Too many "dreamers" in this forum (New York, Ridge: low income, section 8)

[Hustla718]

I understand this is a site that attracts people that are pro urban living, however some things I read are ridiculous. Too many people think every single neighborhood is "up and coming" or that the city is only going to get better.

I've seen this city through some of it's worst times, and some of it's best. Some may say I have a bias view becuase I am a cop. I just use my head. I am the realist on this board by far. Remember, we are going through some so so times right now. However from what I have seen over the years, this city is setting itsef up for another cycle of decline. Police shortage and rising crime. It's happening belive it or not. The stats lie and the shortage is real. An increase in income disparity. I see a city which has made it impossible for anyone above low income but not yet upper middle class to survive. Only the wealthy can truely live it up in this city. Housing selling for MUCH more then it's worth. From a housing standpoint, NYC is the biggest rip off in the USA.

All I will say is be careful about where you move. I'm surprised people on here have not called Rikers Island "up and coming."

Use your head. If safety is an issue, use your head. Any area around public housing (NYCHA, section 8, HUD, ect) or a high poverty/low income area will have crime above the national average. Usually lot of single mothers, unguided kids. Mostly generational poverty with a history of alcoholism, drug abuse, incarceration, ect. These are the most likely canidates to become criminals. When you have a lot of possible criminals, you have a lot of crime.

Just use your head. If safety is a big concern, don't move to Harlem for example. **** the NY Times, anyone with half a brain knows a lot of crimes are commited in the area thanks to the above mentioned factors.

Just remember, all cities will always have good and bad areas. Not every inch of NYC is up and coming like the Times might lead you to belive. I get pissed reading forumers recomending young females to live in ****holes.

Oh and just becuase you lived walking past a housing project on the LES, doesn't mean the area is crime free. The "I did it and never had a problem/i'm fine" post are by far the stupidest post in this forum.

Another problem is people who live in certain areas, then boost them becuase they live there. Enough with the bull****.

[009]

Originally Posted by Hustla718

Any area around public housing (NYCHA, section 8, HUD, ect)...will have crime above the national average

Fresh Meadows, Flushing, Forrest Hills, etc...

Those areas have public housing and others, and you're saying that they have crime above national average?

[Jasper03]

I'm not saying that the Bronx is the most wonderful place to live in. Matter of fact I am moving because after a lifetime of urban living i'm ready for a slower pace.

The thing is that it's really nice of you to give us a PSA on the ills of the "Ghetto" but have you ever considered that your opinions might be a bit biased because you are a cop?

Your line of work exposes you to everything negative. You are surrounded by nothing but negativity so of couse your perspective is that everything is dark and dangerous.

Except for 8 years in Jersey I have lived in the Bronx for my entire life. I have a lot of street smarts as well as common sense and I have never ever been mugged, or beat up, and my apartment has never been broken into. I don't hang out in the streets and I avoid ghetto people.

There definitely are areas of the Bronx and outer bouroughs that aren't safe to live in but that goes for Manhattan too. The thing is that with a little common sense and reasonable precautions a person will likely NOT be robbed, raped, or killed.

You know the stats Hustla....there are 8million people in NYC and yes there may be hundreds of murders, thousands of rapes and tens of thousands of assualts, muggings and break-ins but what actual percentage of the 8million people in NYC are victims of crime? It's not 10% or even 5% of the population and while that is no comfort to those people who do become victims the fact is that the majority of us will die from heart disease, diabetes or hypertension rather than being shot on Lennox Ave.

I don't have a problem with your PSA's but you make it seem like it's a guaranteed surefire thing that if a person moves to Harlem, the Bronx, or certain undesirable areas of BK or Queens that they will definitely 100% become a victim of crime.

P.S I know cops too my FIL, cousin, and best friends DH are NYC cops so I hear the stories.

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by 009

Fresh Meadows, Flushing, Forrest Hills, etc...

Those areas have public housing and others, and you're saying that they have crime above national average?

The homes immediately around the low income public housing projects deal with the problems from those developments. The problems don't just stay on NYCHA property. Depending on factors such as: income, race, housing makeup in the neighborhood, will tell you exactly how much a problem the housing is to the area.

For example, a public housing project in East Harlem will effect a very large area. This is becuase the surrounding neighborhood has similar demographics and lots of low income public housing complexes.

