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Early Addition
Solange Elizee, the 85-year-old woman (not pictured) who was the second elderly victim of the most hated push-in mugger in New York, is moving out of her Queens apartment because she's afraid of being attacked again. From The New York Post:
Solange Elizee, the 85-year-old who was one of two senior citizens beaten by a ruthless robber on March 4, is vacating her home of 20 years for new digs that promise peace of mind."Every time I go to the elevator, I don't feel good," Elizee said about her current building in Jamaica, where a still-at-large mugger attacked her inside her apartment, then stole $45 and her gold wedding ring.
The paper also reports that Elizee suffers from panic attacks and will be moving into an assisted-living facility with 24-hour security.
State legislators have proposed a law that would make it an automatic felony to assault someone over the age of 70 and lawbreakers could face a maximum of 4 years in prison. Currently, beating on an old person is only a misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of one year if found guilty. We found this very surprising.
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Yeah, but "Endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person in the second degree" is a class-E felony, and a first offender could get up to four years in prison. Of all the things we could do to protect elders in New York (better home health care? more assisted living?), amending criminal law probably isn't high on the list; after all, this particular lowlife is already on the hook for a few felonies (add burglary, e.g.), and hasn't yet been deterred. Creating new criminal laws may make our legislators and suburban voters feel warm and fuzzy inside, but it isn't a substitute for maintaining the support systems older folks need.
nate