Mayor Bill de Blasio is making an effort to get the courts fully operational in a move to try and lower the uptick in violence in New York City. Right now courts are operating remotely because of coronavirus but Mayor de Blasio wrote a letter to the district attorneys and chief judge asking them to work with his office to reopen. He understands the coronavirus severally disrupted the courts.
“Now is the time to overcome that and start to rebuild so we can really address the violence issue.”
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea backed the mayor, partially blaming the slow court system for an uptick in shootings.
“21 hundred gun cases in the last two years that are still open. Half of them indicted. Almost all of them are walking around next to you and me.”