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All it takes is one incident and you'd be singing a completely different song. Crime is unpredictable. Of course people feel comfortable if nothing is happening to them, its human nature. They have that "but it won't happen to ME" mentality. I'm sure the murder victims of the new year, some of whom have lived in the ghetto their whole lives, had the same mentality. Then the Moderator cut: language hits the fan. There is always a risk, which is significantly higher in certain places. To think all of NYC is sweet is ridiculous and naive.
Last edited by bmwguydc; 01-08-2010 at 03:01 PM..
Reason: Language
Lol it seems like the op thinks that since she went to "bad" neighborhood and didn't get assualted or shot at then they must not be bad after all. Everyone agrees that new York is way safer than during the crack epidemic but is it safe? I don't think so, but some people see the glass half full and some see it half empty...if you get past the crime statistics which can be misleading and look at the raw crime numbers.....1000 murders in the last 2 years. 18,000 robberys and 16,000 fel assaults ( shootings stabbings)just last year....then the city certainly dosent seem as safe as some would like you to believe. Sure the odds are greatly decreased if your not involved in drugs or hanging out too late but look at all the people hit by stray bullets last year, those people were hit in broad daylight and doing nothing wrong. So of course you can go to these neighborhoods and come out unharmed but to think that it's all peachy is naive
I agree that some people overhype things but just because you probably visited at noon and stayed for a few minutes and nothing happened to you doesn't make it exaggerated and remember you don't have to live there and be there on a daily basis seeing and hearing things at all hours of the night.
I think SoBroGuy and the above posters hit the nail on the head.
When I was a med student and was completing my Pediatrics rotation at Brookdale in Brownsville, widely considered to be the most dangerous neighborhood in Brooklyn, I would take the red line and get off and walk about 10 minutes to the hospital in the morning and then walk back to the subway at about 5 when it was still light outside. Completely safe during the day.
Nighttime is a different story. None of the hospital staff would step foot outside of the hospital at night. All the "ghettos" in NYC are safe during the day, but at night its a completely different story. Walking around Brownsville at night is asking to get mugged or killed.
I sincerely hope YOU’RE NOT going to give that advice to potential transplants or newly arrived ones.
Very naive!
Agreed, the city very safe these days. But, if you were to venture in to some of those neighborhoods you mentioned at night you will definitely recant some of your statements.
I can tell you haven't been in the South Bronx....
160's and Boston Road.
and get back at me.
I used to live in that area for a year, never felt unsafe. Im a 22 year old black man so its a little different for me then a 24 year old white girl, but still... there really are no unsafe areas in NYC anymore IMO.. maybe the brownsville PJs at night
I can tell you haven't been in the South Bronx....
160's and Boston Road.
and get back at me.
Yeah 160s by boston road and other parts of Morrisania is no joke, its pretty dangerious out there. The otehr day I was at 161st and third avenue next to Fort Apache and a Random dude told me lots of jumping happen here every otehr day across the street from fort apache aka 42nd precent. I went to my cousins party a few blocks up from third avenue and the 160s, walking over the park avenue overpass the metro north tracks there is blood on the overpass. Luckly for me no one messes with me because im a big guy and I look like the crazy type that thugs and gangsters look away from, but hey you never know because sometimes crime is just random!
I remember from john jay college was this theory about motivated offenders, suitable targets and a guardian. Motivatied offenders are always looking for a target but if that target has a guardian, such as a strong door, a security guard or even a couple buddies to walk a friend home, an offender will less likely attack because of the chances the offender will not be succesful at the crime he or she is commiting. To me all over seems dangerous but if you mind your own bussiness, dont hang around with the wrong crowd or friends you should be ok and keep out of trouble. The most important thing is to just be observant and be aware of your surrondings when walking around any area of this city, because you never know what can happen to you.
Im a white girl, 24, and I moved to Brooklyn from Midtown Manhattan when i was 20. I have been all over Brooklyn,Bronx & Queens, in whats considered the "bad" areas, and I honestly think its hysterical that people are afraid. Unless you're walking around LOOKING lost and scared and uncomfortable, no one is going to bother you. Unless you're offended by the occaisional whistle or "hey baby", youve got nothing to worry about. Brooklyn is a great area, I love it, and have NEVER felt unsafe at any point since Ive been here, including walking back to my apartment from the subway at all hours of the night.
I've read some of the comments people have left & they would have "outta towners" believe they are about to step into Iraq if they go ENY,Bedstuy,Soundview,EtcEtc..it's ridiculous
The funny thing is,the only time i've ever been a victin of crime was back in good old Manhattan.Weird huh
(Btw i wasn't talking to anyone in particular,i just had to get it off my chest).
im glad you have so much enthusiasm but you have to take precaution in the areas of the city that have high crime. hell, even some parts of staten island remind me of of how this city used to be in the '80s (vanderbilt avenue and targee street to be exact).
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"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
Even during the day, some high crime areas are nothing to joke about, and to blindly walk into them is to open oneself up to potential danger. There's also a theory regarding selection of victim that I have heard whereby criminal elements will select based upon the likelihood of police response.
As an outsider to the neighborhood, a criminal does not know if the outsider is a teacher, social worker, or some other government/city employee going about their job duties, since selecting a municipal employee for a random crime will bring unwanted police attention. Even in the bad old days, when there was rampant, random street crime, certain people were not hassled.
For example, as the OP described herself, walking into Bed-Stuy, one would not know if she could be a teacher, perhaps a substitute, or student teacher assigned to a nearby school. A criminal would think twice, if not three times, about causing any problems because if said criminal were to attack a teacher going to school in an economically disadvantaged, high crime area, the NYPD would descend upon that neighborhood in about ten seconds and begin hassling the criminal elements in the area -- and that's bad for illicit trade. And, even if the street thug were to get away with her purse, the groups that control the area would not like the extra attention focused on the area that was caused by said action -- that could make life difficult for the attacker who perpetrated the crime. Not only that, many who live in the area, even those involved with illicit business dealings, respect teachers, social workers, etc. who come into areas to teach and help people in the community, and as such, they are "hands off."
It's incredibly foolish to say that the entire city is safe based upon anecdotal evidence that walking down the street in a known high crime area without anything happening makes the area perfectly safe. Sadly, that's not the case, and with any area that could be potentially dangerous, one has to have a healthy respect for the area, and take due care. Sure, the city is safer than it was in years past, but turning a blind eye to the crime issue does not make it go away. What's even more dangerous, IMO, is that such notions embolden a misconception as to what constitutes a dangerous area, since not all crime-plagued areas look so on the surface, especially to an outsider. Unfortunately, some people learn that lesson the hard way when they're in over their heads.
One thing to remember is that bad things can even happen in the best of areas, so one definitely should not let their guard down in a complex urban environment with which they have limited familiarity, simply because it doesn't look like a bad area; or that they strolled through one day and fortunately didn't have anything happen to them. That is not to say that everyone should be paranoid, but one needs to use common sense, especially when one does not have the sophisticated knowledge that a native of that area has -- knowing which buildings, streets, and alleys to avoid.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
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