The crime factor: How safety concerns are shaping New Yorkers' vote in 2022

When New Yorkers head to the polls on Tuesday, one issue is likely to be top of mind: public safety. While shootings and homicides are down citywide, every other major crime category is up. And that has many people on edge.

The experts have been doing plenty of their own polling ahead of the election. And the latest surveys have found an increasingly tight race for governor, even in a state that hasn’t elected a Republican to the office in two decades. A recent poll from Quinnipiac University found crime was the most important topic for the largest share of surveyed voters.

To hear how important public safety is to prospective voters as they choose a governor, Gothamist spoke with prospective voters across the city: in Inwood, Ridgewood, Chinatown, Park Slope, and the South Bronx. Almost everyone said they were concerned about crime.

The interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity:

Michael Bello

Lives in: East Elmhurst/Jackson Heights, Queens
Met him: While he was taking a gun safety course at the Seneca Sporting Range in Ridgewood, Queens to get a concealed carry permit, as will be allowed under a ruling this fall by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Voting for: Lee Zeldin

“The crime factor. It’s getting worse. I want to be able to protect my home, protect my loved ones. Every morning I wake up and somebody got killed, somebody got shot, somebody got thrown in front of a train. It makes you worry for, for myself, my loved ones, for my neighbors.”

Eva Guzman

Lives in: Ridgewood, Queens
Met her: At the Seneca Sporting Range in Ridgewood, Queens, where she recently bought her first gun because she feels unsafe. She has also stopped taking the subway.
Voting for: Undecided

Gothamist: So you feel like if you were carrying a gun you would feel safer?
EG: Yes.
Gothamist: You paused a little bit. Tell me about that pause.
EG: The pause is, it's because I'm 80-20 with it. Because yes, everybody having a gun, is it OK? Probably not. But with everything going on now with other people with guns, maybe somebody can be stopped to avoid a lot of other things happening.

Crystal Gutierrez

Lives in:
Met her: At a park outside Yankee Stadium in the Bronx
Voting for: No one, because she feels like “it doesn’t really matter.”

“[Politicians] come here for Yankee games. Cool. You don't walk around these streets. You don't see what we see. You don't see all the homeless people on the streets. You don't see the women at 2 o'clock in the morning holding their purses and looking back every five minutes, because anything can happen at any time of the day. They don't see that.”

Tunisia Hamid

Lives in: South Bronx
Met her: At a park outside Yankee Stadium in the Bronx
Voting for: Kathy Hochul

“Vote not, want not. You know, voting is such an important part of the civil process. It is important for every person to vote, you know. And that is how we are able to help ensure that we maintain our services and that we are getting adequate resources in our neighborhood and our community.”

Dolores Phelan

Lives in: Park Slope
Met her: Walking her dog Blanche in Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Voting for: Did not say

“If I have to go into the city for a doctor's appointment, oh my God. I try to do it on rush hour and then I won't come home in the middle of the day, because I'm afraid to go on an empty train. I mean, this is ridiculous. If they have to get out the National Guard. I want to see somebody with guns all around.”

Philip Resnik

Lives in: Inwood, Manhattan
Met him: On a park bench near Dyckman Street, enjoying the Halloween festivities
Voting for: Lee Zeldin

Gothamist: Are you feeling safe in your neighborhood these days?

PR: I feel safe in my neighborhood. I do. I've lived in the city all my life over 70 years, and truthfully, nothing's really ever happened to me. I know things happening on the subways and on the streets are scary. There's no doubt about it because it's so high-profile. Everything's blared over the front pages and whatnot. And I'm sure it's unsafe, somewhat. But we have to remember we're in a city of 8.5 million people. And for the most part, I don't think there's that much worry. But I’m still — I am somewhat apprehensive of crime. I usually vote for Democrats, but this year I’m gonna vote for the Republican because I want there to be more law and order. I do.

Gothamist: So you don't feel unsafe, but you do want more law and order?

PR: I do. Yeah.

Claudia Hampton

Lives in: Inwood, Manhattan
Met her: Walking her dog in a park near Dyckman Street
Voting for: Kathy Hochul

“I've seen an increase in police presence in the subway station. For some people, that's an indicator of safety. For me, it makes me feel a little bit less safe. I don't really love to see the militarization in the subway stations.”

“These outlier situations can cause a lot of panic, certainly from outside. I have relatives who know that I live in the city and reach out and ask if I'm OK. I have to explain to them the layout of New York and how far away I'm from these places. There are other incidents that are just more every day. People getting ticketed for jumping the turnstile, because they can’t afford the $2.75 [fare]. Those are going to be incidents where things can escalate and the way they don't have to, versus one-off, obviously terrible but senseless stuff that we see.”

Hue Liang

Lives in: Chinatown, Manhattan
Met her: In an outdoor dining shed near Canal Street
Voting for: Undecided

“Nowadays, I feel like I can't really stay out too late. I have to go home earlier. And also, I feel a little bit more paranoid about the safety of my family. I want them to be protected as they go to their work and jobs in night time shifts. I see a lot of crime happening in the subways. It's nerve-racking, but I do feel like, as long as you stay prepared, you are aware of your surroundings, maybe you can be a little bit safer.”