Writer Maria Cramer, Gray Panthers President Jack Kupferman, and Retired NY Supreme Court Judge Doris Ling-Cohan

MetroFocus: The Podcast

ELDERLY WOMAN’S MURDER REIGNITES FEARS ABOUT GROWING OLD IN NYC

The brutal killing of a New York City grandmother in her Upper West Side apartment is reinforcing fears among some older New Yorkers that they’re not safe in the city. It's also empowering others to spread the potentially life-saving lessons of martial arts to seniors. Maria Hernandez was discovered bound and strangled in January and two men have been charged with her murder. The case underscores the rise in violence targeting older New Yorkers with The New York Times reporting that violent crimes against people 65 and older rose about 10 percent last year. It’s part of the overall major crime surge prompting some New Yorkers to literally take matters into their own hands, including Doris Ling-Cohan, a retired New York Supreme Court judge who learned martial arts to help her and others stay safe. She joins us tonight along with Maria Cramer, the Times police bureau chief whose reporting helped draw attention to these issues, and Jack Kupferman, the president of Gray Panthers NYC, which works to combat ageism.