New York shares a problem with the White House: a vacuum of leadership.
While Joe Biden seesaws between kneecapping Kamala Harris and hoping publicly that Donald Trump goes to prison, Mayor Eric Adams is under siege, locked in a lawfare battle to save his political future. In other words, don't expect to see Adams cutting any ribbons in the near future.
At the same time, the city is in trouble: what started out as rumors about a violent Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua (TdA) grew into a pestilent criminal reality, with moped thefts plaguing the streets.
Now, TdA has metastasized into employing children to carry out their nefarious business of stealing phones and jewelry for international resale. As we reported in February, a single unlocked smart phone in the hands of an experienced TdA member can net several thousands of dollars.
The problem: adult TdA members are more likely to face legal consequences than a child. Solution: hire children, sometimes as young as 11 years old. Arm them. Show them how to surround and harangue pedestrians in busy areas like Times Square at knifepoint, or gunpoint.
TdA had figured out a gun smuggling workaround: to bring firearms into a city shelter, just put them in a food delivery bag, and claim to be making a delivery for a company such as DoorDash. City shelters were not screening food deliveries as recently this summer, when Bernardo Raul Castro Mata was arrested for shooting two NYPD officers.
Mata, 19, represents a turning point in the policing of TdA. His testimony in June exposed the food delivery trick. Further, he was targeted by police for riding a moped, and his age placed him in legal jeopardy. He was even held in protective custody, as reported in the NY Post:
Judge Kenneth C. Holder granted the request, signaling that Mata’s statements against the bloodthirsty Tren de Aragua potentially made the migrant a target. He also ordered Mata held without bail. When asked if the statements being read into the record put the bullseye on Mata, District Attorney Melinda Katz nodded as she told The Post. “We’d like to make sure that he comes to trial,” she said. “And is held accountable for attempted murder of two counts, against the police officers.”
Mayor Adams was wise to go after TdA tactically. Adams targeted moped riders, as the likelihood that a TdA moped was stolen and/or not registered made for low-hanging fruit. The public destruction of the two-wheelers made for good PR, as we reported in June.
Now, with Adams fighting for his job and career, will Chief Tom Donlon step up and eliminate the latest threat? We know where the "Los Diablos de la 42" are staying, which is primarily in hotels converted into migrant shelters around Grand Central Station and Times Square.
The NYPD is equal to such tasks, but is there enough political will to capture and jail--or deport--children? Are Donlon's hands tied over this technicality? How much property lost, how much blood spilled is acceptable before we solve the problem?
Rumors abound that Donlon could be implicated in the sweeping federal investigation of much of Adams' administration, despite being on the job for a matter of weeks. His home was raided on September 21st. Nevertheless, Donlon visited Roosevelt Avenue's "Market of Sweethearts" this week, vowing to "kick up to another level" the policing of the area. Our take: focus on TdA gangs first.
While the TdA are savvy to arm children, Donlon--with his extensive and shining résumé--must rise to meet the evolving challenge of TdA, and its enablers, DA Alvin Bragg and Attorney General Letitia James.
