NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Advocates are calling on New York City to do more to end gun violence after shootings jumped 77% and murders increased by 17% this year.
Statistics for 2021 show gun violence and murders are up in New York City, and Richard Aborn, president of the Citizen’s Crime Commission of NYC, says the rise in crime is especially bad for New Yorker’s psyche.
The one thing we really can't have as COVID goes in the rear-view mirror is a second pandemic of shootings and murders,” he said.
He feels that the city needs more cops on the streets, and says arrests, prosecutions and punishment should be certain. Aborn also believes gun crime cases should be accelerated through the judiciary system.
“They get carved out and they go through the court process as quickly as humanly possible,” he said. “I'm a firm believer that swiftness and certainty is a much bigger deterrent than is harshness offense.”
Aborn wants the NYPD to create a Gun Crime Strike Force to focus on getting guns off the street and putting an end to gun violence.
Meanwhile, there's been controversy about bail reform putting dangerous criminals back on the street – but, Aborn stresses that that assumption remains unproven.
“We don't really know yet whether there’s an outside impact of bail reform on criminal offenders,” he said.
Aborn says the city can beat the surge in violence, but says Mayor de Blasio has to show its heads of urgency.
“If the mayor wants to make this happen, he could turn this into a real campaign and make it happen,” said Aborn.
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