Almost half of New Yorkers think the Big Apple is ‘on the wrong track’

Almost half of New Yorkers think the Big Apple is ‘on the wrong track’ amid a spike in crime and COVID-19 lockdowns, according to a new survey published Monday. 

The survey, taken in July by The Manhattan Institute, shows 42 percent of residents spoken to think the Big Apple is headed in the wrong direction, 46 per cent of the 1,485 people questioned think things are on the right track; the rest are unsure.

Those behind the poll said: ‘The results show a city divided and pessimistic—especially among those least able to afford the city—and consistent support, across partisan divides, for certain reforms.’ 

Two in five of those questioned said that they would leave the city, if they had the ability to live anywhere they wanted with the economy and public safety the two leading worries for New Yorkers. The NYPD got the support of 53 per cent of the city; 40 per cent disapprove of the unit. 

For Mayor Bill de Blasio the picture was mixed with 45 percent saying they approve of him; 46 percent said they disapprove. 

But more than 70 per cent of those surveyed said they approve of the job Gov. Andrew Cuomo is doing.   

New York City has seen a startling uptick in crime this year, which police say is due in part to the pandemic, staggering unemployment, and protests decrying police brutality and racism.

On Tuesday the NYPD’s chief chaplain was mugged during his daily walk on the Upper West Side. Rabbi Alvin Kass, 84, said he was walking at Riverside Drive and West 107th Street around 5.45am when an individual approached him and said ‘I’m hungry, I need food.’

The suspect began rifling through the rabbi’s pockets and grabbed some cash, but when they found Kass’ police shield, they dropped it and fled on foot, cops say.

The rabbi was not injured in the incident and no arrests have been made. Kass is the NYPD’s longest-serving officer, working for more than 54 years. 

On Monday a New York judge was punched in the face by a stranger on a Citi Bike as she walked to work in Manhattan, police said.  

Judge Phyllis Chu, 56, was heading to a downtown courthouse from the Staten Island ferry at around 9:30am when law enforcement say she was randomly attacked. 

The incident came just hours before two more people were shot in the Bronx. 

And on Saturday a New York City man was arrested after he was caught on camera allegedly attempting to rape a 25-year-old woman on an Upper East Side subway platform. 

There was a 162 per cent increase in the number of shooting victims and a 166 per cent increase in the number of shooting incidents during the four-week period that ended on August 23 compared to the same period last year, police data shows. 

During the four-week period ending on August 23, the city recorded 48 homicides – a 50 per cent increase from the 32 homicides that were recorded during the same period last year.

Between January 1 and August 23, the city recorded 280 homicides – a 35 per cent increase from 208 homicides that were recorded during the same period of 2019. 

In July, murders were up 58.8 percent when compared to the same month last year. Shootings were up a staggering 177 per cent.

In Manhattan’s Upper West Side residents have complained and threatened to sue the Mayor after homeless people were moved into three luxury hotels in the area to protect them from COVID-19. 

Residents of the upscale neighborhood complain that the move-in of the vagrants has brought with it increased crime, random violence, drugs, public urination and open prostitution. 

At the moment more than 13,000 homeless people are being housed in 139 hotels across the Big Apple, including three luxury hotels – The Belleclaire, The Lucerne and The Belnord – on the Upper West Side. 

On Saturday Jose Reyes, a Bronx resident, was arrested after he was caught on camera allegedly attempting to rape a woman on a subway platform. He has been charged with attempted rape, assault and harassment.  

The uptick in crime comes as protests have unfolded across the country denouncing police brutality and seeking to defund police departments.  

New York City announced it will slash the police budget by $1billion in July. The department budget was almost $6billion for the 2020 fiscal year.