A man attacked with a machete. A woman killed after police said a 22-year-old woman stabbed her in an unprovoked attack near the Port Authority bus terminal. A carpenter waiting for a co-worker in the bus station stabbed nine times as he sat and read. Times Square, the gaudy icon of Manhattan, and the surrounding streets have seen a string of attacks since April, some in broad daylight, that have led to blaring headlines. They came months after a winter spate of violence fed fears, inflamed by accusations from Republican politicians, that New York was sliding toward chaos and violence, reports the New York Times. Those who live and work in the area are concerned by the desperation they see every day: heroin users shooting up on the sidewalk, people suffering from mental health crises screaming in the streets and pervasive homelessness.
Despite the conspicuous incidents, most major crimes in Times Square have actually fallen as officers, city officials and community groups work to improve conditions. Mayor Eric Adams and District Attorney Alvin . Bragg said this week that they are working to fight local problems that residents and businesses have complained about for months, including illegal cannabis shops, shoplifting and scaffolding on buildings that gives cover to drug users and dealers. Their new Midtown Community Improvement Coalition is one of five such groups the city has assembled to take on chronic complaints. Times Square “is the heartbeat of our tourist dollar. That is our anchor,” Adams said. It must be clean. It must be safe.” Times Square attracts 240,000 to 280,000 people a day, well below the foot traffic before the pandemic. This year has seen a 13 percent decrease in major crimes compared with last year. Reports of rapes and felony assaults, where a deadly weapon is used or a victim suffers a serious injury, were up for the same period. Police are boosting their presence in the area. The city’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor, which normally handles larger cases like trafficking and distribution, has targeted drug dealers in the area since 2022. Since then, more than 320 people have been prosecuted for felonies. The Times Square Alliance has joined other organizations in a program called “Community First” to reduce homelessness, mental health problems and drug use.