Crime is taking a bite out of the Big Apple, according to the owner of one iconic New York City eatery.
Concerned about the crisis, Junior’s Restaurant’s third-generation proprietor, Alan Rosen, lamented to The New York Post that there are no consequences for creating chaos in the city.
“When did it become OK to shoplift a pharmacy? In what society is that OK? People shouldn’t be able to shoplift at CVS,” he said in a recent interview with the outlet.
“Enough! There are no consequences. That’s part of the problem.”
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Rosen’s remarks come as residents and businesses grapple with serious concerns – retail theft, violence against law enforcement, treacherous conditions on public transit and a financially burdensome migrant crisis that has forced the city to operate at full capacity while keeping people off the streets, to name a few.
Inspired by crime, some pharmacies and grocery stores in the area have felt compelled to take matters into their own hands and padlock items like ice cream or over-the-counter medicines.
Outside stores, pedestrians and public transit users face the risk of muggings or other aggressive crimes.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, earlier this month, even brought in the National Guard to help local police mitigate a recent crime surge in the city’s subways.
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![Junior's cheesecakes in Brooklyn](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxbusiness.com/foxbusiness.com/content/uploads/2024/03/931/523/GettyImages-470975191-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
In Times Square, near Junior’s establishments, two NYPD officers were attacked by a group of illegal immigrants who were later charged with assault and released without bail.
Some of Rosen’s own employees have felt unsafe amid worsening conditions, he told the Post.
He’s concerned about their safety as they leave shifts to head home at night, the report stated. His own daughter’s assault at random last summer is further evidence of moral decay.
“We feel uneasy. We feel unsafe. We want our city back,” he told the media outlet.
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![Junior's restaurant exterior](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxbusiness.com/foxbusiness.com/content/uploads/2024/03/931/523/GettyImages-1275526937-scaled.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
He also blasted cashless bail for allowing “bad apples” to spoil the bunch. That same issue has emerged in a number of major cities across the U.S. as criminals commit offenses and are later found back on the streets to repeat the cycle.
“Our police have been handcuffed. Hire more police! We need to refund the police, not defund the police,” he said.
Rosen made additional complaints about quality of life in New York City, including the cost of living, as the city plans a “congestion toll” that could potentially hinder some of his own trucks transporting goods from New Jersey.
Though Rosen declined to pinpoint the blame on any officials, according to the Post, he cited the city’s best days as those under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
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