On the other hand, take a housing project Flushing. Yes that single housing project effects the areas adjacent to it, however it is mostly contained. Why? Different demographics outside the complex. Neighborhood is "well kept" compared to an area with a lot of public housing like East Harlem where things are run down. A difference in tolerance. In Flushing, crimes are commited outside the project and police are called, so the project crime pretty much sticks nearby. In East Harlem, so many crimes are commited around the neighborhood, it is tolerated.

Originally Posted by Jasper03

I'm not saying that the Bronx is the most wonderful place to live in. Matter of fact I am moving because after a lifetime of urban living i'm ready for a slower pace.

The thing is that it's really nice of you to give us a PSA on the ills of the "Ghetto" but have you ever considered that your opinions might be a bit biased because you are a cop?

Your line of work exposes you to everything negative. You are surrounded by nothing but negativity so of couse your perspective is that everything is dark and dangerous.

Except for 8 years in Jersey I have lived in the Bronx for my entire life. I have a lot of street smarts as well as common sense and I have never ever been mugged, or beat up, and my apartment has never been broken into. I don't hang out in the streets and I avoid ghetto people.

There definitely are areas of the Bronx and outer bouroughs that aren't safe to live in but that goes for Manhattan too. The thing is that with a little common sense and reasonable precautions a person will likely NOT be robbed, raped, or killed.

You know the stats Hustla....there are 8million people in NYC and yes there may be hundreds of murders, thousands of rapes and tens of thousands of assualts, muggings and break-ins but what actual percentage of the 8million people in NYC are victims of crime? It's not 10% or even 5% of the population and while that is no comfort to those people who do become victims the fact is that the majority of us will die from heart disease, diabetes or hypertension rather than being shot on Lennox Ave.

I don't have a problem with your PSA's but you make it seem like it's a guaranteed surefire thing that if a person moves to Harlem, the Bronx, or certain undesirable areas of BK or Queens that they will definitely 100% become a victim of crime.

P.S I know cops too my FIL, cousin, and best friends DH are NYC cops so I hear the stories.

I may see negative but I also see a lot of positive. Good things happen in the ghetto belive me. We ain't robots and I wasn't always a cop. I didn't just step in the ghetto one day, I grew up in the ghetto. However, why would anyone want to expose themselves to the negatives of low income ghettos? It's not only crime, there are so many problems in those areas you want to distance yourself from. The ghetto drags you down, I have seen it over, and over, and over. People die trying to distance themselves from that.

As for the percentage of people victimized. Most Americans will be the victim of a crime in their lifetime. Yes there are only so many crimes per year, but some people live for 70 years. There are so many unreported and non felony crimes most people especially in low income areas are victimized many times over. I know I have. If you have never been the victim of a crime, you are VERY fortunate. Then again, your not dead yet.

[Freak]

You're a cop. Your experiences are ten times worse than other New Yorker's experiences so you shouldn't have any say when people ask about New York City. F'ck, you make it seem like the Bronx is the ultimate hellhole. It's not. You're still alive.

[Jasper03]

Well then I guess me, all of my immediate family, and all of my friends have been extremely lucky because we have never been the victims of a crime.

I think that people should just look at the stats and make up their own minds about how much a risk they are willing to take.

Precinct Crime Statistics (broken link)

NYPD Contact Information (broken link)

I think that people will be better served by looking at the facts instead of listening to various people's dubiously (not referring to you personally) knowledgeable opinions of this neighborhood or that one.

I have also noticed a trend on this forum and that it is full of negative people.

Now, I agree with you that if one has the money and resources to live in a fantastic crime free environment then they should definitely pursue that. I mean hell if I had the money I would be living in one of those 899K houses in Bronxdale.

However, I think the issue of moving to undesirable neighborhoods comes up because people really don't have the money to afford the live in the "desirable" places.

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by Freak

You're a cop. Your experiences are ten times worse than other New Yorker's experiences so you shouldn't have any say when people ask about New York City. F'ck, you make it seem like the Bronx is the ultimate hellhole. It's not. You're still alive.

I never called the Bronx an absolute hellhole. Some of you seem to exaggerate the things I say in your own heads. The Bronx is only a borough. You have some okay places to live, and other areas where living is a very difficult thing to accomplish.

