Stephen Termini, the New Yorker who was seriously assaulted on Dublin’s Talbot Street in July, is on the mend, but his sons have revealed they don’t feel safe in Ireland’s capital city.
57-year-old Termini is "doing much better" and his medical team is hopeful that he can return to the US soon, his son Mike Rizzuto told Newstalk on Wednesday.
“He’s not completely there yet but hopefully a couple more weeks, he should be good to go and he should be released from hospital," Mike said.
Mike Rizzuto and his brother Jesse Rizzuto arrived in Dublin on July 27, after their father was seriously assaulted on Dublin’s Talbot Street at around 10:40 pm on July 19.
Gardaí have since confirmed that three male juveniles have been arrested and charged in relation to the attack.
Termini had been “saving every penny” for his trip to Ireland where he was planning to research his Irish roots, his sister told IrishCentral. The assault left Termini in a coma and at risk of losing an eye.
His family organized a GoFundMe so his sons could travel to Ireland to be by his side. The fundraising page, which is no longer accepting donations, raised more than $133k.
After arriving in Ireland, Jesse wrote on social media that “the people of Ireland have been incredibly supportive,” but Mike told Newstalk on Wednesday that he and his brother do not feel safe in the capital.
“There is, my brother and I have noticed, a lack of Gardaí around,” Mike said.
“I was with a reporter yesterday with my brother and it was about maybe an hour into us being downtown [before] we saw one Guard.
“With everything going on, it’s a little [worrying], you kind of have to look over your shoulder pretty often.
“We personally don’t feel safe. We haven’t gone out at night because every week that we’ve been here there’s been at least one or more assaults on other tourists.”
Last Friday night, a group of British tourists was robbed and attacked in Temple Bar. A male juvenile was arrested afterward and has been released on bail conditions.
Mike added: “I would just want to know what can actually be done long-term.
“Like what’s actually going to happen as far as improvement for downtown Dublin?
“Because it doesn’t seem like there’s any plan or any work whatsoever.”
Earlier this week, Mike told the Irish Examiner that he and his brother were "disappointed" after having "no contact" from Ireland's Minister for Justice Helen McEntee.
Mike and Jesse Rizzuto say they feel “disappointed” they haven’t heard from Minister Helen McEntee over the assault on their father in Dublin City centre. Minister McEntee said she was respecting their privacy. @DjinnxArtist #Dublin pic.twitter.com/MNg2ULDszr
— Alison O’Reilly (@AlisonMaryORE) August 14, 2023
A few days after the assault on Termini, McEntee visited Shore Street Garda station, not far from where the assault took place, where she said she discussed a number of actions, including recruiting more Gardaí, introducing tougher sentences, and giving Gardaí the tools to fight crime.
McEntee told the press afterward that she believes Dublin is safe, "but we do, like any other city, have problems that we need to try and address."
She said: "As Minister, I have been listening to and engaging with those who live and work in the city center for some time now.
"I acknowledge that things are not perfect, that there are issues that need to be resolved, but as a government and as Minister for Justice, we have a plan to make sure that people are safe and feel safe in their towns, in their cities, be they urban or rural.
"We have the biggest budget ever allocated to An Garda Síochána, we have funding allocated to ensure that gardai can be recruited. While we are not at the numbers we would like, obviously that is a number one priority for me."
The following week, McEntee announced €10 million in additional funding for overtime for Dublin City Centre.
"This is to ensure that those who are already out patrolling our streets, that we can increase that visibility and have an even greater presence on our streets."
Always a special day @gardainfo graduation
? 87 new Gardaí go straight on the beat
— Helen McEntee TD (@HMcEntee) July 28, 2023
?New class of 180 start next week, bringing total in training to 470
?Two more classes later this year as recruitment gathers pace
?€10m immediate funding for high vis policing in Dublin pic.twitter.com/nAxOnp6Hbx
The Rizzuto brothers visited the site where their father was attacked, writing on social media afterward: "We know the unfortunate accident does not define the rest of the country.
"In fact, everyone here has been nothing but incredible to us."
Mike later posted on social media that he and his brother also visited the house where Bram Stoker was living when he wrote “Dracula” as well as Sinéad O’Connor’s home in Bray, Co Wicklow after the musician’s death.
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