Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa seeks to become first Republican New York City mayor in 16 years
The longtime radio host argues New York City did not experience 'crime issues' under Republican leadership.
A Republican can win this year's mayoral election in New York City, longtime radio host Curtis Sliwa told "America’s Newsroom" Wednesday.
Sliwa, a GOP candidate who founded the Guardian Angels civilian patrol group to help combat widespread violence in the late 1970s, explained that New York did not experience "crime issues" when Republican mayors like Rudolph Giuliani were in office.
"I’ve seen it come full circle, from when I started the group back in 1979 when crime was out of control, to what has just transpired in the city over the summer," he said.
The number of shootings and murders in New York City soared in 2020, according to year-end crime data released by the New York Police Department (NYPD) in January. The number of shootings jumped 97% from 2019 and murders jumped by 44%, the New York Post reported, citing data provided by the NYPD.
Recalling the unrest in the city that followed the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, Sliwa claimed that "only the Guardian Angels were in the streets because the mayor ordered the police to stand down, and unfortunately the police, the NYPD, the most efficient and well-respected police department in the world, has now had to become reactive.
"The criminals are on the streets and the subways and worse yet, [New York Gov. Andrew] Cuomo in Albany with his no bail law has just turned these repetitive felons back into the street again and again, so they’re not even getting arrested and incarcerated for having a gun and firing a gun," he continued.
"They’re actually being given what we call ‘a disappearance ticket'. That means a little ticket, like you would get for a parking violation and they’re back in the streets to do it again."
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A spokesperson for Cuomo and de Blasio did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.
When host Bill Hemmer pointed out that Sliwa has "a mountain to climb" to win election as a Republican in New York City, he answered: "Curtis Sliwa is used to dealing with the odds against him" and noted he had been "shot five times by organized crime on the orders of John Gotti."
Sliwa also pointed out that when Giuliani won his mayoral races in the 1990s, people were "fed up with the crime and they didn’t look at party affiliation."
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"They said, 'Who is the person who is going to be able to get a quality of life back, who is going to be able to allow people to actually walk the streets and take the subways?' And that’s when New York City blossomed into the cultural, entertainment empire that it is in the world.
"Without public safety," Sliwa stressed, "the city cannot return."
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