At least 6 stabbed in NYC subway system over weekend after announcement to remove homeless

The New York City subway system saw at least six stabbings this weekend as city officials scramble to control violence to restore faith in public transit.

On Friday, New York City mayor Eric Adams (D) and state gov. Kathy Hochul announced an aggressive plan to control homelessness on the subway system. Dubbed the Subway Safety Plan, police officers and social workers will be deployed to remove the estimated more than a thousand homeless who shelter regularly and strictly enforce any other violations, like littering and aggressive behavior, according to The New York Times.

"We are not going to wait until someone shoves a person onto the tracks," Adams said, referring to the homeless man charged with shoving a Asian woman off a platform in front of an incoming train, which struck and killed her. "We are going to engage New Yorkers who are unhoused or dealing with mental health crises."

The Times said a 2021 survey determined an estimated 1,300 people live within the New York City subway system, and in September, the New York Post reported there was a recent, estimated 45% increase in eight high-traffic metropolitan subway stations. The Post previously reported in April the homeless population in subway stations increased as they sought shelter amidst the COVID-19 crisis. 

Subway ridership has not recovered after plummeting during the pandemic, largely due to safety concerns. The system’s long-term viability and financial future depend on more commuters reporting, reports the NYT.

Six stabbings have been reported in the subway system since that announcement including one the evening after the Friday news conference, according to NBC News.

At least four more were reported on Saturday, including one involving a woman allegedly stabbed in the stomach after an argument.

A stabbing reported Sunday evening on Line 6 near Canal Street brought the total to six.

New York City has a seen a surge in crime during the COVID-19 pandemic, which critics have blamed on overly-lenient leftist policies that allows criminals to stay on the streets. The homeless man who was arrested and charged with the stabbing death of Cristina Yuna Lee in her apartment had three open cases in Manhattan Criminal Court.