Rep. Ritchie Torres took to social media this week to criticize Gov. Kathy Hochul’s response to transit crime, following a series of shocking incidents that have left a handful of New Yorkers injured or killed.
The Bronx congressman responded to recent subway assaults on his personal X account, advocating for increased authority to involuntarily “relocate” individuals displaying signs of mental illness and stricter measures to keep repeat offenders off the streets.
Following the arrest of a man for slashing two people with a knife on Christmas Eve at Grand Central Station, Torres advocated for stronger measures to remove potentially dangerous individuals from the transit system.
“How many more random slashings, stabbings, and shovings must be perpetrated against innocent New Yorkers before the State of New York gives the Mayor the authority he needs to relocate dangerous people from the streets and subways?” he said.
Torres commented again after Kamel Hawkins, 23, was charged with attempted murder and felony assault for pushing a man onto the 1 train tracks at the 18th Street Station on New Year’s Eve. The 45-year-old victim apparently fell into a gap where the train passed over him, leaving him alive but in critical condition.
Torres stated that Hawkins’ criminal history should have prevented his release back onto the streets. In a Jan. 1 post, Torres highlighted Hawkins’ recent criminal charges, sharing a screenshot that detailed his October arrest for harassment, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and third-degree assault.
“How can a criminal be charged with assault and weapons possession in October 2024, only to be released back onto the streets?”
His social media statement also alluded to the assault of a cop.
“How can a criminal inflict a back injury on an officer in June 2019, only to be released back onto the streets?”
Kamel Hawkins, who shoved an innocent New Yorker in front of an incoming subway car, has a history of violence.
How can a criminal inflict a back injury on an officer in June 2019, only to be released back onto the streets? How can a criminal be charged with assault and weapons… pic.twitter.com/uIzTrkiVeO
— Ritchie Torres (@RitchieTorres) January 1, 2025
The New York Post has reported confirmation of the injury to a police officer in 2019 and Hawkins’ October arrest in Brooklyn on harassment and stalking charges, but the Bronx Times has not yet verified the charges in each incident.
Torres is also using social media to push for a ban on face masks, which he said are often used not for health reasons but to conceal the identity of those engaged in crime and harassment.
On Jan. 2, he called for reinstating the “pre-COVID mask ban,” a move that Hochul is reportedly considering but has not yet announced.
Prior to the pandemic, masks in public were generally banned under the state penal code, but the ban was reversed via executive order during the public health emergency, when it actually became a crime to present in public without a face covering in areas not conducive to social distancing.
Torres said on X that while he still supports mask-wearing for public health reasons, “Wearing a mask for the purpose of committing crimes against innocent New Yorkers or for the purpose of intimidating and harassing Jewish students on college campuses should be strictly prohibited by state law.”
His vocal criticism comes amid the all-but-certainty he will challenge Hochul in the primary for governor in 2026, as his public criticism of her — along with Mayor Adams and national Democratic leadership more broadly — has become more pronounced. Torres has referred to Hochul as “the new [President] Biden,” suggesting that Democrats will lose even further ground to Republicans in state and nationwide politics without a change in leadership.
Fueling Torres’ criticism are the several recent frightening incidents of subway crime — most shockingly, the Dec. 22 murder of Debrina Kawam, who was set on fire as she slept in an F train car in a crime allegedly committed by a Venezuelan migrant — that have the city on edge.
In mid-December, Hochul announced the addition of 250 more National Guard members to the subways during the holiday season, on top of the 750 already deployed.
Some New Yorkers aren’t even waiting for elected officials to act. The Guardian Angels, led by Curtis Sliwa in signature red hats, resumed their volunteer subway patrols for the first time since 2020 in response to the recent assaults.
Meanwhile, Torres, who has called Hochul “well-intentioned but ineffective,” is expected to conduct a statewide listening tour before deciding on a gubernatorial bid.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
