DeBlasio Denies Times Square Shooting will Impact Tourism as Crime Spikes

By: Ilana Siyance

 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio offered his response to the tragic Times Square shooting that took place on Saturday while offering remarks at a Monday press briefing. The Mayor deferred blame to the federal government, ordering Congress to crack down on gun control.  He also denied that the incident, in which three innocent by standers were shot, would hurt tourism.

 

“Look, this kind of thing should not happen in our city. We need Congress to help us to stop the flow of guns into New York City,” said the mayor, who has supported defunding the police, and disbanded the NYPD’s plainclothes anti-crime unit in 2019.  “We got a lot of work to do. But we know what works, and the NYPD is out there constantly making adjustments sending officers where they’re needed most,” de Blasio said at a press conference.  He noted that more police officers would be deployed to protect the areas, including from the Police Department’s highly visible Critical Response Command unit.

 

As reported by the NY Post, on Saturday at about 5 p.m. an illegal CD peddler having a dispute with his brother wildly opened fire, shooting three people.  Police and law enforcement sources said he was aiming for his brother but instead he shot the leg of a 4-year-old girl who was toy shopping with her family; a 23-year-old woman who got shot in the in the right thigh, and a 43-year-old woman was hit in the left foot.  The suspect, Farrakhan Muhammad, is still on the loose.  While the victims have been released from the hospital, at least one victim still has a bullet in her leg.

 

On Saturday the tourist area, known lovingly as the Crossroads of the World, had been filled with families and children, and had quickly turned into mayhem with people running for their lives.  “How many kids have to be shot before we take this seriously…” NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said. “How many more kids do we need to be shot before we realize that bad policies have consequences.”

 

Asked whether the disturbing violence in the middle of the day would keep tourists from visiting the area, the mayor claimed, “I don’t think it will, honestly.”  “We’re putting additional NYPD resources in the Times Square area to add an extra measure of protection,’’ de Blasio said. “In the end, people want to come to this city.”

 

“The city is clearly coming back” he added, taking credit for the easing of the pandemic. “Much earlier than I thought. We’re starting to see tourism already.’’

 

Eric Adams, Brooklyn Borough President and mayoral candidate, has called for the return of the Police Department’s plainclothes anti-crime unit. “I happen to disagree with him on the issue,” the mayor commented, shooting down the notion.