As much as I respect the NYPD and their authority, it always bewilders me why non-violent crimes seem to get more attention than the more serious and violent ones. For example, why are their always two or three police cars on the highway on Saturday nights trying to catch someone speeding? Why are their so many traffic officers giving out meter and alternate side parking tickets? Yes, I may be going 10 miles over the ridiculous 25 mph speed limit, but I’m not a criminal. I’d rather them focus on the drugs, murders, and protection of the city of New York. I once asked a family friend who is a detective why this is the case. He explained to me the system similar to the way that Barry Paddock and Sarah Ryley in “EXCLUSIVE: Fare evasion arrests surge in recent years, making it among city’s top offenses leading to jail: Daily News analysis” explain the situation; the article reads “They’re arresting people for minor infractions as a way of keeping violent crime down.” The whole turnstile fiasco is similar. Just because someone can’t afford the $2.75 ride, or their MetroCard isn’t working, doesn’t mean they’re a criminal. In high school, I’ve seen plenty of times my friends get written up, and once arrested, for swiping in with someone, jumping over or sneaking under. Although the offense can be compared to a person stealing from a store, a shop-lifter who stole an item worth $2,75 wouldn’t be arrested. I’m sure not all the people who have stabbed, or committed real crimes on the train jumped the turnstile, so the system has its flaws. For the greater good we are teaching people that’s its not acceptable to disobey the law, but I feel as though when you take extreme measures, people tend to disrespect and then further disobey the law. I happen to disagree with the claim made by Donna Lieberman in “EXCLUSIVE: Daily News analysis finds racial disparities in summonses for minor violations in ‘broken windows’ policing” by Sarah Ryley, Laura Bult, and Dareh Gregorian that “The low level of offenses for which people are being arrested has outsized consequences that harm and undermine the ability of young people to thrive and become responsible citizens.” Teaching young people that it’s ok to not follow the law because it’s just a small offence is not teaching responsibility rather it’s promoting an attitude that if you can get away with one thing, you can then get away with the next. In account for such a high percentage of minorities being accused for minor crimes I think can be accredited to gentrification. In the attempt to uplift a certain community, less privileged people are being displaced from their home and moving to areas with people of their own kind as a means of protection. Saturated areas of minorities become even more saturated until the next wave of “uplift” comes about by developers. Because of this, the saturated areas are being watched over much more carefully hence the high percentage of getting written up. Although I think the economy and society as a whole need the shifts and changes of communities, booting people out of their home not only questions morality but jeopardizes certain values that America as a country stands on, such as having a balance of power in the judicial branch by having a jury; in today’s day where the jury is comprised of single-minded, same type of people, are we really allowing for a fair process to take place?
