Vagrants, scofflaws, and thuggish youths are already troubling the MTA’s new, futuristic subway trains, marking another victory for the forces of degradation dragging on New York City.
According to The Washington Post’s Matthew Sedacca, a tour on Tuesday discovered “three homeless individuals and an addict” in “various degrees of consciousness across four of the ten luxurious cars” of the $27 million train. “At rush hour, one man was zonked out and muttering to himself, and others spread out on benches to snooze.” The homeless appear to prefer new cars because they are more comfortable than older versions.
However, this can cause the trains to stink. “It still stinks, and there’s someone laying down on the seat,” one passenger observed. “I was looking for something better.”
“A group of teenagers in the gap between two cars, hanging their arms underneath the moving train to record the sound of the wheels,” is also observed.
The Post also witnessed smoking (including tobacco and marijuana), beer drinking, and other unlawful in-subway activity. Earlier this week, the new train grabbed headlines after another gang of adolescents pulled an autistic child, 15, from a car and battered him on the platform while yelling racist slurs.
“You can have the best subway equipment in the world, but what’s the point if you don’t have the security to protect passengers?” Charlton D’souza of the transport advocacy group Passengers United was asked.
Nonetheless, the NYPD (with funds from Gov. Kathy Hochul) has managed to significantly reduce subway disturbance in recent months by paying overtime for an increased police presence underneath.
Yet OT can only go so long; cops must sleep and have a personal life. Furthermore, the military is experiencing unprecedented amounts of departures.
As Nicole Gelinas points out, subway crime has yet to return to pre-reform levels. It is unlikely to do so unless the Legislature finally agrees to meaningful remedies to its inept criminal justice “reforms.”
New Yorkers elected Mayor Eric Adams to reduce crime and unrest both below and above ground, and he is doing so. (As is MTA management: the new trains have numerous cameras and other security features.)
Nonetheless, the forces of chaos continue to have a large number of adherents in Albany, the City Council, and the District Attorney’s offices. It appears that people will need to conduct a lot more “electing” to achieve the desired transformation. As Sedacca points out, “we can’t have nice things” until politicians hear the message.