NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – After a number of horrifying attacks in the subway system in recent weeks—including the burning death of a woman on a Coney Island train—Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday said she’d introduced bills in her upcoming budget proposal to change New York’s involuntary commitment laws and Kendra’s Law.
“The recent surge in violent crimes in our public transit system cannot continue — and we need to tackle this crisis head-on,” the governor said in a lengthy statement announcing the proposals.
“Many of these horrific incidents have involved people with serious untreated mental illness, the result of a failure to get treatment to people who are living on the streets and are disconnected from our mental health care system,” Hochul said. “We have a duty to protect the public from random acts of violence, and the only fair and compassionate thing to do is to get our fellow New Yorkers the help they need.”
