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Last summer, calls from progressives to “defund the police” in New York City following the murder of George Floyd caused the New York City Council to vote on shifting $1 billion from the NYPD’s budget and played a role in the fizzling of New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson’s bid for mayor and last year’s loss by former Staten Island Rep. Max Rose.
But one year later, on the heels of a high-profile shooting in Times Square and as the city grapples with an uptick in violent crime, shootings and anti-Asian hate crimes, calls to defund the police have largely gone quiet. And some believe that this surge in certain crimes could tip the scales of the June 22 Democratic primary for mayor and clear the way for a more moderate candidate to prevail as more New Yorkers go back to their offices and the subways.