Watch out, Bronx voters: One of your City Council reps thinks you’re idiots.
Councilwoman Althea Stevens says that folks in her crime-ridden Bronx district who want more cops just don’t get that “other solutions” will make them safe.
Magically, as best we can tell: A social worker by trade and an NYPD-defunder in deed, Stevens pushes “violence interrupters” and expanded youth programming as big crime-reducers.
“People in my community ask for more cops because they don’t know other solutions,” she fumed at last week’s Public Safety Committee hearing, where she pushed legislation to eliminate the NYPD’s gang database.
Never mind the reality on the ground in the high-crime 44th Precinct (covering Grand Concourse, Yankee Stadium and Bronx Terminal Market), which ranks among the city’s busiest NYPD commands and makes up much of her council district.
In the first three days of 2025, the 44th saw two homicides.
Among the city’s 77 precincts (per CompStat), it had the fourth-most major felony crimes (3,223) in 2024, including 16 homicides and 45 shootings, with major crime surging 41% since 2019.
Yet Stevens figures her constituents are wrong for wanting more cops; council progressives know better.
No: New Yorkers who must deal with the crack of gunfire at night and disorder on the street by day know their fear is real.
And while they may like the idea of youth programs and anti-crime counselors, they know more cops on the street is their main hope for increased safety.
Petitioning has begun for the June 24 Democratic primary. Let’s hope Stevens’ inanity inspires someone to get on the ballot, send her packing and start taking Bronx voters’ concerns seriously, instead of brushing them off as stupid.
