Public Safety Action Plan
New Yorkers have faced too many terrifying incidents: a serial groper targeting women near Prospect Park and random shoves into subway tracks. These attacks aren’t just headlines—they’re symptoms of gaps in public safety and support.
According to recent reporting, a “Park Slope Prowler” assaulted at least four women near Prospect Park between late July and mid-August 2024. Victims describe desperate fear, skipping evening walks and avoiding dark streets after sundown nypost.com+3nypost.com+3nypost.com+3. In another alarming episode, a commuter survived being shoved onto the subway tracks—a disturbing, near-fatal act in a vital public space .
These events reveal a troubling pattern: when individuals leave prison or lack mental health support, they often end up struggling—and our streets and subways pay the price.
A Solution-Focused Roadmap
1. Create an Exit Plan for People Leaving Jail
Reentry isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a life-saving bridge. Every person exiting incarceration needs:
• Stable housing—whether temporary or permanent—to reduce desperation and instability
• Mental health support—individuals with serious disorders should transition directly into licensed supportive housing programs rather than into shelters or the streets.
Programs like Breaking Ground’s models show that combining housing with social services reduces recidivism and improves community safety en.wikipedia.org.
2. Surge Mental Health–Based Housing Support
Temporary fixes are not enough. We need long‑term, supportive housing units dedicated to those with serious mental illness, integrated with on‑site counseling, case management, and peer support. This is critical to preventing behavioral crises on public transit and in our neighborhoods.
3. Enhance Community Transit Safety Measures
Safe environments depend on both infrastructure and presence:
• Channel more funding into transit-focused police or unarmed safety patrols—especially late at night
• Install better lighting, emergency call boxes, and platform surveillance to reduce anonymity for bad actors
• Partner with mental-health response teams that can respond alongside police when there’s a mental health component
4. Educate and Empower Riders
• Launch public awareness campaigns about subway safety, including what to do if someone is acting mentally erratic
• Provide tools and training for bystanders and station agents to de-escalate situations safely
Why This Matters to Voters
• Makes public spaces safer today – Better lighting and patrols deter perpetrators, while supportive housing prevents crisis-driven incidents
• Creates sustainable solutions – Exit plans and supportive housing tackle root causes, not just symptoms
• Protects everyone – Safe streets and subways benefit women walking home, seniors commuting, and families riding together
Action Checklist
When you vote, ask candidates:
• Will they require exit plans connecting every person leaving jail with housing and services?
• Will they build permanent supportive housing for people with mental illness?
• Do they commit to funding transit safety upgrades—lighting, call boxes, safety personnel?
• Will they launch public education campaigns on how to respond to mental health crises in public?
New York is stronger when every commuter can ride without fear, every resident can walk their neighborhood after dark, and every person leaving jail can access support rather than fall through the cracks.
Voters deserve leaders who not only promise safety—but deliver it, with fairness and compassion, on our streets and in our subways.