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Subways Are an NYPD Hotspot in de Blasio’s New York

Within the arrests, some subway performers have noticed that there is a racial discrepancy.

Some argue that broken windows policing creates the hardships that push people into more serious crime: Besnkheru who sings on subway trains, called broken windows policing a “ludicrous philosophy.”

“Conditions [create] people’s decisions,” he told Truthout. “If you cut out the outlet for someone to dance, their choice could be . . . some type of crime [to make ends meet].”

When I asked Kenny, a subway dancer in the SoulWhat crew, if he thought broken windows policing will deter larger crime, he responded, “I honestly think it’s going to be the opposite effect.” Elaborating on his thought, he explained the economic factor of subway performance and crime.

“The people that subway perform or panhandle on the train; it’s because they don’t want to commit serious crimes . . . They’re saying that they wanna crack down on the petty crimes to stop the major crimes? It’s not going to happen. I don’t think it’s going to really affect anything. That’s actually going to make things worse. The people that are going to get arrested for petty crimes, they gonna start thinking they should do a bigger crime . . . If you stopped me from [dancing], I have no money to feed my family. I can’t feed myself. I can no longer live nowhere, so now I have to go out and rob somebody because now my back’s against the wall.”

Matthew Christian of Busk NY said the “lack of jobs in our economy and low wages” are “the real broken windows” in New York.

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Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.

Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.

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