They’re robbed as they walk their dogs, go on moonlit strolls or sit waiting for buses. They’re robbed as they lean on their canes or sit in their wheelchairs. In some cases, they’re shoved to the ground and even kicked while they’re down. More than once a day on average this year, someone over the age of 65 was mugged somewhere in New York City. And the numbers are up, particularly in the Bronx and Manhattan.
City seniors know they are vulnerable — and given the choice between safety and freedom, they’re choosing the former, limiting what they do and where they go in order to keep safe. “It’s not right that they are targeting senior citizens,” Jorge Baiz, 75, said as he sat in his motorized wheelchair outside the Soundview Senior Center in the Bronx. READ MORE
