[Correspondent Column] In the New York Subway

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] Even 16 years ago, when I first visited New York, the New York subway was notoriously infamous. It was old and dirty to the extent that large rats running around inside the stations was a common sight. The New York subway I visited again after a long time now seems to have become not only infamous as the "dirty subway" but also a "space of fear." Regardless of nationality, nine out of ten people say, "Avoid taking the subway if possible, and be careful," when they hear that you have accommodation in Manhattan.

New Yorkers who commute daily by subway shared some tips. They wear wireless earphones as mere "decorations," barely putting them in their ears, and avoid making eye contact with anyone. When waiting for the train, they stay close to the wall or stairs to prevent anyone from suddenly pushing them onto the tracks from behind.

New Yorkers define the 24-hour subway as the "veins of New York." Opened in 1904, the New York subway is a representative public transportation system used universally by everyone from high-salaried Wall Street workers to day laborers. However, it has now become "precarious, unpredictable, and dangerous" even for locals. Rania, a woman in her 30s living in the Bronx, said, "New Yorkers who take the subway know that homeless people, mentally ill individuals, or criminals can pose a threat to them at any time."

The news of Michelle Go, an Asian woman who died after being pushed by a mentally ill homeless person on the Times Square station platform last month, shocked locals greatly. Less than a week later, a man pushed a man in his 60s onto the tracks. Recently, a woman who ignored a man who approached her asking for "some time" as usual was stabbed and transported to a nearby hospital.

According to the New York Police Department (NYPD), there were a total of 461 major crimes on the New York subway last year. Among them, there were 8 murder cases, the highest in 25 years. Subway-related incidents and accidents in New York have surged during the pandemic. In the first two weeks of January this year, 96 subway-related crimes were reported, a 65% increase compared to a year ago. Yanno Rivera, CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which operates the New York subway, held a press conference last month and said, "Passengers do not feel safe. It is because of the increased number of homeless people and crimes that passengers fear." Local media estimate that about 1,600 homeless people essentially reside in the New York subway.

Although New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently promised to prioritize subway safety by deploying police, few New Yorkers seem to expect change. Sarah Jo, who has lived in the U.S. for over 10 years, said, "The reason is clear," referring to homeless man Marshall Simon (61), who pushed an Asian woman onto the tracks to her death. Simon, who had been homeless for about 20 years, was already notorious among passengers, but the police did not intervene in his behavior because he had not yet committed a crime. Ultimately, there is skepticism about whether the NYPD will proactively prevent dangerous behavior by homeless or mentally ill individuals. There are also calls for this to be linked with state and national security and welfare policies.

Mayor Adams, a former police officer, has been under scrutiny since taking office. When asked to define success in his first term, he answered "public safety." Public safety is the "prerequisite for urban prosperity."

Alexander Garvin, the late architect and urban planner who designed Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks, also said at the 5th anniversary of the terror attacks, "The city moves when the subway moves." Ensuring that citizens can safely ride the subway, the veins of New York, is a priority task for New York, which is removing masks and ending remote work, to move beyond "gradual daily recovery (with Corona)" and regain the city's vitality.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.