Dear Eric Adams (NYC Mayor),
I was sitting on the subway and saw an ad for a City hotline that read “Safety is a Human Right.” It was discussing domestic violence and human trafficking. Apparently, safety is only a human right in these contexts because the City releases violent offenders back onto the streets every day. In fact, I would be willing to bet that an offender who has attacked someone calling the hotline wouldn’t be held accountable for his/her actions. You can go to Queens, sir, and see human trafficking in broad daylight. That’s the City m.o. No one except the law-abiding citizen does anything wrong.
For the average citizen out on a NYC street, safety is not a human right. Let’s be real. We have been stripped of that right and the right to defend ourselves. You defend yourself or another these days, and you end up in jail and on the cover of the Post. Your actions and the actions of those in power have shown there is no accountability or justice for innocent victims. It is also laughable that the ad makes it seem like violence is only an issue when it’s behind closed doors and by someone who is not a stranger. If a stranger stabs you on a subway platform— totally acceptable.
Someone who was recently pushed into the tracks (and miraculously lived to tell the story) was gaslit and asked repeatedly if they were on drugs or if they slipped and fell. This was after he and other witnesses explained clearly that he was attacked and pushed in.
Perhaps, it’s time for someone to hold the City accountable and test the City human right laws. Because so far, they are only used to protect perpetrators. One would think that a former cop mayor would know how to keep his City safe. Sadly, you do not.
GABRIELA YARELIZ 