Crime is raging out of control in big blue cities with murder rates skyrocketing.
So, you’d think NYC Mayor Eric Adams would be cracking down on violent offenders.
Instead, he just unveiled the ultimate “Big Brother” system targeting the most minor offenses possible.
New York City’s mayor seems to half expect some sort of medal of honor for his latest bold move against crime.
But the effort is so weak you’d be rolling your eyes if it weren’t for the privacy concerns involved.
Instead of focusing on the internal issues leading to what’s expected to become a crisis level shortage of police officers in the Big Apple, Eric Adams is patting himself on the back for expanding the use of speed cameras in the city.
In a massive expansion effort, the city will now have 2,000 speed cameras located near 750 schools around the city.
That’s a huge increase considering that the city currently only has 150 cameras—and under the new program those cameras will be running 24/7.
“A city that never sleeps deserves a camera system that won’t take a nap,” Adams said.
But in an era when government has become increasingly intrusive—especially during pandemic lockdowns—the idea of universal government surveillance is beyond disturbing.
Of course, big blue city bosses like Adams have little interest in protecting citizen’s privacy.
“When we identify locations where there are problems, that’s where we should place the cameras, and then we should use some of the mobile technology that allows us if we have a particular hotspot at a particular location, let’s move it there. We should not be afraid of the technology,” Adams said.
There are plenty of people in China who likely have plenty of complaints about technology.
Chinese officials have gone from using street cameras to discourage crime to mounting surveillance cameras directly outside—and sometimes even inside—the homes of people under Covid-19 quarantine.
One man in Changzhou, China told CNN he returned from a trip to discover a police officer came to his apartment and installed a camera on a cabinet the next day.
He asked a “community worker” what the camera would record and was shown footage on a smartphone.
“I was standing in my living room and the camera captured me clearly in its frame,” the man was quoted as saying in a CNN Business article.
“(The camera) had a huge impact on me psychologically,” he said. “I tried not to make phone calls, fearing the camera would record my conversations by any chance. I couldn’t stop worrying even when I went to sleep, after I closed the bedroom door,” he added.
Considering how strictly America’s biggest city shut down during the pandemic, New Yorkers have every reason to wonder what they’re city might do next—and fear the technology they might use.
Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story.
