Is subway safety spiraling out of control? | New York, New York | October 19

Let's open the book on this. Today in New York, riders are on edge after a fatal shooting at the 53rd Street 7th Avenue Station. Fear over gun violence on the subway is spiking. I'm Garrett. And I'm Leah. Welcome to Laidback Local, the news of the day with Leah and Garrett in New York. First up, a fatal shooting at the 53rd Street 7th Avenue Station in Midtown has a lot of commuters feeling unsafe. In October, Daryl Rodriguez, a Bronx resident, was shot after a dispute with another man on the platform. The New York City Police Department, the NYPD, says the shooter was last seen in a red tracksuit and a black mask and is still at large. Here's the context. Even though overall murders citywide are down nearly 20 percent this year, the transit system has moved in the opposite direction. NYPD transit stats show six murders in the system this year compared to four in the same period last year. Felony assaults are also up. That means serious assaults that cause injury or involve a weapon. Riders we've heard from say a thin police presence is making them feel exposed and some incidents may not get reported when there isn't an officer around. It's like hard to square. Citywide murders down but more deadly violence in the subway. I'm not going to lie that hits different. A visible police presence can be a deterrent in simple terms when people see cops on the platform they think twice. And if something does happen, having officers right there means it gets logged and responded too fast instead of slipping through the cracks unreported. Next up, former New York City buildings commissioner Eric Ulrich heads to trial today on corruption charges. Quick refresher. The buildings department oversees building safety and construction permits. It's a gatekeeper for a lot of real estate activity. Ulrich once a prominent Republican figure in city politics was arrested back in September 2023. Prosecutors say he took more than $150,000 in bribes in exchange for political favors. He denies it and says he acted with integrity. The trial starts today and will proceed without a jury. That's called a bench trial. It means a judge hears the evidence and decides the verdict, not a group of jurors. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison. Big picture. It raises the stakes on trust in city governance. When the people approving permits or shaping policy are under a cloud, it shakes faith in the system. That's fascinating and honestly surprising. No jury is, you know, unusual in the public's mind. Why would that happen? Sometimes the parties opt for it or the court deems it more efficient. Whatever the path, the judge alone will be weighing testimony and documents here. And you're right. Corruption allegations can freeze a career in place and ripple through agencies that rely on public confidence. Okay, switching gears a bit. Next up, Mayor Zoran Mamdani just launched the Health and Affordability Resource Team or HART to help New Yorkers keep their SNAP and Medicaid benefits. SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. It helps folks buy groceries. Medicaid is health insurance for low-income residents. With $3 million in city funding, HART will deploy multilingual outreach workers to neighborhoods most at risk of benefit loss. Here's why this matters now. New federal work requirements kick in in January. Think of those as rules that say certain adults need to work or report job searches to keep benefits. The city estimates up to 900,000 residents could lose Medicaid coverage if they miss paperwork or can't meet those requirements. HART will help with renewals and also connect people to support for housing, medical debt, and daily expenses. I'm down for that kind of proactive move. Losing coverage doesn't just sting on paper. It shows up as skipped prescriptions, ER visits instead of primary care, and stress that spills into lost work hours. If HART can bridge language gaps and guide folks through the forms, that's a direct line to better public health and steadier household budgets. Speaking of supports for families, next up. Free 2K is expanding next fall in the Bronx and Staten Island. Quick definition. 2K is free preschool for two-year-olds. It's early childhood education that can seriously cut daycare costs. By the start of the next school year, the city plans to add 12,000 seats as part of a universal childcare push. Funding-wise, state taxpayers are covering the first two years with a $1.2 billion investment. Governor Kathy Hochul is backing the effort and hasn't ruled out a tax increase to sustain it. Seats will roll out based on demand and provider capacity. That's just how many spots local providers can realistically staff and operate. For working families, cutting a toddler's daycare built to zero can be the difference between staying in the city or moving out. That one gave me chills in a good way. It's relief for families who are doing the math every month and coming up short. Cheaper childcare means steadier jobs and maybe even parents picking up an extra shift without scrambling for coverage. And, for the little ones, earlier learning supports social skills and language. It's real groundwork for kindergarten. Before we go, one more on subway safety since it's on so many minds. In the 53rd Street 7th Avenue shooting, the victim was Darrell Rodriguez and the suspect in a red track suit and black mask has not been found yet. Despite that almost 20% drop in citywide murders, the transit system is seeing the opposite trend, alongside rising felony assaults. Riders are telling us they feel the lack of police presence that can mean fewer reports, slower responses, and more fear on the platforms. Yeah, that checks out with what we're hearing on commutes. There's a disconnect between stats and how safe people feel. Why does that perception matter? Because if riders feel unsafe, they change routes, commute times, or stop riding altogether. The fixes are not rocket science. More consistent patrols, better lighting, and targeted deployments at hotspots can lower risk and raise confidence at the same time. Thanks for tuning in to Laidback Local, the news of the day, with Leah and Garrett in New York. Have a great day and join us again tomorrow.