Why do people overreact about Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan (Boston: 2015, crime rates)

[LexWest]

Originally Posted by DonDraper617

1. yes, many murders happen in theses areas... much less than other major cities
2. yes, people get robbed here... much less than south end and southie
3. there are TONS of white people in Dorchester who are as ballsy as they come Even Mark Wahlberg is a product of Dot/Dorchester. He's definitely cleaned up his image, but I'm certain he could still hold his own if needed.
4. if you look like you are scared for no reason, you will get looks like you are asking for it
5. most of the murders if not ALL of them are gang related... mind your business and nothing will happen to you

I am a West Indian and feel right at home in Dot. My wife is a tiny thing and travels on the bus and T throughout these areas amongst the rest of the city and never has a problem. Just mind your business and you are good. Like the Jamaican guys posted earlier, I am professional, earn a great income, yet feel at home due to certain business establishments. It's all about a comfort level.

There is a lot of hidden racism and resentment towards minorities and this comes out in these types of anonymous posts where people can actually say how they feel to others without being judged as they would be if they said it to others in person....(run on sentence...lol)

Racism? You mean you actually know what these posters look like? I'm also West Indian/Caribbean. I'll admit I feel more comfortable driving through any of the 3 than parts of DC, the Bronx, or Philly. If I were to rate all 3 areas from least to worst, I'd rank Dorchester ahead of Roxbury and Mattapan, since parts of Dorchester are decent (and W. Roxbury doesn't count, IMO). However, I can be realistic and agree that these areas aren't perfectly safe, and I won't blame someone for feeling uncomfortable there, especially as an outsider. It's easier to say Bushwick in Brooklyn is ok if you've lived there for much of your life or have been to even worse areas: you're accustomed to protecting/defending yourself if need be, and you become accustomed what crimes you do see; not so much when you're an outsider that's new to a city or area. Perhaps some people are overreacting, but I won't fault them for preferring JP/Jamaica Plain, or areas outside of Boston over any of the 3 if they're accustomed to an average suburb/area with limited or petty crime. Such comments are not always a product racism, but rather, different comfort levels of living and transitioning to city life.

[Pear Martini]

Originally Posted by DonDraper617

I had to chime in on this one...
Many people who really have the worst to say about the areas live in the boonies and never actually conduct any sort of business in the area. You might drive by and see a couple of run down places and get a bad feeling but that doesn't mean that if you stop to get gas you will get robbed.

1. yes, many murders happen in theses areas... much less than other major cities
2. yes, people get robbed here... much less than south end and southie
3. there are TONS of white people in Dorchester who are as ballsy as they come
4. if you look like you are scared for no reason, you will get looks like you are asking for it
5. most of the murders if not ALL of them are gang related... mind your business and nothing will happen to you

I moved from Miami where i lived my whole life up to 3 years ago and I agree with the other girl from there that Miami is waaaaaay more scarier and rougher than Boston's worst block. South Beach is not Miami, over the bridge is the real Miami. The nicest looking area in Miami still has just as much to worry about as Roxbury, DOT, and Mattapan, but they have palm trees and bright colors to mask it.

I am a West Indian and feel right at home in Dot. My wife is a tiny thing and travels on the bus and T throughout these areas amongst the rest of the city and never has a problem. Just mind your business and you are good. Like the Jamaican guys posted earlier, I am professional, earn a great income, yet feel at home due to certain business establishments. It's all about a comfort level.

There is a lot of hidden racism and resentment towards minorities and this comes out in these types of anonymous posts where people can actually say how they feel to others without being judged as they would be if they said it to others in person....(run on sentence...lol)

Overall, I can speak for Dorchester and say that it's safe and there are tons of others who live decent lives amongst the idiots there.

Wow you just summed up what has been in my head but not coming out of my mouth for a while now. I think the real reason I started this thread is because I don't feel "right at home" where I am. I miss the latin cafes, cafe con leches, restaurants where I have to order in Spanish, the sense of community, I never thought I would miss it all so much. That is what I'm trying to find. I'm trying to find the safest South American or Latin area of Boston or near Boston. I grew up in Brookline which is very diverse, but my family is South American and after living in Miami for quite a long time, my tastes have changed.

Originally Posted by DonDraper617

That's my point. I can walk around Fields Corner and get anything I want... 3 banks, post office, pizza, japanese, tedeschi, subway, the T, Vietnamese food, Latin food, mom&pop stores, and best of all... Trini food.
I got locked out of my place in the winter and while waiting for the locksmith I walked down to the Vietnames place and got some hot Pho and relaxed until the locksmith came. Freaking awesome.

