First New York City mayoral debate puts spotlight on police misconduct, gun violence

With just weeks left for New York City's mayoral election, a horde of prospective Democratic candidates came together on Thursday for the first mayoral debate, wrangling on many key issues, including police misconduct and gun violence.

At least eight contenders are in race to replace the incumbent Bill de Blasio, a member of the Democratic Party, on June 22 when the Democratic primary will likely determine the next mayor of the US’ most populous city.

In the first debate, the eight Democratic candidates appeared virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions but left no stone unturned in making it a noisy affair, firing salvos at each other.

The Democratic candidates who participated in the debate differed on almost all critical issues facing the important city, including gun control and police misconduct, while dismissing each other's plans.

The issue of crime and violence has been a major bone of contention between the candidates, as was evident during Thursday's debate.

Candidate Maya Wiley during the debate denounced the 'stop and frisk policy', terming it 'lazy policing', and saying it "violated people's constitutional rights".

Her opponent and fellow Democrat Eric Adams, a former police officer, protested against it.

He said Wiley's criticism of police misconduct was due to her "failure of understanding of law enforcement", showing how opinion among Democratic politicians varies on the key policy issue.

Another candidate Kathryn Garcia said her plan includes the gun suppression division, which "targets gun traffickers and gun violence".

Pertinently, public shootings, rising gun violence and a string of hate-driven attacks on subway pedestrians have led to growing concerns over public safety in New York City in recent years.
 

The shooting incident in the bustling Times Square on Saturday, which injured three bystanders, including a 4-year-old girl, again put a spotlight on the issue of gun violence and crime in the city.

Businessman and Mayoral candidate Raymond J. McGuire, while appearing at the site on Monday, said “as a 6-foot-4, 200-pound Black man in America,” he understands how the police can violate civil rights.

As of May 2, 132 people have been killed compared with 113 in the same period last year, marking a 17 percent increase, according to New York Police Department statistics. There have also been 416 shooting incidents compared with 227 the same time last year, making an 83 percent rise, a report in New York Times stated.

Apart from crime and violence, other issues include racial injustice, education, homelessness, wealth inequality, lack of affordable housing and a struggling tourism industry.

The mayoral election comes at a time when the city is struggling to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic setbacks it has caused. The city lost more than half a million jobs in 2020, with people of color being the worst affected.

The country's largest public school system also has not fully reopened, despite the vaccination drive in full swing.

The candidates in the fray include several New York political veterans like Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president and a former police officer; Scott Stringer, the city comptroller and Kathryn Garcia, the city's former sanitation chief.

Among other contenders vying for the coveted chair are former US presidential candidate Andrew Yang, civil rights lawyer and former MSNBC analyst Maya Wiley, former bank executive Ray McGuire, former Obama administration official Shaun Donovan, and former nonprofit executive Dianne Morales.

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