Random attacks put New Yorkers on edge, highlight flaws in mental health care
The New York Daily NewsApr 06, 2024
The outcomes of these two assaults were profoundly different, but the narrative was familiar: The alleged assailants each had a history of psychiatric problems and encounters with an inadequate mental health care system where too many people fall through the cracks. They had no connection to their alleged victims.
“I feel like New Yorkers are already aware of their surroundings, but now, it feels like it’s really serious, and we have to be more aware now,” said
The attacks, along with other episodes, have set the city on edge. While Mayor Adams points to dropping crime rates since he took office in 2022, a rash of random assaults — including women being punched on the streets — shows the effect of unpredictability. The randomness of the attacks, and the fury behind them, have shaken the city.
“If I’m just walking down the street minding my own business, or if I’m just walking down the street looking at my phone, I shouldn’t have any fear of getting punched in the face or getting a rock thrown at me, but that’s not the case,” said
A key factor often cited in the conversation about random attacks is mental illness, though the full picture is far more complex and varied. Both McPherson and Israel had run into a system often criticized for both putting New Yorkers at risk and failing those desperately in need of care.
McPherson, who was homeless, had been arrested several times before the subway shoving incident and had been labeled as an “emotionally disturbed person” by cops. Late last month, he walked into Manhattan Criminal Court for his arraignment on murder charges visibly incoherent, making high-pitched squealing sounds and spitting on the floor. He’s being held without bail.
Before that appearance, he had bounced between different shelters, never getting the help he needed, even at shelters designed for those with mental illness and despite his family’s efforts to help him, according to reporting from the Times.
Mayor
For his part, before the most recent attack with a rock in
He’s currently being held on
“I think most people don’t have much faith in the mental health system that we have. And the safety net is not really there,” Herrmann said.
These attacks come amid a bout of random street punchings, with young women taking to TikTok to share their experiences — and injuries. Cops have investigated 12 random punching incidents over the past two weeks and have made six arrests, the
“The chances of you getting victimized are very, very, very, very, very, very slim, but, again, it happens,” Herrmann said. “And we see it happening, we hear about it happening and it is random. So, it’s not like we shouldn’t be aware or concerned about it.”
The impact of the statistics, headlines and viral TikToks is apparent on the streets and subway platforms of the city. New Yorkers now cautiously eye the edge of the train platform, tuck their phones in their pockets or turn down the music in their earbuds.
Fernandez, of
“What am I supposed to do if a 200-pound man attacks me?” she wondered.
“Definitely, you just have to be aware,” said
“It’s crazy. I mean, who wouldn’t feel, like negative about all that?” Hernandez, who works as a doorman, said.
Barry, a retiree from the
“The main thing is, if people feel there’s more crime, there will be more crime, because there’ll be fewer people around, and having people around is what makes the city safe,” Barry, 72, said.
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