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Ok, I'm a white male who lives in WH and I have never felt unsafe walking the streets here. My roomate is a petite, skinny white girl who's been here for five years. She stays out late sometimes and she also doesn't feel unsafe. Do whilte people stick out like a sore thumb in WH? Yes they do and people will stare wondering what the hell you're doing here... but it's not unsafe by any means. I just wish the people around here could pick up their trash better and not blast their music at all hours of the night.
Mario, not to argue with your Washington Heights expertise, but it really just doesn't seem all that bad to me. It is definitely the most unattractive area of Manhattan IMO, no argument there, but the people seem pretty friendly. I am working on a project around 157 and Broadway, what do you think of this area?
Every time I am in Washington Heights people are nice and courteous. I would feel more comfortable in parts of Washington Heights I think, than in some parts of Harlem.
I dont like the Broadway strip. Alot of loonies hang out there. It does get better in the 160's because its by the hospital and a little further up it has seen some gentrification. Also I still think that's Harlem and not Washington Heights proper. St Nicholas in the 170's, Amsterdam in the 160's, and Audobon in the 180's are pretty bad.
Like Quelinda said Dominicans are hard working people who just try to make ends meet. They are known in the DR by everyone else as cheerful people who are always enjoying themselves. But these are usually the older folks. Their kids are the troublemakers. Dominicans have a reputation as drug dealers thanks to these kids.
BTW, Quelinda are you Dominican?
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BTW, lived in both areas. West Bronx is akin to Wash Heights in the late 80's. They aren't really alike anymore at all. Wash Heights is way safer now. They have little to no crime outside of drug-related stuff.
No way. The west Bronx doesn't count 80+ homicides yearly like Wash Heights did in the late 80's. I agree that the west Bronx is a little worse....probably Wash Heights circa 1997. But atleast the environment is similar. The only difference is crime as I mentioned, but I dont expect Washington Heights to stay down for the count for long.
Like Quelinda said Dominicans are hard working people who just try to make ends meet. They are known in the DR by everyone else as cheerful people who are always enjoying themselves. But these are usually the older folks. Their kids are the troublemakers. Dominicans have a reputation as drug dealers thanks to these kids.
BTW, Quelinda are you Dominican?
Agreed, the parents straight off the boat are very different than the kids who grow up on the streets of NYC.
Nope I'm a blancita, but H insists I'm puerto rican by injection LOL. OK that was rude sorry!
No way. The west Bronx doesn't count 80+ homicides yearly like Wash Heights did in the late 80's. I agree that the west Bronx is a little worse....probably Wash Heights circa 1997. But atleast the environment is similar. The only difference is crime as I mentioned, but I dont expect Washington Heights to stay down for the count for long.
I agree comparing it to late 80's Wash Heights is probably a stretch. But I don't really see Wash. Heights ever being considered dangerous again. Too many middle class to upper class people are moving up there as is, and when Inwood finishes gentrifying, the gentrifying will seep even more into Wash Heights.
A lot of the older folks that had the apartments on lock on Fort Wash and Riverside are dying out and being replaced by young professionals, so that combined with the low amounts of PJ's the future looks good crime wise. There will be spikes here and there but nothing major.
Also not to s*** on your generation of Dominicans Mario and the ones after, but my generation and that of my sisters who are now in their mid to late 20's and early 30's did pretty okay for the most part. There was a disconnect unfortunately. I think what happened was that it was a lot rougher for the Dominicans who came after. The economic situation was much rougher on the immigrant parents and the kids suffered a lot for it. A lot more kids slipped through the cracks. Its a lot bleaker for some of these Dominican kids coming up now.
Last edited by NooYowkur81; 07-08-2008 at 11:26 AM..
I agree comparing it to late 80's Wash Heights is probably a stretch. But I don't really see Wash. Heights ever being considered dangerous again. Too many middle class to upper class people are moving up there as is, and when Inwood finished gentrifying, the gentrifying will seep even more into Wash Heights.
A lot of the older folks that had the apartments on lock on Fort Wash and Riverside are dying out and being replaced by young professionals, so that combined with the low amounts of PJ's the future looks good crime wise. There will be spikes here and there but nothing major.
