This Mother's Day, the best gift would be to get violent criminals off NYC streets

New York Post

10-05-2025

This Mother's Day, Harlem is missing a very beloved mama.
On April 22, 'Momma Zee,' the neighborhood's pet name for Excenia Mette, was killed trying to protect her grandson, Jarian Jordan Jr. Hearing gunshots from a nearby shoot-out, Momma Zee ran outside to make sure that Jarian was not in harm's way — only to be struck by a fatal bullet.
Such maternal care was one of this local legend's defining characteristics, and something she bestowed on her whole community. This included inspiring others: She was the first black woman to open a NYC bodega back in the 1980s. 'That's the person that she is,' said mourner Makeba Reece. 'She died doing what she does: loving and protecting.'
6 Excenia Mette, better known as 'Momma Zee,' was shot and killed amid the crossfire of a Harlem turf battle by a pair of young men with substantial previous criminal records.
For Black Owned/Facebook
But even a super mama can't protect loved ones from peril without the criminal justice system backing her up.
Momma Zee might still be alive if New York's laws didn't make it uniquely difficult to protect the community from dangerous criminals.
Indeed, the Empire State remains the only one in the union where judges are not permitted to consider dangerousness in detaining an offender pre-trial, thanks largely to its extreme 2020 bail law.
And under 2018's 'Raise the Age' statute, New York's rules for 16- and 17-year-olds who commit crimes are so irresponsibly lax that 75% of those who perpetrate even a violent felony are never prosecuted in criminal court.
Further, even with Gov. Hochul's teensy-weensy improvements to the state's radical 2020 discovery law, the amended law will still mandate the nation's most impossibly onerous compliance burden on prosecutors.
No wonder, as Hochul pointed out, 94% of these domestic violence cases (many against mothers or children) are now declined or dismissed.
Indeed, as we learn more details, it is shamefully clear that NY's criminal justice system failed to properly protect Harlem from the two dangerous young men who took Momma Zee's life, even though both had been in custody before.
6 The funeral procession for Momma Zee, who was a retail pioneer and a beloved community role model.
James Messerschmidt
Twenty-three-year-old Darious Smith was arrested right after the shootout for allegedly pulling out a gun on Lenox Avenue and West 113th Street, and opening fire, sparking a gun battle. Smith is charged with attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon.
And, nope, this wasn't his first rodeo: Smith reportedly has 18 prior arrests, including for robbery and a double stabbing.
The week after Momma Zee's murder, 23-year-old Ricky Shelby also surrendered to authorities; he is suspected of firing the responding bullets in the crossfire, including the deadly shot that struck Momma Zee's head. And, yup, Shelby's also been around the block: He had a gun arrest in December 2020.
6 Despite protests, critics say Gov. Hochul was recently able to make minor improvements in New York State's ultra-lenient discovery laws.
James Messerschmidt
For that shooting, Ricky eventually pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of criminal possession of a firearm in July 2023 and — tragically for Momma Zee — was sentenced to conditional discharge.
These records suggest a story of young men whose involvement in violence — and the feuds that go with it — began long before they turned 18.
Both likely benefited from 'Raise the Age' laws passed in time to prevent them from facing any real consequences for crimes like gun possession or assault.
And the criminal justice system, under the discovery and bail laws, was so lackadaisical toward the men's adult crimes that both felt comfortable repeating them in Harlem last month.
Smith, like last year, attacked with a weapon, firing recklessly from a scooter into a crowd. And Shelby, just like in the past, was prepared with a (40-caliber) firearm to blast back.
New York's criminal justice system needs to make prosecution and incarceration 'disciplinarian' enough to both deter bad behavior and keep those in a 'time-out' who need one. Good policing is not enough.
The good news is that in the Central Harlem precinct where Momma Zee was killed, effective policing has brought down chaos. Major crimes have fallen by a third since this time last year, with only half as many shooting victims as last spring.
6 Darious Smith, one of the alleged suspects in the 'Momma Zee,' has a notable record of past offenses, according to reports.
Gabriella Bass
6 Ricky Shelby is the second suspect in the Momma Zee death, and like Smith, he has also seen his way through the criminal justice system.
Steven Hirsch
This represents a 21% drop from major crimes two years ago.
More astoundingly, effective policing in Central Harlem has reduced serious crimes a whopping 75% since the early 1990s, when Momma Zee's beloved bodega was just getting off the ground.
But lower numbers are not enough for the mothers whose children are victims of remaining violence. And it wasn't enough for Momma Zee's grandson, who eulogized: 'She was my advocate, and not just for me, for everyone in this room.'
6 Proactive policing is working in Harlem, where major crimes have fallen by one-third over the past year.
Kyle Mazza/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Momma Zee can't be the only grown-up in the room. New York lawmakers should give their constituents the Mother's Day gift they really want: Amend the laws that are putting their babies and themselves in harm's way.
Hannah E. Meyers is a fellow and director of policing and public safety for the Manhattan Institute.