Why do people overreact about Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan (Boston: to rent, crime)

[Blue Hill Avenue]

All of these neighborhoods are really nice. They have a lot of history behind them. They are actually safe now. You can walk down the street 12:00 at night with diamonds and nothing will happen to you. People tend to blow things out of proportion.

[rizzo0904]

I was driving through Dorchester a few weeks ago for the first time. I felt perfectly safe and was surprised by how it seemed compared to what I hear.

[bostonbarney]

Surely you jest.

[snatale1]

Originally Posted by Blue Hill Avenue

All of these neighborhoods are really nice. They have a lot of history behind them. They are actually safe now. You can walk down the street 12:00 at night with diamonds and nothing will happen to you. People tend to blow things out of proportion.

Hmmmm, Neighborhood activist I assume. Why don't you back this statement up with some numbers. Shall I post the police log in these areas for the past week? They are FAR from safe and you know it! There's the worst Boston has to offer.


Lets take a look, I see robbery, after shooting, after theft, after assault over and over again. The map can be dragged around, It's amazing how when you drag OUT of your "safe area where nothing will happen" how the crime fizzles away isn't it? But I'm sure your OPINION is correct and the actual statistics are wrong huh?
http://www.spotcrime.com/ma/boston

[mdovell]

The other thing about the stats on that site is it does not include on campus crimes. Although state run universities/colleges have state police as security (it's been that way since the 50s) it does not totally mean that the crime records of the town reflect everything in town.

In order to look up those stats you'd have to either go to the campus police or go to the police logs online

[Maroon197]

Obviously the original post was a joke/troll post, but it's still an extremely irresponsible post considering there are constantly people who are unfamiliar with the area coming here to ask if those are safe places to rent/buy. The answer is no, they are NOT safe.

[goyguy]

I think somebody just woke up in the 1930's.

One night in 1980, during my "young n' foolish" days, a friend and I found ourselves tapped out on money and needing to get from Jamaica Plain to the Ashmont area in Dorchester. All T service had shut down - this was around 1:30 or so in the morning. "We've got two legs and two feet, we'll get there," I said. And that we did, walking the entire length of Morton St from Forest Hills until the fork in the road where Gallivan Blvd and then-as-now safe neighborhoods begin. Few were the passing pedestrians or motorists at that hour, zero were the problems. By the time we were ready to return home the Red Line had started running. This by far is the rule and not the exception. Over the years I've made many excursions into the sections of the city Blue Hill Ave runs through, always on the up-and-up (socializing in people's homes, life event celebrations, and so on.) Not once have I become a police blotter statistic.

At the end of August someone I go way back with will be formally inducted into a high-level position within the Masonic order. The ceremony will be at the Carver Lodge on Talbot Ave, just off BHA and across the street from Franklin Field ("Harambee Park" if you must.) I've lost count of the number of shootings which have occurred in that immediate area alone, this year alone. There've been plenty of others besides the "high-profile" incident involving a 4-year-old in the park, and "those are the ones that make it into the media." All the White people I know of who will be at this event are "looking forward to attending but absolutely terrified." My Caucasian self has never had any issues going there; granted, I've always made the trip in someone's car. Otherwise, I'd grab a cab from Jackson Square or Ashmont. The odds of being jumped, shot, etc are probably smaller than they'd be for a foot of snow falling today. But misfortune is way more likely to strike on/near BHA than just about anyplace else in Greater Boston.

Overreaction most definitely goes on where the communities BHA cuts through are concerned. From West Roxbury and North Reading, East Weymouth and South Natick, the "popular perception" is that gunfire erupts non-stop 24-7. Add to that the stereotypes ("ALL the kids are brought up in subsidized housing by single teen-aged mothers, ALL the fathers are in jail or dealing drugs and killing each other, blah blah blah, AND OUR TAXES ARE PAYING FOR IT.") I'd invite some of these folks to Elm Hill Ave or Highland Park (Roxbury), over 2/3 of the sections of Dorchester, or the zero-crime Messinger St part of Mattapan if I thought anybody would say yes. Sh-t does happen, lots of it. And the time and place don't matter any more. But guess what? If you're not in "the life" of slinging weapons and "illegal substances," or dressing like you do 'cause that's the style, there's nothing to fear.

All that having been said, anybody who thinks a person can mosey along BHA flashing bling worry-free at any time is not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. Places where poverty prevails are never smart places to flaunt money or status in, especially when you're an "outsider." Skin tone doesn't have a damn thing to do with that.

[Blue Hill Avenue]

Originally Posted by Maroon197

Obviously the original post was a joke/troll post, but it's still an extremely irresponsible post considering there are constantly people who are unfamiliar with the area coming here to ask if those are safe places to rent/buy. The answer is no, they are NOT safe.

This is far from a joke. Roxbury, one of the oldest neighborhoods in boston has a lot to offer. There are a lot of historic sights to see. The only reason tourist never go to see it or people don't buy or rent is because Bostonians talk about it like it's Camden, Nj or Baltimore, Md.

[Blue Hill Avenue]

Originally Posted by goyguy

All that having been said, anybody who thinks a person can mosey along BHA flashing bling worry-free at any time is not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.

I have never seen anything happen on BHA that was bad. I have been in this area since 85.

[snatale1]

Originally Posted by Blue Hill Avenue

I have never seen anything happen on BHA that was bad. I have been in this area since 85.

In that case, I repeat Boston, MA Crime Map - Showing Crimes in Boston - Crime Statistics, Alerts and Reports - Crime Stops Here
Are you under the impression that if it's not witnessed with YOUR eyes, then it didn't happen? Liking where your from is one thing, but complete denial is another.