Former New York Gov. David Paterson revealed Sunday he has never felt more unsafe in the Big Apple than he does today – including in the 80s and 90s.
It is a shocking admission for the onetime Democrat official, who warned on "The Cats Roundtable" that his party could suffer big in the upcoming midterm elections if they fail to address skyrocketing crime.
"For the first time in my life — even in the late 80s and 90s when the crime rate was killing 2,000 people a year, I never felt as unsafe as I do now just walking around, and God forbid, sometimes we take the subway home from WABC, and you're hearing about an assault on the subway almost every other day," Paterson said.
The former governor also took a shot at New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a fellow Democrat, who has made recent comments lauding the city's unique "brand." He stressed that "brand" could quickly become a bad one if crime is not addressed sooner than later.
Meanwhile, Paterson issued a bleak picture for the Democrats' chances in the November elections if "some of these people who have not been speaking out start doing it."
"I don't want to be the one in November to say, 'I told you so,'" he said of Republicans possibly sweeping the midterms.
His statement comes as crime reaches new heights in New York City, with a recent police report showing citywide shootings increased 13.4% from July 2021 to July 2022. Additionally, the number of murders increased by 34.3% over that period.
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