Standing in front of a Cypress Hills bodega this afternoon, gubernatorial hopeful U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D Long Island, Queens) called on the state legislature to rollback bail reform laws he says are responsible for the city’s recent violent crime wave.
Suozzi, a candidate in this year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, has made the dramatic increase in crime a core issue of his campaign in an attempt to take some support away from Gov. Kathy Hochul – the race’s frontrunner.
The congressman said a recent armed robbery of the bodega he was standing in front of – Marien Grocery Corp.– was representative of the city’s nearly 50 percent increase in crime from last year to this year. He also referenced that a human leg had been discovered this morning not far from where he was speaking, as well as a human torso that was found in East New York last week.
Suozzi joined the growing chorus of moderate electeds repeatedly blaming the recent rise in violent crime on bail reforms passed by the state legislature back in 2019.
“I’m here today because we’re very concerned that crime is a growing problem,” Suozzi said. “The mayor of New York City, Eric Adams, went up to Albany a few weeks ago and he said, ‘Listen, the bail reform law is not working. It’s not keeping our people safe in New York City. We can’t arrest people and then let them out right away, regardless of how dangerous they are.’”
