There is always one question that hits at the heart of any story about Batman: Why does he need to exist? Why does a city as large as Gotham – a major metropolis presumably with a functioning government and police force – require a vigilante to prevent crime? It’s not like other superheroes who have superpowers, and combat villains with abilities beyond the abilities of local law enforcement. Most of Batman’s nemeses do not have superpowers; and those who do, like Mr. Freeze, can theoretically have their powers neutralized by local law enforcement. Most of Gotham’s “supervillains” are just glorified mob bosses. Batman himself does not even have any superpowers, making his stories more relatable than other comic book heroes.
The reason Batman needs to exist is because of the ineptitude or corruption of police and politicians in Gotham, both of which can easily be bought off by organized crime. And those who are not easily bought off are powerless to stop the widespread crime. Thus enters Bruce Wayne, a man who can obviously not be bought off, and one who is not powerless to fight back against the criminals.
Today, we are experiencing a similar situation in New York City. Like Gotham, New York has been taken over by criminals to a level that has not been seen since before the Giuliani administration. The difference is why. We do not have the level of corruption among politicians or law enforcement that Gotham saw. And our police force is more than capable of handling the crime on the streets, whether organized or unorganized. No, the reason we have so much crime in New York City is far more egregious: We chose to.
That’s right; our capable and comparably non-corrupt law enforcement apparatuses would be able to handle the crime plaguing our city but for this new theory of looking at criminals, led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bragg has chosen to allow criminals to walk free, failed to prosecute repeat offenders, and instilled a feeling throughout the city that criminals are allowed to do whatever they want.
It’s why 25-year-old Brandon Simosa, an illegal Venezuelan immigrant with ties to the notorious Tren de Aragua gang, was laughing as he was arrested and carted away for robbing and exposing himself to a Manhattan ADA last month. He has reason to laugh. This was the sixth time in five months that he has been arrested for similar crimes. It’s why when 21-year-old Bronx resident Deikel Alcantara was arrested Friday evening and charged with grand larceny for stealing a $3,000 gold-plated rose from a church’s 9/11 memorial, he was seen laughing as his lawyer argued for bail. And why shouldn’t he laugh? He knows nothing is going to happen to him.
Is it any wonder, then, why we have stories like the gross injustice being perpetrated against Daniel Penny, a marine who defended a train full of passengers from a criminal? For those who are just now emerging from the boulder they have been under for the last year and a half, on May 1, 2023, Jordan Neely, a vagrant who had been arrested 42 prior times, was placed in a chokehold by US Marine Daniel Penny after Neely was threatening and terrorizing passengers. As a result of this interaction, Neely died. Currently, Penny is on trial for murder, and perhaps by the time you read this, a verdict will have been reached.
Neely, despite being a 42-time arrested individual, despite having a warrant out for his arrest, despite terrorizing other passengers and threatening them with violence, is now considered the victim. Penny, on the other hand, is one of the few cases that Alvin Bragg considers to be a criminal. But we need to be clear about why people like Daniel Penny exist. When those in power decide that morality dictates that we allow criminals to break the law without consequence, vigilantes take the place of law enforcement.
It’s why when Jose Alba’s Manhattan bodega had a robbery attempted against it, he stabbed the attempted robber in self-defense. It’s why Adele Andaloro changed the locks on her Queens home that a squatter was living in. In both of those cases, it was heroes defending themselves or their property who were arrested, not the perpetrator. And this is because we have a criminal justice system that is all about protecting the criminal.
The same is true for Daniel Penny. He may not be the hero that New York deserves right now, but because of the policies that Alvin Bragg has imposed, he’s the one New York needs.
Izzo Zwiren works in healthcare administration, constantly concerning himself with the state of healthcare politics. The topic of healthcare has led Izzo to become passionate about a variety of political issues affecting our country today. Aside from politics, Izzo is a fan of trivia, stand-up comedy, and the New York Giants. Izzo lives on Long Island with his wife and two adorable, hilarious daughters.
