de blasio blames courts for crime surge
NEW YORK CITY (77WABC) – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio placed the blame for rising crime squarely on the court system.
During his Monday press briefing, the mayor said that the city had 18 trial verdicts during the first half of this year, but in 2019 there were 405 verdicts during the same time span. “It’s now the end of August 2021 and almost every other part of our society is back full strength,” he said. “Why on Earth is the court system not back?”
However, court officials say that the mayor and NYPD are simply trying to scapegoat the court system.
“Yet again, the mayor demonstrates his glaring lack of understanding of the criminal justice process in this state,” said Lucian Chalfen, a court system spokesperson. Chalfen added, “His gaslighting rhetoric regarding court operations is an attempt to shift the public safety discussion. The court system has been back at full strength – with all Judges and staff fully back in person in the courthouses since May. Trials are being held, but for cases to be tried, you need the prosecution and defense to have their cases prepared, which isn’t occurring in a number of counties.”
“To fight violence, to fight crime, you need to address all crimes,” the mayor also said during the Monday briefing. “You can’t just focus on the gun offenses. If the court system isn’t moving, there are no consequences. It stops us from ensuring there is every tool available to fight crime.”
Murders and shooting incidents are still up 35 percent and 100 percent from 2019 levels, according to NYPD’s crime statistics.
Many de Blasio critics blame the new bail reform law which makes most crimes not eligible for cash bail.
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— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) August 30, 2021
