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A New York woman who was recently attacked inside a subway station has responded to comments made by a Queens district councilmember who said ‘subway violence is a one-in-a-million event.’
Elizabeth Gomes, 33, reacted to a tweet by District 22’s Tiffany Cabán, 35, two weeks after she nearly lost her right eye in an attack at Howard Beach station.
‘As a believer in a violence-free NYC, I still think that’s one too many, but let’s not let fear-mongering politicians and corporate media outlets scare us into thinking we have a dangerous, scary public transit system,’ Cabán wrote.
‘I would say it’s ridiculous for her to say that,’ Gomes told FOX News.
‘(Almost) 99 percent of these violent (attacks) are coming from the subways. There is no help there. There is hardly any kind of cameras or anything there. So, how could she even say that we’re making these things up? The subway is a dangerous place.’
Transit-related crimes have increased 43 percent in the last 12 months in addition to a 16 percent growth in felony assault charges, according to police records.
There were 1,165 crimes reported in the city transit system for the period last year compared to 1,670 this year.
Elizabeth Gomes, 33, was attacked on September 20 as she got off the subway at JFK airport and headed to work
Gomes recalled the event and responded to questions about transit safety. ‘The subway is a dangerous place,’ she said
Pictured: The tweet from District 22 councilmember Tiffany Cabán, which circulated social media one week after Gomes’ attack
Gomes arrived at Howard Beach station in Queens at around 5:15am on September 20.
Waheed Foster, 41, tried to start a conversation, but when she ignored him he flung himself at her – dragging her to the ground then kicking and punching her.
Foster, who was arrested for murdering his 82-year-old foster grandmother in a brutal beating at the age of 14, rained blows down on Gomes as she cowered on the floor.
One man tried to come to Gomes’s aid, but Foster chased him away and then resumed attacking her.
He then walked away, leaving Gomes on the floor. Foster was arrested shortly after.
‘Do you know how scared I am now? I was never a person to be scared,’ Gomes told ABC News.
‘I can’t see anything on my right side, honestly. And it just hurts.’
Foster has been charged with felony assault.
He has two other pending criminal cases against him, on charges of criminal mischief and minor theft.
Gomes is seen being grabbed from behind by Waheed Foster, 41 – who she had ignored as he tried to speak to her when she got off the train
Foster, who beat his foster grandmother to death when he was 14, grabbed Gomes
Foster is seen hurling Gomes to the floor before raining blows down on her
Gomes is seen curling up in a ball to try and protect herself as Foster attacked her
Gomes’ recent comments come on day after an unidentified naked man caused a scene at the Union Square station in downtown Manhattan.
Footage from the station showed an unidentified man wearing nothing but a right sock sprawled on his back on the ground as an MTA employee tries to restrain him.
The gathered crowd of commuters reacted in horror and amusement, with some laughing at the farcical scene and others reacting in horror while they dodged away from the man’s naked theatrics.
At one point the man staggers into the open doors of a packed subway car waiting at the station, and with screams straphangers pour out onto the platform from another door until the man stumbles out himself.
Footage from the Union Square station in downtown Manhattan showed an unidentified man wearing nothing but a right sock sprawled on his back on the ground as an MTA employee tries to restrain him
The scene comes as chaos has become commonplace throughout New York City’s subways, and random acts of violence and depravity have left residents wondering what the police are doing to keep them safe
‘People are throwing each other into the tracks,’ Gomes continued. ‘You are getting sliced in the middle of your ride. How could (Cabán) even say that?
‘Subways are one of the most dangerous places in New York City and we need lots of cameras in it – even inside the trains we need the cameras.’
Gomes added that her doctors are saying she won’t be able to see with her right eye and that she has an appointment with a ‘retinal expert’ who will update her.
She said her kids are helping her move through the situation.
‘They’re trying to cope with it,’ she said. ‘They don’t really understand. My son is 3. He doesn’t understand what’s going on. The 9-year old knows, but she is there for me and she comforts me.’
