Guardian Angels founder calls ‘deluded’ New York politicians over subway violence: ‘Slap in the face’
New York politicians are being called out for taking a soft-on-crime approach as subway crime incidents continue to rock the Big Apple.
“Guardian Angels” founder Curtis Sliwa harshly criticized New York politicians for double standards towards violence during “Fox & Friends,” calling their handling of the crime a “slap in the face” to residents across the Empire State.
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“Give anyone who goes underground a bulletproof vest and give them an individual cop like Eric Adams,” Sliwa told Brian Kilmeade on Monday. “The mayor has 12 armed police officers with him. Like Kathy Hochul has 12 state supervisors. These politicians are delusional. They’ll tell you, ‘That’s your perception of crime. Perception!’ What a slap in the face to everyone who has to take the subway and pay taxes.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul has come under fire for saying she stepped up subway security after high-profile crime incidents. In spite of installation of security cameras and deploying 1,000 National Guard members to patrol subway cars, critics say she has not done enough to protect New Yorkers.
Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during a press announcement to unveil a path to zero-pause congestion pricing. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Murders in the subway have increased by 60%, writes the New York Post. The media reported in September that eight people died on subway trains in New York, compared to five in the same period in 2023.
“It’s never been worse,” Sliwa said of the rise in crime. “We have a combination where when you go down to the subway, it’s a combination of ‘Dante’s Inferno’, ‘Clockwork Orange’ and Jack Nicholson in ‘The Shining’ and ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.’ This guy you’re talking about, 87 years old, he’s not hard to find, he’s a creature of habit.
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“The cops locked him up. Prosecutor Bragg, you know his name, gets him released over and over again,” he continued. “He’s a threat to everyone in that subway system. Then they issued an all-points bulletin. This man is extremely dangerous.”
The criticism of Sliwa comes after a man was arrested over the weekend in connection with two alleged stabbings. The suspect, who faces assault and weapons charges, had reportedly been arrested 87 times prior to the incidents.
The arrest follows a brutal subway killing last month when illegal immigrant allegedly burned 57-year-old Debrina Kawam, born in New Jersey, died.
Surveillance footage of the attack showed the suspect approach the woman, who was sitting motionless and possibly sleeping, while she was on the F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station, then set her on fire.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, a a previously deported immigrant from Guatemalahe was arrested a few hours after the terrible event. He was accused of one count of murder in the first degree, three counts of second-degree murder and one count of arson in connection with the horrific incident.
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Sliwa, who founded the “Guardian Angels” decades ago to strengthen public safety, sent volunteers back underground after Kawamo’s brutal murder.
He argued that no one is safe on the transit system, and politicians have done nothing to mitigate the threat.
“Everyone is in danger in the subway,” Sliwa said. “Look at that woman who turned into a human torch. Debrina Kawam, Cheerleader, All-American, Jersey Girl. When I deal with the homeless and the emotionally disturbed, what do we ‘guardian angels’ do, because they are forgotten people, they are Americans and migrants who have been placed in hotels.”
“Americans let them sit in their misery and drive around and around. We don’t help them, and when we talk to them, we find out that these are people like you and me who just had a hard time, and now they’re forced to live on the subway.” , he continued.
“And our officials, your governor and our mayor, are doing nothing.”
Fox News’ Peter Pinedo and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
