Not-So-Camera Shy: Democrats Hail the Rise of Surveillance
Ross Barkan
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Last week, Public Advocate Tish James, one of the more prominent liberal Democrats in the city, had an idea. Sexual assaults in subway cars aren’t going away, so Ms. James suggested the cars simply add security cameras to end the crimes.
The financial feasibility of the proposal was immediately questioned–the perpetually cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority can’t just slap hundreds, if not thousands, of cameras on trains right away–but another potential outcome of the plan was not discussed. If Ms. James’ proposal came to pass, every movement of an individual in a subway car would be videotaped 24 hours a day, adding yet another layer of surveillance to a city that has already seen an explosion of security cameras over the past decade.
“We need cameras in our subway cars especially when 62 percent of the crimes are committed on the train as opposed to 38 percent in the stations,” Ms. James declared at a press conference just outside City Hall. “Why is the largest transportation system in the world–why is New York City not leading the way in terms of safety?”
For even the most progressive Democrats in New York City, the underlying and rarely questioned assumption in 2014 is that more cameras is a universal good. Mayor Bill de Blasio, along with young lawmakers like Bronx Councilman Ritchie Torres, have pushed for more security cameras at New York City Housing Authority complexes to curb crime. Mr. de Blasio recently ordered his administration to install 49 new cameras in NYCHA developments, speeding up a process that lagged under the Bloomberg administration. The mayor, along with state lawmakers, also fought to install more cameras on city streets to keep motorists from speeding.
Read more at http://observer.com/2014/07/not-so-camera-shy/#ixzz38ywYIS3u