Despite the city being mostly shut down and transit ridership plummeting 95%, there has been an undeniable increase in crime, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in decades: burglary is up 29%, robberies are up 12.3%, car theft is up 29%, shootings are up 7.4% (and up 32% in Queens South), and transit crime is up 8%. The NYPD is tracking who is being arrested and found that more than 100 people recently “compassionately” released from Rikers Island in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID were picked up again in many of these crimes. Governor Cuomo also ordered the release of thousands of prison inmates, some of whom are no doubt engaging in bad behavior. We can’t say we’re surprised. And there are people out there who think Rikers should not only be closed but that it shouldn’t be replaced. Talk about dumb.