Hyper-Policing is the Wrong Response to Brooklyn Subway Attack
As New Yorkers, we pride ourselves on our resilience and superhero-like ability to overcome even the worst tragedies. Yet, the events that unfolded on the subway on Tuesday have most of us on edge, and rightfully so. As I waited over an hour for an Uber, I wondered if I should get on the train back home to Queens from Manhattan—but then remembered being on a Brooklyn-bound train that morning and hearing about a shooting, and worrying that we’d never make it to a station.In the wake of this tragedy, the simple assumption will be that expanded policing is the right response. But that couldn’t be more wrong. This shooting—in the face of a massive expansion of the police presence on the subway and elsewhere in the city—actually demonstrates the limits of “tough on crime” policies.
