Congressman Lee Zeldin, a New York Republican, is calling for the removal of Bill de Blasio from office as New York City mayor following a surge in crime.
“Mayor DeBlasio is destroying our great city from the inside out,â Zeldin tweeted Tuesday, accompanied by a video of a fight on a New York City street. âNew York City will not make it through the remainder of his term. He needs to be immediately removed from office to save the city and protect the people who live there!â
Mayor DeBlasio is destroying our great city from the inside out. New York City will not make it through the remainder of his term. He needs to be immediately removed from office to save the city and protect the people who live there!pic.twitter.com/ktQbuvXFIj
— Lee Zeldin (@RepLeeZeldin) July 8, 2020
An increase in shootings and crime in general has plagued New York City so far in 2020, specifically in the weeks and months since the death of George Floyd on May 25. His death sparked protests, both peaceful and violent, on New York streets and in other cities.
More than 100 people were injured by 83 shootings during a nine-day time period from June 19-27 in New York City, and at least six of those victims died.
Last week, at least 14 people were shot in 10 shootings during a nine-hour period in the city, resulting in one death.
As crime increases, the New York City Council, with de Blasioâs blessing, further exasperated an already tense relationship with local law enforcement by cutting the New York Police Departmentâs budget by $1 billion.
The city also disbanded its plainclothes anti-crime unit on June 15 as part of a broader effort to reform the police department following Floydâs death. Some have argued the disbandment contributed to an immediate increase in shootings.
Shootings increased 205% in the city from June 15 to July 2 compared to the same period last year.
The violence and deteriorating relationship between law enforcement and government officials have led to mass retirements in the NYPD, represented by a 49% increase in retirement papers being filed this year compared to 2019.
âThere is no leadership, no direction, no training for new policies,â president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association Ed Mullins said about the current situation in the city. âDepartment brass is paralyzed [and] too afraid to uphold their sworn oath in fear of losing their jobs. Sadly, the people of this city will soon experience what New York City was like in the 1980s.â
Mullins referred to the police retirements as an âexodusâ and said police morale is âat the lowest levels Iâve seen in 38 years.â
Last month, a Democratic councilman from Brooklyn and a Republican councilman from Queens filed two separate resolutions calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to remove de Blasio from office.
