Cops Not Solidarity, Bayside Leader Says After Brooklyn Subway Attack

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — Leaders in Queens urged the city to crack down on crime after an attack left 23 people injured Tuesday at 36th Street subway station.

"It's long past time to reign in the chaos — and not with half-measures and progressive wishcasting," wrote Bayside City Council Member Vickie Paladino several hours after a gas-masked shooter detonated smoke grenades and fired at least 33 shots into an N train car — an incident that she later described as a "terror attack."

The day after the attack, Paladino clapped back against so-called "progressive wishcasting" again, after Public Advocate Jumanee Williams said that the city must move forward in solidarity.

"What does that even mean?" Paladino wrote. "This is the completely out-of-touch progressive BS that turned NYC into a total basket case. No solutions, just abstractions."

The Bayside leader went on to reject the notion that solidarity is important in response to Tuesday's attack.

"'Solidarity' isn't going to keep our subway safe — cops and tough prosecutors are. And nobody laying on a bloody subway platform with a bullet in their shoulder cares about your 'solidarity'. We need real ACTION. Not progressive bromides," she wrote.

In the wake of the attack, Mayor Eric Adams doubled down on the importance of safety, too, saying that the city is exploring installing metal detector technology in stations to increase transit safety (despite the fact that other surveillance technology malfunctioned during the shooting).

The city also increased police police presence in subway stations, where crime has spiked this year.

Some experts, though, said that Tuesday's subway shooting fits a national pattern of mass shootings — lone shooters who often give off warning signs — separate from the citywide increase in crime.

Frank Robert James, 62, who was previously considered a person of interest in the mass shooting is currently the sole suspect in the attack.

The motives of the gunman remain elusive, Mayor Eric Adams said Tuesday, but James reportedly posted dozens of troubling videos on social media in recent years.

"[The mass shooting narrative] would suggest that we need better threat assessment, more red flag laws, and in fact reasonable restrictions on gun purchasing and operation" in response to this incident, Thomas Abt, senior fellow for the Council on Criminal Justice, told NPR Wednesday.

While the massive manhunt for James was still underway Wednesday morning, millions of New Yorkers returned to regular commutes, but a sense of unease remained for many at 36th Street station in Sunset Park.

When asked if the half-dozen or so NYPD officers in the station made the commute feel safer, straphangers were torn — some told Patch that they were pleased, others said they'd like to see more officers, and others still questioned the efficacy of adding more officers since they did not prevent Tuesday's attack.

Other leaders in Queens urged the city to take measures to cut down on crime and conduct a system-wide safety review after the attack.

"The MTA, NYPD and all relevant agencies must conduct an immediate, system-wide review of subway safety and emergency response protocols to help prevent such an assault on our city and its people from occurring ever again," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.

Ultimately, Richards said that he just wants New Yorkers to feel safe in the city.

"No New Yorker should ever fear for their lives on their subway ride to work or school," he said. "We will never cower in the face of such callous violence, and we will respond with resolve and love for one another as we always do as a city."

NYPD officials released a renewed call for helping to track down James Wednesday, offering $50,000 for information leading to his arrest and indictment.

The city also issued an emergency alert Wednesday morning, asking residents to direct information about James to the NYPD tip line at 1-800-577-TIPS.