The violence in American cities has truly gotten out of control. This most recent case is absolutely disgusting: an elderly woman in New York was brutally attacked earlier this week for no reason at all.

Why is crime getting so bad in cities and what can be done about it?

Jeannette Smalls was leaving Macy’s in Manhattan on June 10 when a man with no shirt came up and violently pushed her down. He threw away Smalls’ walker that she needs to get around and started kicking her over and over.

He was restrained by a pedestrian, but ended up running away before police arrived. Smalls describes the incident as a “horrid nightmare” and said the man was “crazy.”

She was taken to the hospital and treated for various injuries, including cuts all over her body and a gashed knee, as well as serious bruising.

Various items were also stolen from Smalls’ purse, including a bottle of vitamins. At this point, Smalls is too afraid to go out anymore since the man who attacked her still hasn’t been caught.

Attacks just in this one specific area of midtown Manhattan have gone up by 24% since a year ago. Shoplifting has gone up by 19% and there has also been a big rise in car thefts and sexual assaults.

This is just one city, of course, but crime is up in most cities across the country, including in red and blue states.

The fact is it’s even worse in blue states, however, where bail reform, legalized drugs, and going soft on crime has let dangerous psychopaths out on the streets.

You can’t turn a blind eye to crime and then expect it to go away.

Criminals need to be much more strongly punished and victims need much more protection and a larger police presence. Let law enforcement do its job and put criminals where they belong.