabbed to death on his commute home from work.

The steamfitter had allegedly gotten into an argument with Alvin Charles, 43, during the ride, prompting the homeless man to fatally stab him in the neck near the Atlantic Avenue station.

In the last two weeks there have been over a dozen people violently attacked on the New York City transit system.

Loved ones of Bailey, also 43, claimed his death could’ve been prevented had Charles not been freed on bail for a similar subway stabbing that happened in July 2021.

“If they [had] done something about it back then, Tommy would have still been alive and we wouldn’t be talking right now,” said Jaylin, Bailey’s 18-year-old neighbor in Canarsie.

“His death is on their hands. No common sense. That’s sad.”

NYPD at the Atlantic Avenue subway station in Brooklyn after Tommy Bailey was fatally stabbed on a train on September 30, 2022.Wayne Carrington

2. Oct. 1: MTA bus driver slashed on the job ​

A 52-year-old MTA bus driver is slashed by an irate customer on a Saturday morning in Harlem.

The suspect got angry with the driver when he didn’t open the rear doors of the bus, prompting him to march up to the worker, spit on him and slash him twice on his left forearm as he threatened to “go get my gun.

“I live in these projects,” the suspect told the wounded driver before fleeing.

3. Oct. 2: The ‘Green Goblin’ attack ​

A group of women decked out in bizarre, neon green bodysuits brutally attacked and robbed two 19-year-olds at the Times Square subway station around 2 a.m. after one of the victims apparently bumped into them.

“She said she was attacked by aliens,” the mother of one of the victims told The Post the day after the assault.

“Yesterday was her birthday. This is how she spent her 19th birthday. I hope they get what they deserve and then some because it’s disgusting.”

The suspects made off with a cell phone and purse and remain at large.

4. Oct. 3: Man randomly shoved onto subway tracks at Union Square​

A 25-year-old straphanger headed home from work and waiting for a No. 6 train was suddenly pushed onto the trackbed around 9:30 p.m., allegedly by an emotionally disturbed homeless man.

Hours after Clarence Anderson allegedly shoved the man, who was saved by good Samaritans, he attacked another innocent New Yorker – a construction worker toiling near Columbus Circle.

“He shouldn’t have been on the streets,” the subway-shove victim, who needed 18 stitches to close the gash on his head, told The Post.

“I won’t be taking the subway after 7 p.m. again. … Something needs to be changed or fixed.”

5. Oct. 4: Man slashed at Times Square subway station​

A 31-year-old man was slashed in the leg at the tourist hotspot after getting into a fight with another guy just after 11 p.m.

Dramatic video posted to Twitter shows officers treating the injured and bleeding man on the subway platform, with a trail of blood behind him.

Blood on the floor at Times Square station after a man was stabbed on October 4, 2022.
Gregory P. Mango
It’s not clear what sparked the fued.

6. Oct. 6: Man randomly stabbed after ‘shoulder tap’
A 59-year-old man was stabbed in the shoulder around 1 p.m. inside the 125th Street A, B, C and D station in Harlem.

The victim had missed his stop and was walking up the stairs to get to the southbound platform when he encountered someone who was blocking his path and tapped him on the shoulder, police said.

The pair then started arguing before the suspect took out a knife and stabbed him.

7. Oct. 6: Man slashed, possibly for wearing the wrong color
A 45-year-old man was slashed in the face while passing through the turnstile at the A train station at Pitkin and Grant avenues in East New York, Brooklyn, around 5 p.m.

The victim claimed to police that he did not know his attacker but said he was wearing blue and that his assailant may have believed he was a gang member.

The suspect took off on a scooter.

8. Oct. 6: Beloved father fatally stabbed while commuting home
Charles Moore, 38, was headed home from his job at Citi Field around 10:30 p.m. when he was knifed to death at the 176th Street and Jerome Avenue station.

Saquan Lemons, 27, allegedly randomly killed the dad on the crowded platform shortly after “tumbling out” of a No. 4 train, prosecutors said during his arraignment on murder charges.

9. Oct. 8: Teen hunted, beaten and stabbed on the Upper East Side ​

A 17-year-old victim commuting home from his job at Shake Shack was violently attacked Saturday afternoon at the East 53rd Street and Lexington Avenue station, leaving him with six stab wounds.

The attackers, who were clad in all black and wore face masks, had gone to the teen’s job asking where he was and then followed him into the subway system.

10. Oct. 9: Dad of four fatally stabbed on the bus ​

Lamont Barkley, 55, was on a BX19 bus around 8:30 p.m. Sunday when he was killed by a woman and man he’d been arguing with, police said.

Before to the fatal stabbing, Barkley had gotten into an argument with the woman at a nearby bar, Glen Roy’s Public House, prompting her to call the man to come to the area, police sources and neighbors said.

At some point, the trio got on the bus, where the man and woman attacked Barkley, sources said.

Ebony Jackson, 42, was taken into custody in connection with the incident and charged with murder and manslaughter Monday.

11. Oct. 10: Woman bashed in head in random attack ​

A 49-year-old woman was waiting for the No. 2 train at the Cathedral Parkway subway station in Harlem around 2:30 a.m. Monday when she was suddenly whacked in the head with an unknown object.

No words were exchanged before her attacker, a stranger, took off, cops said.

