NYC subway shooting fits a pattern of mass shootings, crime researcher says

NYC subway shooting fits a pattern of mass shootings, crime researcher says

Transcript¹

NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Thomas Abt, senior fellow for the Council on Criminal Justice, about how Tuesday's subway shooting is a national issue because it could happen anywhere.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

We wanted to get some additional perspective on the subway shooting, so we called Thomas Abt. He's a senior fellow on the Council on Criminal Justice. Welcome to the program.

THOMAS ABT: Thank you. Good to be with you.

FADEL: So it feels as if the shooting has put a city already dealing² with surging gun violence even further on edge. New York City has experienced a double-digit spike³ in gun violence over the past two years. Does this feel like part of that pattern?

ABT: Frankly⁴, it doesn't.

FADEL: OK.

ABT: I don't really see this as a New York City issue. I really see this as a national issue. If Frank James does turn out to be the shooter - and that is a big if - it really fits a pattern that's really more about mass shootings and a national issue that can happen anywhere and not about a New York-specific crime issue. For one thing, the New York City issue - and in many cities around the country - is a community violence issue, violence between and among young men, often without a lot of options or much hope. Mass shootings involve individuals who are solitary⁵, angry. They often give off warning signs. And they often have grievance⁶ narratives⁸. And the guns they use are often legally purchased.

FADEL: Right. And unfortunately, mass shootings have become relatively⁹ common in the United States. How, then, should New York City be handling this? What should police and city leaders be doing, be saying?

ABT: Well, first and foremost, of course, they need to find Frank James or whoever the actual shooter is and bring them to justice. They need to understand exactly what happened and why it happened. But if it does play out as we're seeing right now and it is a sort of mass shooting narrative⁷, that suggests a different set of policies than policies dedicated¹⁰ to addressing subway crime or street crime in general. So that would suggest that we need better threat assessment¹¹, more red-flag laws and, in fact, reasonable restrictions¹² on gun purchasing and operation - much of the national debate that we've already been having about these issues.

FADEL: A different set of policies, so maybe not a return to the, quote-unquote, "tough on crime" days in the city, which disproportionately targeted people of color, Black residents. And that's something that the mayor, New York City's mayor, is under pressure to do when it comes to handling crime and gun violence.

ABT: So far, I think Mayor Adams has really pursued a relatively balanced approach. He is bringing back some law enforcement strategies, targeted crime patrols. But he's also maintaining many of the community crime-prevention strategies of the de Blasio administration, focusing on mental health and also summer jobs for at-risk youth. So I think that Mayor Adams is off to a strong, balanced start. And I would suggest maintaining that balance and maintaining that moving forward.

FADEL: Now, an increase to crime and gun violence is not unique to New York City. It's something that we're seeing nationally. There's already an increased police presence around the subway system and not just in New York, but in other cities, like Washington, D.C. How should people view an increased police presence?

ABT: Well, I think in the short term, you do need to be concerned about a contagion¹³ effect if this is, in fact, a mass shooting - copycats and things like that. And so you may need an increased presence in the subways as a deterrent¹⁴ in the near future. That doesn't mean that that police presence needs to be maintained indefinitely. And so I think there is reason to deal with that in the short term but not necessarily in the long term. And people, frankly, need to be reassured¹⁵ that they'll be safe while in transit¹⁶.

FADEL: The mayor has been asking the federal government for help to curb¹⁷ gun violence in New York City. How much of this gun violence is due to a wider issue of the U.S.'s gun culture?

ABT: Well, you're certainly correct that the crime rise in New York is not unique to New York. In fact, the overwhelming majority of cities over the past two years have seen significant increases in gun violence, particularly homicides. That's due to several factors. It's due to the pandemic. It's also due to social unrest following the brutal¹⁸ murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. And it's also due to increased guns. There was a massive sale and legal purchases of guns during the pandemic. And unfortunately, we have ATF data that suggests that not only are there more guns out there, but a larger percentage of those guns have fallen into the wrong hands.

FADEL: In the few seconds we have left - you've spoken about needing a little bit of law enforcement and a little bit of prevention to reduce urban violence. What does that look like for you?

ABT: For me, that means sort of rejecting the narrative that we hear so often - that it's either about safety or it's about justice, that it's either about fighting crime or it's about promoting social justice. We obviously need both.

FADEL: Thank you. Thomas Abt is a senior fellow for the Council on Criminal Justice. Thank you for your time.

ABT: Thank you.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

3 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

4 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

5 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

6 grievance   

n.怨愤，气恼，委屈

参考例句：

• He will not easily forget his grievance.他不会轻易忘掉他的委屈。
• He had been nursing a grievance against his boss for months.几个月来他对老板一直心怀不满。

7 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

8 narratives   

记叙文( narrative的名词复数 )； 故事； 叙述； 叙述部分

参考例句：

• Marriage, which has been the bourne of so many narratives, is still a great beginning. 结婚一向是许多小说的终点，然而也是一个伟大的开始。
• This is one of the narratives that children are fond of. 这是孩子们喜欢的故事之一。

9 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

10 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

11 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

12 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

13 contagion   

n.(通过接触的疾病)传染；蔓延

参考例句：

• A contagion of fear swept through the crowd.一种恐惧感在人群中迅速蔓延开。
• The product contagion effect has numerous implications for marketing managers and retailers.产品传染效应对市场营销管理者和零售商都有很多的启示。

14 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

15 reassured   

adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The captain's confidence during the storm reassured the passengers. 在风暴中船长的信念使旅客们恢复了信心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• The doctor reassured the old lady. 医生叫那位老妇人放心。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

17 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

18 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。