Safe In Manhattan? (Newburgh, Newark, Perth: real estate, housing, rent)

[cottonwood2420]

I have read on this site that Manhattan is more expensive but it is also the safest. How safe is it exactly?

[Viralmd]

Bad things happen everywhere in NYC, in NY State, in the US and in the world. If you're aware and alert no matter what your surroundings you'll be safe. I've been in some of the worst neighborhoods in NYC and come out the other side unscathed. On the other hand, I've seen handbags stolen from little old ladies on Park Avenue. Some neighborhoods are worse than others. I know this doesn't answer your question, but I'm not sure there IS an answer to your question.

[amy_cate]

it's a big city. just exercise caution and judgment. i'd give tips but it's pretty much common sense. don't carry lots of cash, be totally distracted and absorbed with blackberry, ipod, nintendo ds, whatever... to me it's those people walking around w headphones on texting people or whatever that have no idea what's going on who look like easy targets. have your wits about you and all that. crime may be down overall, and it definitely feels safer than other cities at times but you know it is a big city after all.

[mhogan10010]

Manhattan below 96 Street is generally the safest area. Above 96 Street, you get into some sketchy areas. However, even those areas are safer than most big cities in the US.
Rampant crime is clustered in a few neighborhoods in the boroughs. Stay out of those areas, especially at night, and you are fine.

[Hustla718]

There is no safest. To give you some world wide perspective the USA is one of the more violent societies in the world. No internal political conflicts yet one of the highest body counts. The title safest in USA is a joke. It's just something citys use to boost their status. As a matter fact NYPD heavily downgrades crime statistics for real estate, tourism and the current administrations credit. The low income areas in every city are virtually the same in danger minus the fact some areas are denser and see more crime due to more people.

There is a lot of crime in Manhattan (there are a lot of people living close together), however in most areas the chances are slim. The worst that happens to the average person is getting mugged.

Now there are areas where the chances of being a victim of a crime go up. The LES especially close to the public housing. Times Square where you encounter a lot of drunks and ghetto youth late at night on weekends. Harlem and Washington Heights with large populations of poverty. Same goes for the outer boroughhs. Can't forget all public housing

Overall you should be fine. Just be conservative with jewlery. Avoid low income areas. And keep an eye open at night if you must travel at that time.

[briarwood]

Originally Posted by Hustla718

There is no safest. To give you some world wide perspective the USA is one of the more violent societies in the world. No internal political conflicts yet one of the highest body counts. The title safest in USA is a joke. It's just something citys use to boost their status. As a matter fact NYPD heavily downgrades crime statistics for real estate, tourism and the current administrations credit. The low income areas in every city are virtually the same in danger minus the fact some areas are denser and see more crime due to more people.

There is a lot of crime in Manhattan (there are a lot of people living close together), however in most areas the chances are slim. The worst that happens to the average person is getting mugged.

Now there are areas where the chances of being a victim of a crime go up. The LES especially close to the public housing. Times Square where you encounter a lot of drunks and ghetto youth late at night on weekends. Harlem and Washington Heights with large populations of poverty. Same goes for the outer boroughhs. Can't forget all public housing

Overall you should be fine. Just be conservative with jewlery. Avoid low income areas. And keep an eye open at night if you must travel at that time.

Yes, the USA is far too violent and will be our downfall. However, for the density and poverty of the city's poorer sections, the crime rate is not too bad overall.


And even if the NYPD downplays crime as you say (And I doubt that), do you not think other cities do the same? Chicago has been playing that game for years, and the architect of compstat (William Bratton), is in Los Angeles, so maybe they're fudging it too. So NYC is still safest per capita.


BTW, 35 of NY's homcides last year never took place, as they were reclassified. Some from as early as 1974!

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by briarwood

Yes, the USA is far too violent and will be our downfall. However, for the density and poverty of the city's poorer sections, the crime rate is not too bad overall.


And even if the NYPD downplays crime as you say (And I doubt that), do you not think other cities do the same? Chicago has been playing that game for years, and the architect of compstat (William Bratton), is in Los Angeles, so maybe they're fudging it too. So NYC is still safest per capita.


BTW, 35 of NY's homcides last year never took place, as they were reclassified. Some from as early as 1974!

NYC fudges crime statistics much more then other depts. Larger city much more can be hidden. Some citys recieve federal aid if crime stats are high. So it doesn't matter. NYC fudges stats to encourage real estate development, tourism, and to make the current administrations look good, pushing off problems to the next. It's all about money. Common practice in this city.

