Two Big Apple retail workers brutally attacked have joined the chorus of critics lashing out at state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie for his soft stance on drug crime. violent criminals, saying Tuesday that he was flat-out “wrong” and just wasn’t doing it. t “care.”
“New York has become one of the worst places on the planet. Criminals do what they want. For what? Because there is no penalty. There’s no deterrent,” Ramon Acevedo, a grandfather and former Manhattan grocery store manager, told the Post.
The 68-year-old victim — who was nearly beaten to death with a hammer at a Gristedes supermarket in Chelsea in July 2020 — ripped into Heastie (D-Bronx) for refusing to support tougher penalties for those who violently target workers of retail, saying “I just don’t believe that increasing penalties is a deterrent to crime.”
Acevedo, who eventually retired following his bloody assault after 47 years at the store, was left with a gaping gash in his forehead when his accused attacker, Oscar Apronti, came to hit him with the hammer.
“This guy almost killed me. Another half inch to the right would have ended my life,” Acevedo said.
His alleged attacker, whom he recognized from previous shoplifting attempts at his store, was also accused of assaulting an employee with a broken bottle at the nearby Chelsea Fine Food bodega just three months later. early.
“Politicians take care of themselves instead of the people,” Acevedo said of Heastie’s refusal to crack down on violent criminals like the one who allegedly beat him.
“They are not concerned. They are definitely disconnected. They don’t care. They should do their job and protect us. If criminals don’t serve their sentences, what deters them from striking again? »
Acevedo’s attacker was charged with assault, stalking and criminal possession of a weapon when he was eventually arrested for the violent attacks.
Meanwhile, cashier Lisbel Rodriguez Luna was left bruised and beaten when she was attacked by a disturbed woman and her daughters at Food Universe in the Bronx in February last year.
“(Heastie) is wrong. Whoever steals and attacks someone must be punished. These people should be in jail,” Luna, 25, told the Post. “They came to my work to mistreat me. Out of nowhere, they attacked me because they wanted to.
As with Acevedo, a scarred Luna quickly left her supermarket a month after being punched in the face in the brutal attack filmed following an argument over cashing recyclable bottles.
“I’m just trying to get out of this situation,” Luna said, adding that she wasn’t sure what happened to her alleged attackers or if they were ever arrested.
His stepfather, Jesus Hernandez, added of Heastie: “He’s pro-delinquent.
“He is in favor of criminals. The authorities are very gentle. If someone commits such an attack and nothing happens, what will happen? I can’t vote for someone like that.
Luna and Acevedo piled in a day after several business owners ripped Heastie after he ended Gov. Kathy Hochul’s effort to toughen penalties against criminals who prey on retail sellers.
In addition to calling for a crackdown on the explosion of thefts at retail stores, Hochul in her budget said she wanted to strengthen penalties against criminals who prey on store employees.
Heastie, whose position as Speaker of the Assembly is particularly powerful, doubled down on his remarks Tuesday, telling reporters in Albany: “I just said I don’t believe that increasing penalties deters crime, and I would like someone to give me an example as to when this happened.
“I think we’re going to come up with different ideas on how to combat retail theft,” he continued. “The question shouldn’t be, ‘Are you going to increase penalties because you want to deter crime?’ The question should be, “Do you want to increase penalties because you want people to stay in prison longer?” » »
Retail thefts across the city have increased overall by more than 6.5% – or to 14,910 – so far this year, compared to the same period in 2023, when 13,987 incidents were recorded, according to the latest crime statistics from the NYPD.
John Catsimatidis, CEO of the Gristedes supermarket chain in New York, said shoplifting and increased security to combat it now account for 6 percent of costs at its 29 stores in the city, up from 1 .5% before COVID.
“I shake my head. It does not mean anything. We don’t understand it,” Catsimatidis said of Heastie’s remarks.
“Why do lawmakers want to protect criminals instead of hard-working, blue-collar retail workers? ” He continued. “It’s irrelevant. They’re chasing people out of New York!
Additional reporting by Vaughn Golden
New York Post
