Photo: Flickr Creative Commons
More cops to fi ght
subway fare-beaters
BY MARK HALLUM
In the wake of legislation
being passed that would
eliminate cash bail,
Governor Andrew Cuomo is
alarming those in the field of
criminal justice with a new
policy that will deploy 500
additional police officers to
enforce fare evasion.
The loss prevention effort
cites an increasing amount
of revenue that may be
slipping though turnstiles
through the last several
years, but organizations
such as the Legal Aid Society
claimed it was a “cruel
policy” that targeted the
poorest commuters.
Cuomo said the
augmented police force on
subways and buses will also
stem incidences of sexual
assault and attacks on MTA
employees, but fare evasion
was the primary focus of a
recent press release.
Referring to the passage
of congestion pricing earlier
this year, the governor’s office
estimates that the amount of
revenue lost to fare beaters
went from $105 million in
2015 to $225 million in 2018,
and continues on trend to a
current $243 million.
“This year we succeeded
in making historic reforms
to the MTA and provided
significant new funding
streams that will overhaul
the system,” Cuomo
said. “But the MTA is still
plagued by problems of public
safety, attacks against transit
workers and persistent fare
evasion — issues that have
only worsened in recent
years. This new multipronged
effort will improve
safety on the system overall,
protect workers from these
incomprehensible assaults,
and deter fare evasion by
deploying 500 new uniformed
officers on our subways and
buses. I want to thank the
TWU, the NYPD, the MTA
and the Manhattan district
attorney for their cooperation
and partnership to tackle
these critical issues.”
Cuomo acknowledged the
likely impacts of increasing
fare evasion enforcement,
namely an increased number
of arrests for people who
cannot even afford a $2.75
MetroCard swipe.
The Legal Aid Society
also stated that an increased
police presence in the transit
system would even deter
their clients from meeting
court obligations and
accessing services.
“The further
criminalization of lowincome
New Yorkers who
cannot afford MTA fare
erodes the progress we have
made to make New York
a more fair and just city,”
said Tina Luongo, attorneyin
charge of the Criminal
Defense Practice.
At a Monday press
conference, MTA president
Pat Foye explained
police will mitigate
perceived dangers posed
by homeless individuals
sleeping in stations,
particularly stairwells
and crowded platforms
claiming that they could
cause accidents.
“I think it’s particularly
dangerous in a subway
environment,” Foye said.
“The revenue the MTA loses
every day to fare evasion is
vital to maintaining and
improving out subway and
bus network for all New
Yorkers. And it’s simply not
fair to the 8 million subway
and bus customers who do
pay their fare everyday.”
Read more at QNS.com.
The handshake deal
What the tentative, nearly $93B budget means for you
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Speaker Corey Johnson make their handshake agreement in the City Hall
Rotunda Friday afternoon. Courtesy of Mayor’s offi ce
BY BILL PARRY
Mayor Bill de Blasio and
City Council Speaker Corey
Johnson reached an early
handshake agreement last
week on a balanced $92.8
billion city budget after
weeks of negotiations.
The de Blasio
administration claims its
budget protects the city’s
fiscal health by maintaining
record levels of reserves
and a “robust citywide
savings program.”
The agreement includes
funding to place 200
additional social workers in
public schools and the city is
expanding its commitment
to senior housing by adding
$275 million between 2020 and
2023 with resources that will
help generate an additional
800 affordable senior homes.
“We’ve reached an
agreement that promises
to create a pathway to pay
parity for our early childhood
education providers to address
recruitment and retention
issues, expand services
that prevent unnecessary
detention and fights the
widespread national attack
on access to abortion care,”
de Blasio said on June 14.
“We’re also strengthening
our support services is
schools by providing over 200
social workers for students
who need them most,
fulfilling our commitment to
senior affordable housing and
putting our new expanded
speed camera into action.”
The City Council and the
de Blasio administration have
jointly funded justice reform
initiatives that address
historic disparities in the
justice system including
an expansion of diversion
programs, such as post-arrest
diversion, supervised release
and transitional housing.
In order to make sure
every New Yorker is
counted in the 2020 Census,
the budget provides for
outreach staff and public
awareness campaigns.
The Council was able to
secure increased funding
for parks, increased
resources for libraries,
summer youth programs and
trash collection.
“The Council has been
focused on securing a
responsible, equitable budget
for all New Yorker from day
one,” Johnson said. “This
budget is a result of a united
Council fiercely advocating
on behalf of our constituents
and prioritizing initiatives
that will benefit all New
Yorkers.”
Johnson added the
Council and the de Blasio
administration will work
together to expand the
staffing of the Office of
Hate Crimes.
“We’re accomplishing
all of this while protecting
the city’s fiscal health by
increasing savings and
adding $250 million to our
already historic levels of
budget reserves,” de Blasio
said. “I want to thank
Council Speaker Corey
Johnson, Finance Chair
Daniel Dromm and the
rest of the City Council for
their partnership.”
The budget includes
more than $300 million
in new savings, on top of
the $2.5 billion achieved
in the citywide savings
program over 2019 and 2020,
reached primarily through a
permanent reduction of 2,600
city-funded positions.
The City Council will have
to approve the budget before
the fiscal year begins July 1.
“The FY 2020 budget is a
progressive and responsible
budget that truly delivers
for all New Yorkers,” City
Councilman Daniel Dromm,
Chairman of the Committee
on Finance, said. “From
increases in funding for our
parks and LGBTQ community
services to an allocation
for additional school social
workers, this is a budget in
which we can all take pride.”
Reach reporter Bill
Parry by email at bparry@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4538.
QNS.COM TIMESLEDGER, JUNE 21-27, 2019 3
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