New York City Mayor Eric Adams has reiterated his calls for the involuntary removal of mentally ill homeless people after a stabbing spree left three dead in Manhattan.
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Ramon Rivera, the alleged perpetrator, is a 51-year-old homeless man who has an extensive history of mental health problems. He had been arrested eight times prior to this incident.
During an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Adams called the attacks “a clear, clear example of the criminal justice system, mental health system that continues to fail New Yorkers” and said the city needs “stronger laws that allow what’s called involuntary removal.”
The incident occurred on Monday morning. Rivera allegedly stabbed 36-year-old construction worker Angel Gustavo Lata, according to CBS News. Surveillance footage showed Rivera concealing a knife moments before approaching the victim, who was setting up a ladder with coworkers. Lata succumbed to his injuries shortly after the assault.
The suspect then went to East River, where he allegedly stabbed 67-year-old Chang Wong to death while he was fishing. The suspect also allegedly stabbed 36-year-old Wilma Augustin, critically injuring her. She died later from her injuries.
Adams condemned the violence but also took aim at the systemic failures that allowed Rivera to remain on the streets. During a press conference, he said, “The success of our city has been overshadowed by random acts of violence, and many of them are associated with those with severe mental health illnesses.”
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The mayor pointed out how the nature of severe mental illness can prevent people from seeking help. “Without intervention, they remain lost and isolated from society, tormented by delusions and disordered thinking,” he said.
The incident has prompted others to question why Rivera was still out in public after exhibiting several mental health problems and being arrested multiple times. His record included multiple assaults and burglaries.
However, not everyone agrees with Adams’ arguments about involuntary removal. Matt Kudish, CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City, asserted that involuntary hospitalization must be a last resort. “Unfortunately, the mayor is not sharing what’s happening to those individuals…they are very often, our understanding is, discharged back to homelessness,” he told CBS News.
Yet, Adams has continued to argue in favor of the practice. “Everybody said I was inhumane, that we just want to institutionalize people. Well, this is the result,” Adams said during an appearance on Fox News.
RedState’s Ward Clark referred to the failure of bail reform laws and lenient prosecution policies favored by New York’s district attorneys.
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This is not a man who should be walking around loose — and yet, here he was. Not only has New York’s justice system failed to keep this unstable and violent man away from the citizenry, but it would seem several other, as yet unnamed, jurisdictions have likewise failed.
READ MORE: New York City Homeless Man Goes on Stabbing Spree – Two Reported Dead
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The tragic stabbing spree in New York City has raised conversations about homelessness and mental health as the authorities grapple with the best ways to manage the issue while protecting public safety.
