Crime reduction in New York with Sean Hayes? So far, there have been 80 homicides in New York City in 2021, up 6 from the 74 recorded during the first quarter of 2020. Auto thefts were also higher for the period, with 1,852 stolen vehicles recorded, up from 1,533 tallied at the same time last year. But the other major crime categories — rape, robbery, felony assault, burglary and grand larceny — also experienced significant decreases during the first three months of 2021.

Asked about the increase in gun violence on Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio argued that state-mandated COVID-19 restrictions are hamstringing the court system, leading to more violent crime. “Remember our court system is not functioning right now and that is making it bad for everyone,” de Blasio told a reporter. “We don’t run the courts. The State of New York needs to bring back our court system.” Lucian Chalfen, a spokesperson for the state court system, pointed out that the court system is running and regularly arraigning defendants after they are arrested. While in-person jury trials resumed three weeks ago, grand juries have been meeting since July. “Virtually, just last week, we commenced more than 1,200 bench trials and hearings (no jury) and conferenced 23,870 matters – both civil and criminal,” Chalfen wrote in an email. “On a daily basis NYC Criminal Court arraigns anywhere from 175-250 defendants, including 3 to a dozen illegal gun possession cases and holds other hearings in lieu of grand jury presentations.” Chalfen added, “The mayor should remember that the way shifting blame works is to be cognizant as to how another branch of government is functioning before doing so.”

Election of Brooklyn’s District Attorney Eric Gonzales and other pro-reactionary radical criminal-justice reform movement prosecutors led to the decriminalization of many crimes, the emboldening of criminals and the acquiescing to bail, by prosecutors, in all but the most exceptional of cases. This led to an increase of dangerous suspects and convicts on our streets. Judges are prohibited, in New York, from considering the dangerousness of a suspect when granting bail, thus, without cash bail or a change in the powers of our judges, we are stuck with releasing to our streets those that prosecutors and judges know are a danger to the community. Find more details on https://www.seanhayes4nyc.com/post/new-york-is-in-the-middle-of-a-crime-wave.

Additionally, the detractors note that many of the crimes were crime of desperation caused by economic stress on families. However, this argument does not pan out when we consider the statistics. The reality is that throughout New York’s history a link is not found between poverty and shootings. For example, the lowest homicide rate was, in New York, in 2016 and the poverty rate was higher in this year than in the year when we had the highest homicide rate – 1989. The stats do not add up to poverty being the cause of the increase in homicides and shootings.

Sean Hayes a 47-year old NY Attorney; Head of an International Law Firm; former lawyer working in China, Korea & Southeast Asia; former Professor, CEO, Dean of a UN University and Journalist fears that our City shall turn to the Dark Days of the 80s and early 90s, because of reactionary and radicalized politics in New York and the lack of experience, pragmatism, and problem-solving skills of our politicians. Sean is running in the Democratic Primary for City Council in District 1. Sean believes that we need politicians with the intelligence, experience, emotional maturity and dedication to develop plans to solve the issues facing New York City. These politicians, in many case, are looking for a fast-track to fame, fortune and a higher political office with little care for the needs of the communities they serve, thus, leading to a decreasing tax base, deterioration of public housing, decrease in the quality and efficiency of services, low morale in our government servants, lack of accountability in government, less affordable housing, increase in crime, higher taxes, decrease in the quality of life and increased fraud waste and abuse. See more details on https://www.seanhayes4nyc.com/.