Why does Brooklyn Park have such a bad rap? (Minneapolis: hotels, neighborhood)

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by moving123456

This is true. Compared to much of the Atlanta area and many other metros around the country, the crime of Brooklyn Park is really not that bad at just over the national average. It is only really high when you compare it to the other Twin Cities suburbs, which overall have very low crime compared to other metro areas in the country.

I moved from one of the lower crime western suburbs of the Twin Cities to what was consider a "low crime" area of Charlotte and always thought that crime was still crazy high there.

It is all about perspective(and where you live in some cases). To an Atlanta native(which I don't consider myself to be but only by default), MPLS is like disneyland and brooklyn park would be like a safe haven because Atlanta is so violent(and ironically population is rising in Atlanta proper), to someone from a less violent area were to go to MPLS or BP, that person might be shocked by the crime that is there. MPLS and BP have crime, but they aren't the worst areas to be. Perhaps for the region there are questions, but there are many perspectives.

[anidealworld]

It is true that Brooklyn Center is much worse than Brooklyn Park but half the time you can't tell which one you're in anyways if your just driving around on the street. The "problem" area overlaps them both.

Take a look at the type of crime- people shooting each other in cars and basically drug deals gone bad- those are the last 5-6 murders that I remember just off the top of my head that have come out of Brooklyn Park/Brooklyn Center in the last couple years when I lived there. I know some of them were Mexican-Mexican, Asian-Asian, Black-Black, so basically along racial lines. One was domestic, but most are gang related- meaning the perpetrator was in a gang but not necessarily the victim.
And they are all (at least the ones I'm thinking of) within 1mi radius of each other.

Add to that the fact that you have crappy apartments, people driving old & rusted, yet waaaaay over-accessorized cars, more police cars patrolling then you'll see anywhere (not even counting the undercover ones), a ton of people who barely speak English, immigrant ethnic groups who don't get along with each other, and you should be able to understand why it makes people nervous.

Honestly though I thought about moving back to BP (back in that 1mi radius area ) for the cheap rent but won't since it's farther away from where I work than I am now. It was kind of neat to meet people from a lot of different cultures though.

[lukeache]

Originally Posted by anidealworld

Honestly though I thought about moving back to BP (back in that 1mi radius area ) for the cheap rent but won't since it's farther away from where I work than I am now. It was kind of neat to meet people from a lot of different cultures though.

Actually, I remember driving to Zane Ave N once to check out some of those "cheap" apartments and I realized I could never live in BP. It has nothing to do with BP having a lot of black people, it has a lot to do with the kind of people that live there, I would not want to live around lowlife, criminal elements, I do not care if they are black, blue or green. It is a neighborhood for people that have very low standards, no thanks!

[nick is rulz]

I would hate to see how some of you would hold up in Chicago, LA or NY.

[IncredibleKaren]

Originally Posted by anidealworld

It is true that Brooklyn Center is much worse than Brooklyn Park but half the time you can't tell which one you're in anyways if your just driving around on the street. The "problem" area overlaps them both.

Take a look at the type of crime- people shooting each other in cars and basically drug deals gone bad- those are the last 5-6 murders that I remember just off the top of my head that have come out of Brooklyn Park/Brooklyn Center in the last couple years when I lived there. I know some of them were Mexican-Mexican, Asian-Asian, Black-Black, so basically along racial lines. One was domestic, but most are gang related- meaning the perpetrator was in a gang but not necessarily the victim.
And they are all (at least the ones I'm thinking of) within 1mi radius of each other.

Add to that the fact that you have crappy apartments, people driving old & rusted, yet waaaaay over-accessorized cars, more police cars patrolling then you'll see anywhere (not even counting the undercover ones), a ton of people who barely speak English, immigrant ethnic groups who don't get along with each other, and you should be able to understand why it makes people nervous.

Honestly though I thought about moving back to BP (back in that 1mi radius area ) for the cheap rent but won't since it's farther away from where I work than I am now. It was kind of neat to meet people from a lot of different cultures though.

I have seen none of that in Brooklyn Park or Brooklyn Center in over a decade of living in that area. The apartments aren't the greatest but the rest is a huge exaggeration. It depends on where you are in BP. Zane Avenue with all the apartments, I wouldn't recommend to someone but the other areas are not bad.

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by IncredibleKaren

I have seen none of that in Brooklyn Park or Brooklyn Center in over a decade of living in that area. The apartments aren't the greatest but the rest is a huge exaggeration. It depends on where you are in BP. Zane Avenue with all the apartments, I wouldn't recommend to someone but the other areas are not bad.

I agree, it's too bad people think this way about brooklyn park and a lot of brooklyn center. I think there's a lot to be said about investment in community and diversity by having a mix of low-income, medium-income, and upper-income persons living in the same vicinity...kudos to places that are doing it and have created nice places to live.

I grew up in a much less urban city environment in a metro of only a couple hundred thousand - crime there was much more rampant than anything I've seen anywhere in the Metro.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

I agree, it's too bad people think this way about brooklyn park and a lot of brooklyn center. I think there's a lot to be said about investment in community and diversity by having a mix of low-income, medium-income, and upper-income persons living in the same vicinity...kudos to places that are doing it and have created nice places to live.

I grew up in a much less urban city environment in a metro of only a couple hundred thousand - crime there was much more rampant than anything I've seen anywhere in the Metro.

I recently met someone from Brooklyn Park,MN. From what he told me, Brooklyn Park wasn't that bad, according to him at least. He said that Atlanta's suburbs were the crazy places.

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

I recently met someone from Brooklyn Park,MN. From what he told me, Brooklyn Park wasn't that bad, according to him at least. He said that Atlanta's suburbs were the crazy places.

Some of the most "whitebread" people I know grew up in Brooklyn Park(and graduated in the late 90s/ early 00s which isn't exactly 'back in the day'). Take everything you read on this board with a grain of salt - people around here seem to subscribe to the notion that a couple of low-income apartment complexes (and/or news reports) makes an entire city "ghetto".

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Camden Northsider

Some of the most "whitebread" people I know grew up in Brooklyn Park(and graduated in the late 90s/ early 00s which isn't exactly 'back in the day'). Take everything you read on this board with a grain of salt - people around here seem to subscribe to the notion that a couple of low-income apartment complexes (and/or news reports) makes an entire city "ghetto".

True. The resident I was speaking of is 22, my age and moved to the metro Atlanta area last year.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

I recently met someone from Brooklyn Park,MN. From what he told me, Brooklyn Park wasn't that bad, according to him at least. He said that Atlanta's suburbs were the crazy places.

There simply *is* no Twin Cities equivalent for some of the things in the Atlanta metro (e.g., Clayton County, the weird mix of incorporated and unincorporated suburbs, a core city that can't even handle basic finances, etc.), and that is a Very Good Thing in my book.

Not that Atlanta is a bad place to live. You just have to be careful ... some locations actually *are* dangerous or risky.