Besty Hodges once said, “True public safety requires a collaboration between law enforcement and the community.” As people living in New York City we feel unsafe because of the violence, such as police violence, subway violence, drug violence, and many more taking place in our area. Today, we hesitate to go outside anymore because many civilians are left traumatized by witnessing such events in our time outside. In New York City, there has been an abundance of crimes and irresponsible police actions such as people getting harmed by police officers, drugs, subway violence, and robories. One might argue that victims from these situations put themselves into these problems in the first place because they should’ve been more cautious. While that may be true, it should be taken into account that citizens shouldn’t have to feel like they need to be cautious in order to just take the train or simply walk to a local store. This is a formal request to have more police officers that are from New York City be in control of protecting citizens in the streets and subway stations, and better, more security cameras. 

     In Corona, Queens, the use of drugs has led to violence that can lead up to taking place at local train stations which put civilians in danger. Currently, our area doesn’t feel safe anymore because of how people that are under the use of drugs, act towards other civilians and killings happening continuously. To begin, The New York Times article states, “The total number of assaults during the first quarter of 2021 was higher than it has been over two decades”(Hu, 2021). Furthermore, within the first quarter of 2021, the overall number of incidents was significantly greater than it has been since nearly 20 years! This matters because ‘assaults’ means a physical attack. In this case it appears there are loads of physical attacks occurring frequently. The National Institution of Justice states, “Law enforcement officers face many different dangerous and stressful situations in the line of duty. Some, such as gun violence, are obvious; others dangers (e.g., fatigue) are hidden, but common, and can greatly hinder officer performance. Officer performance is also affected by training and other factors”(National Institution of Justice states). This is illustrating how the NYPD should be protecting their community better. The police officers can also show a change so that the people that their protection can feel safe. This emphasizes “dangerous” meaning able or likely to cause harm or injury. Many dangerous things can happen due to not having proper security around. A high series of incidents that involve drug use occur at our nearby subway stations in Corona, Queens.

     There are many different types of ways of how New York City can change police harassment/violence by looking at how other places do it. Other places use different methods to control their police harassment/violence like Ireland/California/Australia. For example, the article states, “...only 20 to 25 percent of Irish police officers are qualified to use firearms. Despite that, Ireland had much lower crime rates than the United States”(The University of Sydney, 2022). In fact, the evidence means that Ireland only gives firearms to qualified officers and because of that crime rates went low and Ireland police officers are more trusted with firearms than those in the United States. This is important because it shows how limiting the amount of guns in police offices can lead to lower crime rates and a safer environment. In this case, lowering guns is safer and better. Additionally it says, “Departments worldwide have also implemented community policing techniques to ease tensions. This includes deploying community liaisons, which in Australia work alongside officers to reduce crime and faster cross-cultural understanding and communication between police and minority groups. In Richmond, California, community policing efforts slashed crime rates and increased trust in police”(Noack, 2016). Moreover, the evidence means that police officers that connect to communities have a better relationship in trust and because of that crime went lower and protected the community more better. This highlights that if police officers have stronger relationships with a community, both sides will feel trusted and safe. Due to having stronger relationships, police violence will go down. In brief, this shows the many ways New York City can take action based on how other places are dealing with police harassment/violence.

     To restate, violence is dangerously affecting lives and increasing as people keep influencing each other into bad actions. Our community will greatly appreciate it if there are more police officers looking out nearby in order to feel comfortable. Our community is asking together for improvement because we know our needs for a safer environment. New York City is where our community has created memories and wants to continue to. This is why our community would greatly benefit from your support in making New York City better.