Innocent by association?

To the editor:

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch recently complained that Albany had undermined “broken windows,” the strategy that she claimed the police needed to fight crime. James Q. Wilson and George Kelling in their famous 1982 Atlantic essay argued that “serious street crime flourishes in areas in which disorderly behavior goes unchecked.” As a result, there is a need to focus on not only low-level crimes that have previously been ignored, but also on disorder.

Mayor Adams, as well as Governor Hochul, appear to have adopted this public safety playbook.  Both have repeatedly said that the police should address minor infractions and disorder on the subway and streets. The homeless, mentally ill and an unknown number of criminally inclined migrants have been targeted. An implicit link is made between subway and street-level disorder and violent crime. 

This controversial approach to policing disproportionately affects the poor, minorities and outsiders. Deviancy is defined up for these and other less privileged groups. Yet it’s ironic that deviancy has been defined down by the behavior of Adams and other miscreant politicians such as Donald Trump and Andrew Cuomo. 

New Yorkers might be confused about what is the “new normal” for the mayor of New York City.  Has it become the standard of behavior established by Eric Adams? This includes multiple corruption indictments, at least 19 top aides resigning (some of whom were themselves under investigation), and the corruption case dismissed with prejudice by the Department of Justice so the mayor can cooperate with the policies of a lawless Trump administration.

Eric Adams has asked why he should resign before receiving due process and before being “convicted of something.” But how can the mayor receive due process and prove his innocence when he and his high-priced lawyers have done everything possible to avoid a trial?

Howard Elterman