If anything, New Yorkers are constantly testing the limits of personal freedom. What they desire is safety.
...by which you mostly mean new forms of indecent exposure. Bah. They crave slavery: they not only submit to random searches in violation of the fourth amendment, but they will submit gladly to all manner of intrusions in the future. They blabber today about how "the police should do something" about anything they'd like to see changed.
What they desire is safety.
Cure Ben Franklin again...