The truth about Harlem, 2010 (Morris: crime rate, felony, safest neighborhood)
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That doesn't say anything about Harlem. It says you had a feeling which may or may not have been right. Unless you know that particular night something happened at the Apollo.
Harlem is a contradiction that makes people who only see things in black and white go nuts. Yes, in parts there is still ugly violence, drug dealing, poor schools, and all the rest. Then look at, say, 8th Ave between Central Park and 125th, parts of Lenox Ave, or some of the brownstone blocksand its clear the middle class, black and white think the area has a future. How this contradiction works out --bodegas taking food stamps at the same time the restaurant down the block is taking American Express--will be interesting to see. The recession has calmed things down a bit for now. (Maybe. I mean there is a new W hotel going up on 124th St) Except for this tough economy, I think this contradiction would be being resolved more quickly than it is now. When times get better, we’ll see. My bet is we’ll keep seeing a growing middle-class in Harlem despite ongoing problems.
Also, the reality of crime and people’s perception of it are two different things entirely The new stores, condos, restaurants and the like attract more people and more affluent people and that tends to make everyone feel safer even if some parts of ithe neighborhood are still pretty rough. And I think that there is something to be said for the idea that sometimes the thugs don’t prey on white Harlemites for fear of adverse news coverage and pressure from the cops. That’s pretty sad. I mean when’s the last time Nancy Grace or CNN did a big segment on a missing black woman? (That may be an exaggeration but you get the point. Black on black crime seems to take lower priority too much of the time.)
City love..that is the definition of a neighborhood in transition. You don't instantly have all new middle class people and safety...it happens in steps, sometimes in leaps, other times at a snails pace. But no doubt it is happening.
And yes there is something to be said about not preying on "outsiders." But it is less about them being "outsiders" and more about them not being involved with the wrong people/activities. That is to say, the local brown/blacks are more likely to be a target because they know someone/something, directly or indirectly, whereas the "outsider" has nothing to do with what drives crime in these nieghborhoods: Drugs, and those that are involved in the drug trade. It is more of an issue of keeping your nose clean and away from the drugs/drug dealers and their 'friends", and than it has to do with being an "outsider."
Statistically Whites are safer than Blacks and Latinos when it comes to violence in the city. Even in a place like Harlem where they seem to stick out, Whites are just less likely to be a victim of crime.
No doubt that if you lie down with dogs you'll get up with fleas, for sure. And newcomers don't/won't/can't always know who the dogs are like the residents do. But I was jsut responding to OP who seemed horrified that anybody middle class would move to Harlem and that anyone who does is hopelessly naive and has the wool pulled over his/her eyes. You're right. It is a neighborhood in transitionand I thin it'll stay that way. Until the economy revs up again.
Last edited by citylove101; 11-15-2010 at 02:40 PM..
And I think that there is something to be said for the idea that sometimes the thugs don’t prey on white Harlemites for fear of adverse news coverage and pressure from the cops. That’s pretty sad. I mean when’s the last time Nancy Grace or CNN did a big segment on a missing black woman? (That may be an exaggeration but you get the point.
Not an exaggeration at all. Missing and murdered black women are usually invisible to the public eye and yet (for that reason, probably) they're the most likely to be victims of crime.
That's one of the reasons why it amuses me when people ask if they'll be targeted and if everyone will be paying attention to them if they poke their heads up north. The truth is that no one is really checking for them, not unless they're involved with criminal activities.
City love..that is the definition of a neighborhood in transition. You don't instantly have all new middle class people and safety...it happens in steps, sometimes in leaps, other times at a snails pace. But no doubt it is happening.
And yes there is something to be said about not preying on "outsiders." But it is less about them being "outsiders" and more about them not being involved with the wrong people/activities. That is to say, the local brown/blacks are more likely to be a target because they know someone/something, directly or indirectly, whereas the "outsider" has nothing to do with what drives crime in these nieghborhoods: Drugs, and those that are involved in the drug trade. It is more of an issue of keeping your nose clean and away from the drugs/drug dealers and their 'friends", and than it has to do with being an "outsider."
It's not only about the drugs. You could be minding your own buisness and end up getting robbed. You think the robbery rates consists of only drug dealer on drug dealer? If anything I'd say that makes up the minority. Most robberies are stick up kids praying on the innocent. Same thing with assaults. Felony assault in the hood can occur with you just staring at someone, and then the person takes offense to it and physically assaults you. Rapes have basically nothing to do with drugs. So what you're looking at is that being involved in drugs can increase your chances of being murdered ten-fold, there is a very positive correlation between homicides and drugs. But the same is not necessarily true with all the other categories. In fact, rapes, assaults, and robberies happen more often to the innocent.
and you would think that it would be better right?
no, not particularly....north of st johns place (utica, rochester, buffalo) are some pretty bad areas. actually i'm not a fan of northern crown heights at all.
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