NEW YORK, NY — Joseph Hernandez, Republican candidate for New York State Comptroller, issued the following statement after rioting and vandalism broke out across New York City following Game 3 of the NBA Finals:
“The Knicks lost on the court last night, but New York has been losing something far worse on our streets. What should have been a celebration became chaos where property was destroyed, police officers targeted, and law-abiding New Yorkers left to wonder, again, why rioting keeps happening in their own city.
These events are happening because for decades this city and this state have been run by one party that has simply run out of answers on crime. Just days ago, five people were stabbed at Penn Station, one of the busiest transit hubs in the country, and far too many New Yorkers barely blinked. We have been conditioned to accept disorder as the price of living here. We should not accept it, and no one should ask us to.
There will be those who wave this away as young people blowing off steam. But a society cannot function when lawlessness is excused and accountability disappears.
Our police officers deserve better. Working families deserve better. The small business owners sweeping up broken glass this morning deserve better. New York does not need more excuses from the same leadership that created this mess. It needs new leadership, from the top down, that will enforce the laws already on the books and restore order to our streets.
This was a sad chapter in the life of New York City. It does not have to be the next one.”