Yes there are kids acting the fool in every neighborhood but you know what...white kids are just as much trouble as black & hispanic kids... even more so because they feel they have more to prove. The white kids that wander around scare me more than seeing my own kind. I also see women jogging/pushing their kids in strollers without issues.

In Meetinghouse Hill, specifically around Ronan Park the area is getting better. LOTS of young professionals and gays have been moving in via buying and renting. There are organized basketball, soccer, softball, and Rugby... YES RUGBY games in the park...lol

BTW, I used to live in Cleveland Circle in Brighton and wasn't too impressed. Lots of drunk white guys running around causing trouble, people having their cars vandalized because of the 2am drunk let-out, very cold and non-communicative transient student/yuppies, parking issues, and everything was over-priced. The liquor store in the Fields Corner plaza has a 12pack of Blue Moon for $8.99, anywhere else is easily $13-$15... imagine that across the board for everything you buy, it adds up. A Vietnamese sub is $2.75, in Newton I used to pay $6.25... ugh!

I live in the Cleveland Circle area right now and this sums it up well. My car has already suffered being damaged overnight by drunk kids. In order to fix it, I would have to replace an entire metal piece, the dent is too big to flatten out.
Everything is expensive because of BC (hey if a school costs a quarter million to go to, why not charge Back Bay prices?).

[DonDraper617]

JP has pretty decent access to Latin/South American food and Bodegas. It's near Roxbury's Egleston area which has even more but JP might offer a little more peace of mind in regards to safety for many people. JP has tons of "hipster" things to do and places to hang out along with access to ethnic amenities.

[BitofEndearment]

Obviously the post gets way out of hand with the hold "diamonds at Midnight" comment. These neighborhoods are still located in a big city and sometimes you are definitely going to need your wits about you but overall the "no-go" habits of everyone in Massachusetts towards Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan are incredibly overdramatic and overly-cautious. I feel perfectly safe everytime I'm in any of these neighborhoods, whether Adams Blvd., Franklin Park, Dudley Sq., Mattapan Sq., etc. It's a shame because they are part of the whole of Boston, they are beautiful areas, lots of fun. They have such a Boston jive to them. Too bad no one who doesn't live there rarely ventures into them, except for FP Zoo. It's really not that big of a deal. Just go there, not at 2am, and you'll see,

[BitofEndearment]

Originally Posted by DonDraper617

JP has pretty decent access to Latin/South American food and Bodegas. It's near Roxbury's Egleston area which has even more but JP might offer a little more peace of mind in regards to safety for many people. JP has tons of "hipster" things to do and places to hang out along with access to ethnic amenities.

Egleston Square is in Jamaica Plain

[LexWest]

Originally Posted by Pear Martini

I live in the Cleveland Circle area right now and this sums it up well. My car has already suffered being damaged overnight by drunk kids. In order to fix it, I would have to replace an entire metal piece, the dent is too big to flatten out.
Everything is expensive because of BC (hey if a school costs a quarter million to go to, why not charge Back Bay prices?).

You mean BU?

[HenryAlan]

I'm sure he means BC. Cleveland Circle is very near the BC campus, but quite a bit more distant from BU. Some BU students live in the area, but it is predominately a BC neighborhood, which is obvious from the decor at the bars and restaurants.

[Pear Martini]

This is a BC area but I'm sure there are plenty of BU kids as well around here.

[Old-Dot-Rat]

I grew up in Dorchester in the 40s and 50s. I went to the Patrick T. Campbell Jr. High School and Roxbury Memorial High School. I used to hang around the corner of Lawrence Ave and Blue Hill Ave, in front of Bookstein's Drug Store which was right next to Max Andrews' Delicatessen. I don't care how dangerous Baltimore may be or how bad a reputation Dorchester has--I'd go back in a heartbeat. I now live in Randolph, MA, 17 miles south of Boston. There are so many Dot Rats here that it's like living in Dorchester but with trees. It's not a contest. Who gives a rat's ass which town is more dangerous? Did you enjoy your youth? That's all that counts.

[missionhill]

Old Dot-- Would you really go back in a heartbeat? I guess you would if it could be 1955 all over again but what about now, in 2013? That old Dorchester is gone gone gone and the new one is pretty different. Much better now than in 1980 or so but still...