Noem not the only governor playing politics with National Guard, as NY Gov. Hochul sends Guardsmen into subways
A governor has chosen to treat National Guard members (like those in a fireline drill shown above in a public domain image posted on wikimedia commons) in her state as her personal policy tool. She has sent troops to a location where they are not needed and not wanted by the local law enforcement. They spend their time standing around looking for something to do. State taxpayers pay the costs.
You may be thinking this is part of a “Pick me for VP” campaign, but it’s not.
No, this is political theater directed by the governor of New York, Kathy Hochul.
She’s deployed Guard troops into the NYC subway system to combat what is being characterized as a crisis in crime.
Statistics don’t justify this panic reaction, but NYC has not been able to fully escape its old reputation as a dangerous city - a leftover image mostly earned during the crack cocaine epidemic decades ago. Some with political agendas misrepresent current reality and describe the city as dangerous and “crime ridden” despite contrary evidence showing the opposite.
By just about any measurement, NYC is relatively low in crimes per capita compared with other large cities. For example, there were fewer than 400 homicides in 2023. On a per capita basis, that’s about the same rate as in the state of South Dakota. It’s also significantly below the rates in states led by Ron De Santos, Glenn Abbott and other governors who join Donald Trump as they sneer at NYC and repeat the lies to attack Democratic officials.
This new action by the governor of New York is another mistaken reaction based on a false impression. She says criminals on the subways make it necessary to send in the troops who will be searching bags and checking out “suspicious” people. In recent years, statistics tell us there is less than one violent crime for every one million subway rides. Over a billion riders get on and off the trains annually, and yearly homicides number under ten. That’s one homicide for every hundred million rides. Certainly tragic for each death, but rare, and mostly from criminals who know their victims and not random attacks.
Pandemic covid times did raise crime totals in NYC and all over most of the country, and the first few months of 2024 have seen some concerning statistics on the subways. Even so, this over reaction by the governor, intended to make people feel and be safe, instead
has soldiers with long rifles mixing among riders giving the impression there is a pervasive threat. If it’s a public relation move to give tourists comfort, it’s having the opposite effect.
This is written as I am a few weeks from a visit to the city; my son lives there. We’ve visited nearly 20 times. In all those times, in various places where tourists and locals spend time, I can say I’ve never had an unpleasant encounter with anyone, never witnessed a crime, never felt at risk or in danger at any time.
It’s crowded and people learn how to function amidst others without being oversensitive or pushy. You may not experience the niceties and courtesies you’d like but time and space limitations make those rituals often counterproductive. I’ve found locals to be as friendly as Dakotans and actually more open to strangers.
The city is now dealing with overwhelming numbers of immigrants who will need some time and lots of help before they assimilate. This has happened often, and over one-third of the current population was not born in the USA (part of the reason for the low crime rate). This new flood of desperate individuals is a daunting problem now, but if handled right could be a valuable source of needed employees in future years. That's NYC history, and they'll find a way to get past the immediate crush.
So, don’t believe the folks who try to give you anxiety about visiting the greatest city in the world. Just as we are not "flyover country", New York City is not what detractors say it is.
Mike Levsen is a former mayor of Aberdeen and a regular contributor to The South Dakota Standard.
