NYT reporter slammed for dismissing concerns over subway crime: 'Condescending'
Fox News meteorologist Adam Klotz and Maria Danzilo joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss the backlash surrounding her remarks as crime continues to soar.
A New York Times reporter is facing backlash after she dismissed concerns surrounding subway crime in the Big Apple, arguing the fear stems from "imaginary monsters" that can be addressed with "therapy."
But victims of New York City's crime are pushing back against her "condescending" dismissal as fears mount over transit safety.
Fox News meteorologist Adam Klotz, who was brutally attacked on the subway earlier this year by a group of teens, joined "Fox & Friends First" to discuss his reaction to her remarks and why he believes public safety concerns are anything but fabricated.
"They were not imaginary. I feel like Elizabeth, the author of this, needs to check her own privilege in this situation," Klotz told co-host Todd Piro Wednesday. "She is so disconnected from what's actually happening in this city that maybe she should stop and have a little empathy for people who go through these situations because it can be scary out there, and it's OK to be afraid. These are not imaginary monsters."
The tweet, authored by Elizabeth Spiers, came in response to a tweet by senior National Review writer Dan McLaughlin, who was weighing in on a larger Twitter debate about gun violence, the country's mental health crisis and the purported differences between a "free" and "polite" society.
The discussion followed the recent death of Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man who was fatally choked after he was reportedly acting erratically and threatening passengers in a New York City subway car. His death has sparked protests in New York City and condemnations from elected officials.
"Hi - New Yorker here. I’ve safely ridden the subway for 23 years and my child has never been menaced by a half naked lunatic, but these imaginary monsters in your head are addressable with therapy," she wrote.
But Klotz said Spiers should put herself in others' shoes who have been through a traumatic crime experience.
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"It's really upsetting because I do feel like we're supposed to step back and put ourselves in other people's shoes, and this is particularly really popular on the left," Klotz said. "Check your privilege, and I feel like… there's a lot of folks out there who've gone through really tough situations, and she's not thinking about them. And then as soon as I've been through it, I suddenly… it opens your eyes, and you think, ‘boy, these things are scary’ and people who are scared deserve to be a little afraid."
Klotz is one of many recent high-profile subway attacks – award-winning PBS News reporter Jane Ferguson was also "violently assaulted" on the subway back in March. Another New York City woman lost her eye in September after being violently attacked by a homeless man in a Queens subway station. Her attacker was a career criminal and boasted an extensive rap sheet.
Maria Danzilo, another New York City crime victim, called Spiers' remarks "provacative" and "unfair" to those who have come face to face with the Big Apple's crime crisis.
"We've had a lot of violence on the subway and elsewhere in the city, and it doesn't really serve anyone, and it's really very provocative to say something like what people are seeing and experiencing isn't real," Danzilo said during "Fox & Friends First."
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"I think that kind of gaslighting is really doing a lot of damage to the city," she continued. "I think the only way we're going to move forward is to be honest about what's going on, and only then can we really address what's happening."
She argued the real issue at hand is the city's leaders, who she accused of denying reality as certain crimes in the city continue to spiral.
"I think they just don't want to face reality that we have a crime problem, and… they're there to blame, basically," she said. "They're the ones who are in power, and they're the ones who are bringing us these kinds of policies that aren't really prioritizing the safety of everyone in New York City, including people who are mentally ill and need to be getting proper treatment."
"It's a way to kind of deflect and avoid the problem," she continued. "The real problem is, is that we have leadership in this city who just aren't taking it seriously, and it's reflected in the way they're gaslighting."
Fox News' Yael Halon contributed to this report.
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