Mayor De Blasio REVERSES ‘Defund the Police’ push, vows to ‘flood’ the city with police after recent shootings

Earlier this week, a tourist was shot in New York City’s Times Square, leading Mayor Bill de Blasio to vow to “flood the zones” with police.

An innocent bystander, Samuel Poulin, who is a marine, was shot by a stray bullet while walking with his wife and family. The shooting followed a dispute between the gunman and a separate group. Poulin spoke to officers before being taken to a hospital where he is doing fine. During a virtual news conference following the incident, de Blasio said, “Bottom line is, we are going to flood the zone in Times Square with additional officers.”

The decision is contrary to the mayor’s calls to defund the NYPD following anti-police demonstrations last year. However, the increase in crime has led lawmakers like de Blasio and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to reverse these decisions. Democratic mayoral candidate, Eric Adams, commented on the shooting, “The spike in victims and incidents are not just statistics on a report; the trauma and bloodshed are real. We cannot have a real economic recovery from COVID-19 if our centers of business and tourism are perceived to be unsafe.”

De Blasio promised increased law enforcement last month when another shooting injured a 4-year-old girl and two women. FBA previously reported on this incident: “Police presence has increased since the tragic event, officers being added to Times Square and the 20 large subway stations, to name a few. Despite the overwhelming police response, NYPD commissioner Dermont Shea says that more police wouldn’t have stopped Saturday’s tragic shooting.”