The problem with Washington Heights is that it is located in a prime location for drug distribution. It has bridges connecting it to the Bronx and to New Jersey. It has people from the Dominican Republic, which is known to get drugs from Colombia and then gets smuggled here. It will always have that drug problem. All it takes is another drug war and there will be 100+ homicides again for that neighborhood. It has already seen an increase in crime this year.
Also not to s*** on your generation of Dominicans Mario and the ones after, but my generation and that of my sisters who are now in their mid to late 20's and early 30's did pretty okay for the most part. There was a disconnect unfortunately. I think what happened was that it was a lot rougher for the Dominicans who came after. The economic situation was much rougher on the immigrant parents and the kids suffered a lot for it. A lot more kids slipped through the cracks. Its a lot bleaker for some of these Dominican kids coming up now.
I disagree. The worst Dominicans were those of the 80's and early 90's. The famous jherri curl Dominican with his leather or jean jacket standing on the corner of 162nd and Amsterdam....gun in hand. Dominicans were responsible in Upper Manhattan and the west Bronx for wiping out hundreds and hundreds of people. They had drug crews like the "jherri curls", "papi chulos", "la compania", "dominican power", "wild cowboys" etc etc it was during this time period that Dominicans were given the label as drug dealers and car thieves for the rampant lawlessness that ran through Washington Heights. If you read newspaper articles from the late 80's - early 90's you would see that Dominicans played a huge role in crime and homicides in the city.
The problem with Washington Heights is that it is located in a prime location for drug distribution. It has bridges connecting it to the Bronx and to New Jersey. It has people from the Dominican Republic, which is known to get drugs from Colombia and then gets smuggled here. It will always have that drug problem. All it takes is another drug war and there will be 100+ homicides again for that neighborhood. It has already seen an increase in crime this year.
Well the main reasons for the drug wars was Crack. You had tons of small dealers popping up all the time and tons of new users popping up in a relatively small area. This created a tense and explosive environment. Something similar would have to occur, are you predicting that?
I disagree. The worst Dominicans were those of the 80's and early 90's. The famous jherri curl Dominican with his leather or jean jacket standing on the corner of 162nd and Amsterdam....gun in hand. Dominicans were responsible in Upper Manhattan and the west Bronx for wiping out hundreds and hundreds of people. They had drug crews like the "jherri curls", "papi chulos", "la compania", "dominican power", "wild cowboys" etc etc it was during this time period that Dominicans were given the label as drug dealers and car thieves for the rampant lawlessness that ran through Washington Heights. If you read newspaper articles from the late 80's - early 90's you would see that Dominicans played a huge role in crime and homicides in the city.
Ahh those were the days.
Yeah and these people had kids, lots of them. How do you think they did with a dad in Jail or dead? You missed the point of what I was saying. My parents and that of many similar people in my generation came right before the drug thing exploded. So we were raised in an environment that was much more positive than many of the Dominican kids after us. I was referring more to the kids who mostly grew up here, not the FOB dudes who became drug dealers when it was much easier at that point than working whatever backbreaking jobs were left.
Its not a difficult concept to understand. The Dominicans who got here first and before the drug thing got out of hand, had an easier time (albeit nonetheless backbreaking) setting themselves up economically. They had less domestic problems and raised better kids. I see it all over the place, in my family and that of my friends.
Last edited by NooYowkur81; 07-08-2008 at 11:52 AM..
Well the main reasons for the drug wars was Crack. You had tons of small dealers popping up all the time and tons of new users popping up in a relatively small area. This created a tense and explosive environment. Something similar would have to occur, are you predicting that?
I think crime will rise just because there are less cops on the streets.
Unless a new drug comes about and takes the city by storm, I dont see mass exterminations of people like the 80's and early 90's.
Yeah and these people had kids, lots of them. How do you think they did with a dad in Jail or dead? You missed the point of what I was saying. My parents and that of many similar people in my generation came right before the drug thing exploded. So we were raised in an environment that was much more positive than many of the Dominican kids after us. I was referring more to the kids who mostly grew up here, not the FOB dudes who became drug dealers when it was much easier at that point than working whatever backbreaking jobs were left.
Ok thats a fair point about dads being in jail.
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[Its not a difficult concept to understand. The Dominicans who got here first and before the drug thing got out of hand, had an easier time (albeit nonetheless backbreaking) setting themselves up economically. They had less domestic problems and raised better kids. I see it all over the place, in my family and that of my friends.
How do you explain the people who came here after 1993 and still have good for nothing kids?
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