And yes other citys are starting to follow. Newark is starting to downgrade heavily. L.A. is amazingly the second safest city in the USA. Chicago is also noticing an amazing turn in events over the past few years (chicago got caught hiding homicides, it invloves not classifying a death at the m.e. not like anything is going to change).

Violent crime in the city has been rising over the past few years, it's an expect bump in crime. Youth population grows, crime rises with it. Crack epidmeic was seen coming, nothing was done. There was also an increase in youth crime like now in the early 60's before a huge increase in youth crime. Only time will tell what this leads to. along with all the fugding and lack of police (even worse lack of experenced cops)

As for the bull**** the commish popeye said about the 35 homicides. EVERY YEAR OLD CRIME VICTIMS DIE FROM INJURIES. This is no amazing once in a blue occurance. It happends in every city. It was a bull**** statement and pissed off cops. In my precinct no one died from old wounds yet we had more homicides then the year before, and more from the year before that. Not to mention every crime category was up and still going up. However the city fried our co for realeasing the real stats.

I can't belive some people still belive this citys bull****. and stats aren't the end all be all. The title safest city is political bull****. NYC also has an advantage that there are some highly populated decent areas to offset the bad. So of course on averages it has more safer (not safest) areas then other citys. The worst areas of NYC make other ghettos look like the burbs. Multiple people shot per night. More homicides and other crimes in a mile then most citys have in 5 or 6. Have you ever even been to a very high violent crime city per capita like Newburgh NY. Place is nothing more then a bad neighborhood. Thats why the city rate is so high.

Crime is still a serious problem in certain areas of the city. Same with other citys. I thought the public was pretty wise on this. Most new yorkers I work with no it already (then again I work a low income area)

[CrazyJerzyKidUNO]

Originally Posted by Hustla718

NYC fudges crime statistics much more then other depts. Larger city much more can be hidden. Some citys recieve federal aid if crime stats are high. So it doesn't matter. NYC fudges stats to encourage real estate development, tourism, and to make the current administrations look good, pushing off problems to the next. It's all about money. Common practice in this city.

And yes other citys are starting to follow. Newark is starting to downgrade heavily. L.A. is amazingly the second safest city in the USA. Chicago is also noticing an amazing turn in events over the past few years (chicago got caught hiding homicides, it invloves not classifying a death at the m.e. not like anything is going to change).

Violent crime in the city has been rising over the past few years, it's an expect bump in crime. Youth population grows, crime rises with it. Crack epidmeic was seen coming, nothing was done. There was also an increase in youth crime like now in the early 60's before a huge increase in youth crime. Only time will tell what this leads to. along with all the fugding and lack of police (even worse lack of experenced cops)

As for the bull**** the commish popeye said about the 35 homicides. EVERY YEAR OLD CRIME VICTIMS DIE FROM INJURIES. This is no amazing once in a blue occurance. It happends in every city. It was a bull**** statement and pissed off cops. In my precinct no one died from old wounds yet we had more homicides then the year before, and more from the year before that. Not to mention every crime category was up and still going up. However the city fried our co for realeasing the real stats.

I can't belive some people still belive this citys bull****. and stats aren't the end all be all. The title safest city is political bull****. NYC also has an advantage that there are some highly populated decent areas to offset the bad. So of course on averages it has more safer (not safest) areas then other citys. The worst areas of NYC make other ghettos look like the burbs. Multiple people shot per night. More homicides and other crimes in a mile then most citys have in 5 or 6. Have you ever even been to a very high violent crime city per capita like Newburgh NY. Place is nothing more then a bad neighborhood. Thats why the city rate is so high.

Crime is still a serious problem in certain areas of the city. Same with other citys. I thought the public was pretty wise on this. Most new yorkers I work with no it already (then again I work a low income area)

What your saying does make sense. About the city having better areas to offset the bad. Im from Teaneck and it has so many different neighborhoods. Ranging from low-income to upper-middle class and everyything in between. As a whole city the crime rate is about the same violent crimes per capita as Perth Amboy. Not very high. However, there are 2 neighborhoods in Teaneck who if you just took in to consideration the amount of people in those neighborhoods and the crime only in those neighborhoods the crime rate would be as high as Newark. And then ofcaurse there are blocks in those neighborhoods that are more dangerous than others. I do agree with your logic just your thoughts on that these neighborhoods are getting worse is what is just wrong. They are if not staying the same getting better. Especially Harlem and Wash. Heights which you are constantley putting down as very dangerous.

