Updated 6/9
Police have arrested a 35-year-old homeless man, identified as Steven Johnson, in connection with the slashing, the Daily News reports
Updated 6/10
According to the Post, Johnson hit a deli worker on St. Mark's Place in the head with a chain after he was asked to leave the store for blocking the entrance, per ADA Robert Wirtz. This happened the day before the slashing on Astor Place.
-----
The NYPD has released images of the suspect they are searching for in connection with the random slashing on Astor Place early Thursday evening.
Police said a 30-year-old man was slashed with an unknown object in the back of the neck. According to published reports, the victim is in stable condition at Bellevue.
The attack happened just before 5:30 p.m. on the busy plaza that houses the Cube and the food and beverage kiosk. Passersby said nothing precipitated the slashing between the suspect and the victim.
The suspect, who police described as 6 feet tall with a medium build, was last seen heading toward St. Mark's Place. He was wearing a dark-hooded sweatshirt, camouflage pants and black boots at the time of the attack.
The mentally ill do not deserve more rights than the rest of the community simply because they refuse or are unable to ask for help. It's sad, but it's the Trolley Problem all over again--is the benefit of a few dozen mentally ill people really worth the sacrifice of safety, community, and health of hundreds of thousands? Bleeding hearts might not want to admit what has to happen here, but you can be sure they'll benefit from being able to walk the streets more safely without a word of self-reflection.
ReplyDelete@MTA614. You’re 100% right. The safety of society is greater than the rights of mentally ill and criminals to roam freely and terrorize.
ReplyDeleteMy heart breaks for so many, including this violent man who is in desperate need of professional help. Our city and systems have continued to fail individuals like him for what seems like forever. What he did was indefensible and horrific. I am uncertain however if jails or prison offer a remedy. Perhaps involuntary psychiatric intervention is needed until there is mental stability present. It is jarring to witness physical harm against innocent bystanders where you feel utterly powerless. There is definitely a shift in our climate post pandemic. I am afraid things will not improve unless we fully address this growing crisis. How or when is beyond me.
ReplyDelete@Mark: I don't think incarceration is a remedy for this crime. I agree this person needs psychiatric intervention; when and if he's apprehended he may end up worse off for having been in the system.
ReplyDeleteAnybody ever find out what happened to the deBlasio's one billion dollar mental health initiative?
ReplyDeleteIs it just me, or does this guy look like he's one of the crusties that hang out on St Marks?
ReplyDelete@yetanothercommenter: I thought Chirlane got her nails did?
ReplyDeleteThe "trolley problem" is a framing meant to distract you from the important questions, like who built the tracks, who tied those people to them, and who benefits from the existence of the whole system.
ReplyDeleteOBVIOUSLY someone like this needs, and has probably needed for a LONG time without getting, intensive psychiatric help. This tragic assault is the result of the failure of NYC social services to care for these people properly. Just like the property destruction at Juicy Lucy, or all the various troubles caused by that "Star" woman. We rarely lock such ill people up (and eventually kill them) in the terrifying hellholes of large mental institutions anymore, but we don't take any care of them, either, and innocent people end up paying the price, too. Having the cops be more aggressive in picking them up does nothing nothing but traumatize them unless there is actual long-term care waiting for them.
It's hard to look at these people. It's hard to see humanity so distorted. You feel anger, fear, revulsion. That's understandable. But we mustn't think about them like superstitious children, as if people yelling "defund the police!" somehow summoned into existence all these untreated psychotics.
P 6/8/24 @ 9:27pm - No, he doesn't look like one of the crusties, Unfortunately, I've gotten a good look at them for years, as they often hang out directly under my window on 2nd Avenue. For one thing, very few are people of color, and his haircut is way too manicured for the world of crustiness.
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry that he may be mentally ill, but he violently attacked two people. He needs to be off the streets. Maybe he can get mental health treatment in prison. He doesn’t have more rights or deserve special/different treatment than the people he attacked.
ReplyDelete