In my opionion. Riverdale, Country Club, these are excellent areas to live. Families exist, poverty is low, the communities are stable. Decent to high quality of life depending on where you live. My only conflict is price. Too expensive. Housing should be better for the price.

However, mention an area like, Mott Haven. Mott Haven is a hell hole for many people. It's a terrible place to live. How do I know, I lived there. You wake up every morning and go outside. Bums and drug addicts asking you for change, either rude and anoying, or give you fake kindness. Cops stopping at your building every night becuase of domestic violence. You can hear the screaming. Why do these areas have a lot of domestic violence? the struggle. Boyfriends who can't pay the bills on time end up slapping the girlfriend, who then pulls a knife and stabs him. All in front the kids. You go to schools where kids don't learn, and discourage those who try. You are at risk of a random beating from the *******s on the corners with nothing else to do. Especially at night when everyone on the streets of the ghetto are drunk and high. The cops stop you, throw you on the floor then when they don't find anything walk away like nothing. You are at risk of sweeps, that can get you locked up even if you did nothing. This is only a sample of what it is like to grow up in the ghetto.

The ghetto is not a nice place you want to be. You want to better yourself. The ghetto brings negativity. You want to stay away as far as possible. Yes some positive things happen in the ghetto, but in the end, the negatives make sure things always stay the same. Better yourself, you have to push foward or you will get stuck in the trap. That is what generational poverty is all about.

Obviously the people who recommend young naive kids to move into the ghetto are young and naive themselves. They just dont understand.

Originally Posted by Jasper03

Well then I guess me, all of my immediate family, and all of my friends have been extremely lucky because we have never been the victims of a crime.

I think that people should just look at the stats and make up their own minds about how much a risk they are willing to take.

Precinct Crime Statistics (broken link)

NYPD Contact Information (broken link)

I think that people will be better served by looking at the facts instead of listening to various people's dubiously (not referring to you personally) knowledgeable opinions of this neighborhood or that one.

I have also noticed a trend on this forum and that it is full of negative people.

Now, I agree with you that if one has the money and resources to live in a fantastic crime free environment then they should definitely pursue that. I mean hell if I had the money I would be living in one of those 899K houses in Bronxdale.

However, I think the issue of moving to undesirable neighborhoods comes up because people really don't have the money to afford the live in the "desirable" places.

You are a fool if you think the only crimes that occure will be listed on the NYPD website. Not only are crimes fudged. Those are only FELONY crimes. You get jumped, that's a misd. You get your car broken into, misd. You get hit with a bat, misd. Now on top of that think about all the unreported crimes. Most rapes go unreported. I know many girls that have been raped multiple times at different points in their life. Robbery, people just give up. They know they won't be caught. Most crimes are unreported, some more then others.

And if you live for 70 years, the chance of you being victimized goes up everyday. So does certain situations.

I have no problem with okay areas in the city, but I REFUSE to recommend ghettos. I will recommend areas like Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, the Upper East Side, ect. However you will never EVER see me recommend an area like Harlem. Or a block across the street from city housing.

[Freak]

The only way to fight negativity is with positivity. That's what the New York Times is doing. That's what we're doing. Promoting the positives will help bring in positive people, and eventually the positives will outnumber the negatives.

It's the way life works.

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by Freak

The only way to fight negativity is with positivity. That's what the New York Times is doing. That's what we're doing. Promoting the positives will help bring in positive people, and eventually the positives will outnumber the negatives.

It's the way life works.

That's blind positivity. It's one thing to be positive about a new park in a low income area. That doesn't mean it's a nice area to live. OVERBLOWN positivity. As soon as a condo goes up, people here think an area is gentrifying.

As for the NY Times, The Real estate section is advertisement. It's infuenced by investors. They are trying to make a sale, so they hype things up. To make it look worthy for a buy.

[009]

Originally Posted by Hustla718

The homes immediately around the low income public housing projects deal with the problems from those developments.

Your East Harlem analogy had nothing to do w/ the areas I mentioned, but I understand where you tried to go w/ it. I'm meant specific data to back up your theory, which I'm not doubting regarding most public housing, in those 3 specific areas and others who don't fit the typical public housing image of high crime, etc.

You are basically trying to portray every single public housing standing in NYC as crime ridden infestations, which is a lie. If you were to mention most instead of...

Originally Posted by Hustla718

Any area around public housing

...then I would agree.