Politicians Demand More Protection for Seniors

Elected officials — including the president of Brooklyn, Marty Markowitz, and three City Council members — demanded more protection for seniors yesterday in response to a recent chain of assaults on the elderly.

Police believe that one man, who remains at large, is responsible for 12 robberies in Brooklyn this summer, primarily in the Flatbush and Kensington neighborhoods. The victims were all between the ages of 54 and 85, and were usually choked from behind and robbed of cash and credit cards.

Yesterday's speakers primarily addressed the most recent assault, in which 85-year-old Lillian France was choked until she was unconscious in an elevator in Crown Heights. The robbery was caught on tape.

"This incident dramatizes and reinforces the real benefits of security cameras within our communities," Council Member Letitia James said. "All elevator buildings with a high percentage of elderly residents need to have security cameras in place." She said she would "immediately" work on legislation to achieve that goal.

State Senator Eric Adams said real change must come from citizens having the "moral courage" to give information to police.