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by CrazyJerzyKidUNO

What your saying does make sense. About the city having better areas to offset the bad. Im from Teaneck and it has so many different neighborhoods. Ranging from low-income to upper-middle class and everyything in between. As a whole city the crime rate is about the same violent crimes per capita as Perth Amboy. Not very high. However, there are 2 neighborhoods in Teaneck who if you just took in to consideration the amount of people in those neighborhoods and the crime only in those neighborhoods the crime rate would be as high as Newark. And then ofcaurse there are blocks in those neighborhoods that are more dangerous than others. I do agree with your logic just your thoughts on that these neighborhoods are getting worse is what is just wrong. They are if not staying the same getting better. Especially Harlem and Wash. Heights which you are constantley putting down as very dangerous.

Here is an example.


Newark NJ, every precinct in that city has a high homicide rate. Homicides are pretty much scattered in every precinct. So the overall city murder rate is high.

NYC, very little killings outside the South Bronx, Upper Manhattan and Northern Brooklyn. City average low.

But murders are not the greatest indicator of crime. You have advances in medical technology, which is the only reason NYC is not around 900-1000 killings a year. End of the crack era, which is why the city jumped to 2500 killings a year. Plus most homicide victims know each other, although unlike many people realize the number of stranger on stranger killings is on the rise compared to the past.

Harlem and Washington Heights are nieghborhoods full of poverty. When you have high concetrations of poverty. When you have a large population of ghetto youth into the hip hop culture. High drug usage/drug sales rate. High incaseration rate. High rate of single families, single mothers. Large amouonts of nycha and other low income housing. You will have high concentrations of crime. End of story. Only way Harlem will change is if all the poor were kicked out, not going to happen.

Stats don't mean a thing. If you live or work these areas you will see why.

But anyway there are no truely safe areas in NYC. It's not unheard of to have tourist mugged as they come out of subway stations in Times Square. You just have to be attentive and if someone does attempt to mug you, just give it up. It's not a guarentee you will be a victim, but that chance is there.

[tftmc]

Originally Posted by Hustla718

The worst areas of NYC make other ghettos look like the burbs. Multiple people shot per night. More homicides and other crimes in a mile then most citys have in 5 or 6. Have you ever even been to a very high violent crime city per capita like Newburgh NY. Place is nothing more then a bad neighborhood. Thats why the city rate is so high.

You are right about one thing. NYC has some pretty bad neighborhoods, through out all the Boroughs, but I'm from Newburgh NY and it pretty much is one bad neighborhood. They have over the last 10 years or so tried to fix the Riverfront, which is now a "Hip" Local spot. But still full of crime none the less. The City of Newburgh's true statistics are hidden. 3 murders we're reported, that doesn't mean 3 murders happened, as we all know statistics are never accurate. In Newburgh's case they are far from it. Every street has a drug dealer in this very small city with an appox. Every day in the local paper which covers a 3 county area, the Police column features 5-7 more paper-friendly crimes, most of which happen in Newburgh. Let me tell you this place is one of the worst places i've ever seen. The entire city looks like Washington DC's worst areas. The old cobblestone streets in some areas are so poorly maintained they're barely driveable, but are very busy with people and cars through out the day and night.

There is really no way to explain Newburgh to an outsider without making it seem like any other ghetto in America, but it's very different, and yet still includes all the major problems other bad neighborhoods do. For instance, a man was put up with the Harassing nature of the Newburgh City Police. A 95% White Police force in a City that's the Minorities are the majority. This man took it upon himself to start filming Newburgh Police in action harassing people, illegally searching cars and homes, and police brutality. This man was sued and arrested by the Newburgh Police. He was Not Guilty of Disorderly Conduct and Resisting arrest (the only charges) and in the lawsuit the Judge favored the man, citing precedent on a Supreme court case that basically defined freedom of press as having a camera.

Unfortunately, this man's son was shot down by police on the main street Broadway, a 3 mile that spans the city to the River. Supposedly the man's young 20's son had a gun but, not on his persons and was running away from the scene and was shot in the back of the head 3 times from an officer. Witnesses claim the man seemed scared for his life after he was approached by police and proceded to run away facing away from the officers. As a result the roads were blocked off for a square mile and every available Police officer from the City of Newburgh, Town of Newburgh and 3 local State Trooper Barracks. That's well over 200 police officers.

This news never made it past our local paper.