For these questioning the knowledge of Mayor Adams’ new plan to get the mentally ailing off the streets and into remedy, New York Metropolis simply offered two examples of its necessity:
A person pacing round with a razor on a 2 practice randomly slashed the face of a 49-year-old man, leaving deep scars on his face.
A lady yelling profanities and flailing her arms on the Barclays Middle station threw some type of burning liquid on a rider’s face that may require surgical procedure.
Neither of those attackers sound like they’re of their proper minds. And sure, once they’re caught they are often arrested. But it surely shouldn’t take the wounding of harmless victims to do one thing to assist the violent mentally ailing.
We’re reminded of the case of 20-year-old Deashe Calhoun, who in September allegedly slashed a person’s head with a machete. Calhoun had been arrested seven occasions earlier than for carrying knives and machetes, however had been let go as a result of she hadn’t harmed anybody.
However should you see somebody brazenly carrying a machete on the subway practice, don’t you realize that one thing is flawed? As Adams argues, police and social employees ought to have the ability to take these individuals into psychiatric care and get them the assistance they want.
This isn’t an enlargement of the prison justice system, it’s a substitute for it. You stop violent episodes from taking place. You give individuals the drugs and care they want. It doesn’t usurp their rights — it places them again to proper.