There has been a recent series of unprovoked, broad-daylight attacks on women in New York City. The savage assaults have prompted outrage, even among some Democrats.

One Democratic New York City councilwoman in particular asked why men were not altogether stepping up to address the issue. Critics swiftly provided Councilwoman Amanda Farías with one possible reason why: She and other leftists have cried foul when men have previously stepped into the breach.

The attacks

Blaze News previously reported that various women peacefully navigating Manhattan sidewalks have been viciously attacked in recent weeks. Halley Kate Mcgookin, a social media influencer, was apparently one of them.

Choked up and tear-soused, Mcgookin recently noted in a viral video, "I was literally just walking and a man came up and punched me in the face."

"Oh my God, it hurts so bad. I can't even talk," added Mcgookin.

Sarah Harvard, another recent victim, was on her way to a comedy gig on the Lower East Side on March 19 when she was attacked from behind.

"I was walking, and out of nowhere, BAM!" she wrote on X. "I almost fell over. The back of my skull throbbing in pain, brain feels rattled."

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At least one arrest has been made — 40-year-old Skiboky Stora of Brooklyn — but there appear to be multiple attackers.

Where have all the good men gone?

Amid mounting outrage over the attacks, the New York City Council's predominantly leftist Women's Caucus stated it was "deeply disturbed and concerned about widespread reports of attacks against women in New York City that have been confirmed by the NYPD."

"The Women's Caucus calls on the NYPD for an immediate and comprehensive investigation into these incidents with transparent updates to the public," continued the statement. "We are encouraging New Yorkers with similar experience to notify the NYPD to conduct a thorough investigation. Amid an alarming trend in violence against women, this kind of violence is reprehensible."

New York City Council Majority Leader Amanda Farías shared the statement, adding, "Where are the men calling this out?"

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Handcuffed heroes

In May 2023, Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man with a history of criminal arrests, was said by witnesses to have threatened various passengers on a New York City subway train.

One witness told Fox News Digital, "I'm sitting on a train reading my book, and, all of a sudden, I hear someone spewing this rhetoric. He said, 'I don't care if I have to kill an F, I will. I'll go to jail, I'll take a bullet."

Passengers crewed on one side of the train to avoid Neely, especially after his alleged use of the words "bullet" and "kill."

"Why in the world would you take a bullet? Why? You don't take a bullet because you've snatched something from somebody's hand. You take a bullet for violence," said the female witness.

With women and men alike ostensibly in danger, former Marine Daniel Perry, then 24, did not simply call out the danger. He did something about it.

"The three main threats he repeated over and over was 'I'm going to kill you,' 'I'm prepared to go to jail for life,' and 'I'm willing to die,'" Penny later recalled.

The former Marine put Neely in a chokehold. Neely subsequently died.

The female witness said, "It was self-defense, and I believe in my heart that he saved a lot of people that day that could have gotten hurt."

Leftists such as Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) rushed to condemn Penny and paint Neely as a victim.

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Amanda Farías was among the loudest critics of Penny's attempt to restore order and protect women.

Farías tweeted on May 11, 2023, "I continue to be heartbroken and outraged by the death of Jordan Neely and the lack of justice. The @BLACaucusNYC stands together to demand justice for Jordan and to pay attention to the systems that failed him so we do not lose any more Black New Yorkers to senseless violence."

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Penny was ultimately indicted by a Manhattan grand jury of second-degree manslaughter. His trial is scheduled for October.

Backlash

Critics seized upon Farías' Thursday comment, noting her past contempt for the kind of New Yorker who might intervene if he saw a woman attacked randomly.

Christina Pushaw, an aide to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), was one of many who responded to Farías' question with a picture of Penny.

@CMAmandaFarias Why aren\u2019t men standing up against criminals who attack women in NYC? Great question\u2026

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One X user wrote, "'Where are the men calling this out?' On trial right now, that's where."

Second Amendment activist Dana Loesch wrote, "Ya'll jail them."

Michael Seifert, the founder and CCEO of the conservative Amazon alternative PublicSq., wrote, "They're all getting arrested like Daniel Penny."

Heritage research fellow Jason Bedrick responded, "NYC policies are doing this. Here's an idea: stop punishing the men who step up and help and stop releasing dangerous perpetrators awaiting trial."

The New York Post editorial board noted that while Farías is now desperate for police to do something about the trend of random attacks on women, she was previously desperate to kneecap the police.

The Post highlighted how Farías, when still a council candidate, underscored the need "to significantly divest from police precincts" and pledged to support "the reduction of NYPD's operating budget and partnering alongside the community to create real solutions and justice for New Yorkers."

Since taking office, she has made good on her anti-police promises, sponsoring the "How Many Stops Act," legislation that serves to stymie policing efforts. She also helped to override Mayor Eric Adams' subsequent veto attempt.

Republican NYC Councilwoman Vickie Paladino noted that a real fix to the problem Farías now seems to care about may require addressing the laws that allow criminals to prowl the streets freely.

"'Calling out' a problem isn't really going to do much unless it's followed up with solutions, and progressives are completely opposed to the solutions which actually work," wrote Paladino.

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