A dozen bloody attacks on NYC transit system in two weeks

Over the last two weeks, more than a dozen people have been violently attacked on the New York City transit system, including three fatally, in a string of bloody, frightening incidents.

nypost.com

 

[beijingwalker]

Trains from the hell...

 

[beijingwalker]

Comparisons of Urumqi, NYC subways go viral, show prosperity of Xinjiang

Comparison of a subway station in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and one in New York City Photo: screenshot of Twitter

Pictures comparing a clean, bright and modern subway station in Urumqi, capital city of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and an old, shabby one in New York City in the US have gone viral, adding proof of how lives in the remote region in China have improved after effective measures against terrorism and extremism since 2016 have restored stability.

Pictures of pillars with flower-shaped structures and light blue walls are in sharp contrast to the century-old New York City subway, where tainted white tiles are falling off pillars, exposing cement inside.

"Let us take a look at both photos below, and both of them tell us a lot about which country promotes a better life for its people," Twitter user Bosco Dantas posted.

Admittedly, it is unfair to directly compare a recently built subway station with one built in the early 20th century.

But "why can Americans spend $2 trillion in Afghanistan while they don't repair or renovate the subway they ride every day?" a netizen asked.

Some also pointed out that a platform without screen doors is very dangerous. Lines 1 and 2 in Beijing, which started operation in the 1960s and 1970s, were upgraded with screen doors and elevators a few years ago.

The New York City subway system has actually become a cyber laughingstock and inspired many memes due to its age and poor maintenance.

Not long ago, a comparison between that system and the subway in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province, generated similar reactions, but what's different this time is the modern station is in Xinjiang, a region that had to bear too many groundless smears and attacks from the West.

Another Twitter user wrote under the pictures that Xinjiang has modern structures but people live poor lives. That was immediately refuted by a comparison of homeless people on the streets in the US and people strolling through a shopping district in Xinjiang.

Observers believed that netizens' reaction to the comparison demonstrated public discontent over biased Western media and politicians' endless attacks on China's Xinjiang region, which go against the truth.

The Xinjiang subway station also has station names and signs in the Uygur language, according to pictures posted by netizens, unlike the cultural genocide that some Western forces have claimed.

Twitter user Doro Zhang posted sarcastically "good news, they [Western reporters] did not get a chance to take a picture of the subway being built. They would call the site cordoned off with blue boards a 'detention camp'."

"You can always turn a blind eye to the progress that Xinjiang has made and find an angle to attack the region and China. But that will not help clean the New York City subway," wrote another Twitter user, whose profile is said to be that of an international student in the US.

Comparisons of Urumqi, NYC subways go viral, show prosperity of Xinjiang - Global Times

www.globaltimes.cn

 

[beijingwalker]

42 views Oct 29, 2021 Modern subway stations in Urumqi, capital of China’s Xinjiang. This prosperous city was put on a label of “genocide” by evil Western politicians. 中国新疆首府乌鲁木齐的现代化地铁站。这座繁荣的城市被邪恶的西方政客贴上了“种族灭绝”的标签。

 

[VCheng]

Pictures comparing a clean, bright and modern subway station in Urumqi, capital city of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and an old, shabby one in New York City in the US have gone viral, adding proof of how lives in the remote region in China have improved after effective measures against terrorism and extremism since 2016 have restored stability.

Upon hearing this news, people in NYC are lining up outside Chinese consulates and embassies to move to Urumqi. Obviously.

 

[beijingwalker]

Upon hearing this news, people in NYC are lining up outside Chinese consulates and embassies to move to Urumqi. Obviously.

China is not open yet and China doesn't accept immigrants

 

[VCheng]

China is not open yet and China doesn't accept immigrants

What a pity that people elsewhere cannot move to a place with such wonderful trains and station. Indeed.

 

[beijingwalker]

Upon hearing this news,

By the way, do you have any idea how to fix the problems in New York subway?

 

[lastofthepatriots]

 

[beijingwalker]

What a pity that people elsewhere cannot move to a place with such wonderful trains and station. Indeed.

But your politicians and media are calling the place hell on earth non stop 24/7. The real genocide happens in US, even in its subways but not in Xinjiang.

 

[VCheng]

By the way, do you have any idea how to fix the problems in New York subway?

Obviously, the central government should provide more subsidies so that the people do not have to pay their fair share on upkeep. More centralized planning is the solution, obviously, but USA is too stupid to follow the Chinese model.

But your politicians and media are calling the place hell on earth non stop 24/7

While in reality, it is truly commie heaven.

 

[beijingwalker]

While in reality, it is truly commie heaven.

We don't believe in heavens but that place is not the hell either like the west tries so hard to portray. New York subway actually looks pretty close to hell.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

even amid plummeting ridership numbers,

According to Chinese logic plummeting numbers means the subway should expand service instead of closing parts of it down.

I tell you all the time about plummeting numbers and you never listen. You think the solution is to make more subways.

 

[beijingwalker]

According to Chinese logic plummeting numbers means the subway should expand service instead of closing parts of it down.

I tell you all the time about plummeting numbers and you never listen.

We have glistening bullet trains in Tibet next to Indian border where very few people live, it's not an excuse for dilapidated infras, China has around 50 cities running subway networks, most of them have much less ridership than New York, but they are still spotlessly maintained and no crimes, in China, subways should be the safest place to go.