Recently, there has been a surge in theft and robbery cases in Chinatown. With the increasingly lenient laws, some habitual offenders have taken to the streets again, leading to Chinese community vendors being either robbed or injured. In response to this, Chinese community leaders are calling for timely judicial reform in New York State to prevent community members from living in fear.
On June 25th, Yu Jinshan, leader of the Democratic 65th District and former chairman of the Chinese Public Society, witnessed a case of a juvenile habitual offender committing a crime at the Manhattan Bridgehead fruit and vegetable market. The victimized vendor and community residents cooperated to apprehend the robber. Yu Jinshan assisted the victim in reporting the incident to the police and served as a translator, leading to the suspect’s arrest.
Recounting the incident, Yu Jinshan recalled that around 11 a.m. that day, he was discussing tree planting with Rafael Ayala, a building maintenance worker, in front of the Ronghong School on Doyers Street when a young African American fled with a hood on, followed by two Chinese individuals shouting “robbery.” Ayala and Yu Jinshan joined in the chase.
The robber headed towards the right of the Confucius statue and suddenly disappeared near the Hong En Clinic at the Confucius Building. As they searched the area, they saw the robber running out of a store, and people shouted, “There he is.” The robber, seeing a growing crowd, quickly turned and fled towards the entrance of the Confucius Building, attempting to enter the garden. However, finding it crowded, he ran towards the alley behind the Ronghong School. With the gate locked, the robber found himself trapped and suddenly turned around.
Fearing the robber might be carrying a weapon, everyone instinctively took a few steps back. Seeing more people gathering, the robber threw the stolen purse on the ground, shouting that he did not rob anyone. The crowd pounced on him and subdued him. Yu Jinshan notified the Confucius Building security and called the police station. Within minutes, the police arrived at the scene and took the robber to the precinct. The victimized couple, aided by Yu Jinshan as a translator, filed a report at the precinct.
Police records show that the suspect is only 16 years old but has a history of multiple offenses, including armed robbery and suspected murder. The police stated that this robber is part of a group of five, including four men and one woman, involved in multiple robbery cases at the Bridgehead market on Forsyth Street in recent weeks. Capturing one of the suspects will aid in apprehending the others.
Yu Jinshan expressed that the suspect was wearing an electronic ankle monitor and fortunately did not have a gun or other weapons that day. He believed that with the suspect’s criminal history, including previous involvement in armed robberies and attempted murder, he posed a significant threat to the community, going beyond typical theft and robbery activities. Thus, Yu Jinshan emphasized that the suspect should be charged as an adult.
While official statistics indicate a decline in urban crime rates, some community members claim that robberies have not diminished. Yu Jinshan analyzed that the decrease in arrests or cases solved is mainly due to increasingly lax laws, where many offenses that were previously considered crimes are now not. A decrease in reported crimes does not necessarily mean a decrease in criminal activities.
He pointed out that New York State’s judicial reform leading to the “decriminalization” of crimes and leniency towards offenses have left even the police powerless and forced to release criminals they apprehend. As a result, ordinary citizens are suffering, and Yu Jinshan is concerned that New York may follow in the footsteps of California.
He gave an example of the frequent theft incidents on Forsyth Street in Chinatown, where stealing a couple of hundred dollars is no longer considered a crime, and even stealing eight hundred dollars is not a crime, with stealing over a thousand dollars being the threshold. Such regulations have led to an increase in theft and robbery crimes.
Yu Jinshan urged New York State legislators and city council members to prioritize the safety of the Chinese community and promptly correct legislation to combat habitual offenders in the community.
Due to the ongoing spate of robbery cases in Chinatown, with the possibility of criminals carrying firearms, Yu Jinshan reminded community members that in case of a robbery or witnessing theft, the first step is to call for help loudly; secondly, even if the victim is dissatisfied with the criminal, they should not resort to violence but report promptly to the police for handling; thirdly, older individuals should act within their capabilities to avoid harm by refraining from joining efforts to apprehend criminals that could lead to injuries.