THE POLICE STATE OF NEW YORK

THE POLICE STATE OF NEW YORK CITY

By: Derek Varsalona

Be careful New Yorkers.  The police state in New York is already here and it is not leaving anytime soon.  Due to an increase in crime that has been going on for at least two years only now has Governor Hochul decided to bring in the National Guard.  Well, if the National Guard are going to be doing the job of the police department of New York City then maybe we should consider cutting the police budget?  Don’t get me wrong the police do a great job.  But they are not equipped to handle the mental health crisis in this country that was brought on by the pandemic.  We should not expect public health officials to be police officers.  Nor, should we expect a police officer to be a public health official.

The New York City commuters are now seeing the National Guard at their subway stop to handle the rises in crime on the New York City streets.  But the rise in crime is not so much an economic issue as it has to deal with a public health emergency and public health awareness.  The pandemic has put a lot of stress on people.  Lockdowns have killed my psyche on a personal level.  Having NYC commuters see the National Guard at their train stop or bus stop does not make matters any better.  It makes matters worse.  

The police state is due to the rise in violent crimes in New York City.  With each passing day of the police state that goes through I am worried more and more about losing our civil liberties.   What we need to do is address the root cause of all these crimes.  The root cause is that we have a problem with a mental health crisis not only in New York City but also in America at large.  The pandemic only increases the mental health crisis that was brought on by social distancing, lockdowns, and mask-wearing.  

The National Guard is about policing.  But it is more than that.  The fact of the matter is that there are many more people with mental challenges due to the pandemic.  Lockdowns, when they were in effect only increased this situation.  Instead of having the National Guard and the police state the NYC Streets and Subways should be patrolled by mental health counselors on a 24-hour basis just like the police and National Guard.  My hope is that mental health counselors will be able to give mentally challenged citizens a person to speak to 24 hours a day 7 days a week and not on the phone but live in person.  If these mental health counselors want to be armed for their own safety they should be allowed to keep their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. 

To stop crime you must first solve the mental health crisis in America.  Sure no small task.  The best way to do that is to have these people be funded by public charity and crowdsource funding and stop the cuts to mental health programs.  As always comments accepted.

The Police Stae of New York
Image: Adam Gray
City and State New York
Cityandstate.com
March 7, 2024

Source: CNN.com “ US National Guard Troops Patrol New York City Subways.” CNN.com New York City: Sunday, March 10, 2024. 

https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2024/03/10/exp-moss-nyc-subway-intv-fst-031003aseg01-cnni-world.cnn