ghettos or hoods? (Webster, Bedford, Pelham: sale, renting, eviction)
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I don't feel that about Fordham. I've been living close by since the early 2000s and at that time, you saw transactions all the time right out in the open, it was way worse back then. But it's poor for sure but safer than it was. I've always thought Fordham had a lot of potential though - lots of Victorian houses (most in need of a lot of work) and great transportation. Only the very rich can afford a house in any decent area in Brooklyn, and even the south Bronx is so much more expensive (but you can argue even worse quality of life).
I don’t know if it’s worse now than in the early 2000s. It got better for a few years, but I’ve noticed a downturn in the past, say, 3-5 years. The street off Fordham, like Kingsbridge Road, East 194th, Briggs, Valentine, etc. are full of blatant drug use and sales. The District Manager told me a month or two ago that somebody in law enforcement or city government claimed Valentine Avenue has “the best crystal meth in the city,” in a conversation about increase in drug activity. It’s gotten so bad the underpass of Kingsbridge Rd. had to be temporarily closed off because the addicts were using the sidewalk as a makeshift shooting den. They’re also frequently at Rose Hill by the Metro-North shooting each other up. Jerome Ave. is full of graffiti and drug deals in plain site. I’ve also seen them stealing from stores around there lately.
On the other side, near University Avenue, there’s the aqueduct walk and Devoe Park. There is a lot of not only drug and homeless activity in the Devoe Park, but gang activity. It’s not uncommon for there to be shootings in that area. Not recently, but I remember one night seeing ambulances parked in front of there and cops, and they were taking a body out of there. After the Parks Department shut down the aqueduct trail in sections and began repairing it, a lot of the open drug use and dealing temporarily got pushed to other adjacent streets. Now they’re all back with a vengeance. There’s garbage everywhere and every time I go near there I see people buying drugs, selling drugs, and using drugs. About a month ago I walked through and caught a few folks trying to huff fumes out of the aerosol paint can. And it’s not just a few of them either. Sometimes there’s 15 or 20 people getting high and buying drugs there. On Fordham Road, especially in the evening, I’m seeing people walking around begging and looking disoriented who are clearly not from New York looking for drugs.
I can’t say it’s as bad as it was in the 90s– of course not. However, I have not seen a lot of the things going on on a daily basis there since the 90s or very early 2000s. It doesn’t help that there’s a mass amount of supportive housing, housing for mentally ill and chemically addicted people, or chronically homeless people in that vicinity. The same thing is unfortunately happening in Bedford Park. There are also some drug clinics that might not be that recognizable. I was also told that at least one more is going to likely be placed near Fordham Road in a location that already has a very high incidence of drug use and deals.
The thing is, there are fewer and fewer neighborhoods like that left in Brooklyn. A lot of it is gentrified or starting to gentrify. To be clear, a lot of Brooklyn that many people write off only do so because it’s Black. Large swaths of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Canarsie, even Crown Heights, are solidly middle class with high homeownership levels. I’ve also seen hipsters and transplants as far as Buffalo Ave. and Ralph Ave. at night.
I wouldn’t say all of the Bronx is like ENY or Brownsville (who are duking it out with Hunt’s Point, Mott Haven, and East Tremont for dubious distinctions), but we can say the Bronx south of Fordham and west of the Bronx River is almost solidly poor with low performing schools, substandard housing, high unemployment rates, drug issues, and street violence. It’s also hypersegregated. In fact, in areas like University Heights, Fordham, and Bedford Park, it’s actually getting more segregated and poorer, not gentrified. The city has been concentrating poverty for generations, neglecting its citizens, and setting them up for failure here.
A partly gentrified area in Brooklyn like Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy still has more shootings than Bedford Park or Fordham. And the problem with areas of Bedford Park getting more segregated is landlords accepting anyone for a section 8 voucher, it is one thing to be poor, but when you're someone in your late 20's to mid 40's and still living with mom doing nothing refusing to work, the problems start. We have a few of these in Pelham Parkway and landlords are painfully getting rid of them little by little. But this is how it is, most of the neighborhood is good, on a few blocks you have a bunch of do-nothing, petty drug dealers, wanabee hoodlums who see no problem hanging in front of a building all day, smoking, blasting music, doing nothing, and degrading the atmosphere. What is it drawing then? does it make a neighborhood attractive? No, then those who can flee, and the entire neighborhood turns to garbage.
Lydig Avenue in Pelham Parkway South, during the summer was crack alley, and it is always the same people coming to hang out and get high because they buy local, they're always in the same spots and cops do nothing, I don't even understand how they're the only ones not noticing them.
Now when I lived in Bed-Stuy and Crown heights, I've witnessed countless amounts of shootings, before during and after gentrification, that can not be total due to the high number of public housing and section 8 buildings, and also impoverished private homes.
Last edited by Robert.Dinero; 12-23-2020 at 04:38 PM..
I'm in Bedford Park and I haven't gotten the impression that it's gotten poorer, but affordable housing construction is going to bring down median income and there's more of that planned. New construction is what worries me most about the future. I don't think people realize that this kind of density exists outside of Manhattan - it's probably one of the top five most dense neighborhoods in the entire city. I'm not against density or I wouldn't have moved here in the first place but they're planning several tall residential buildings as a result of upzoning without (as far as I know) planning where they're going to go to school etc. Also I want to see the character of the neighborhood's architecture protected. As far as segregation - it's very Dominican and has probably gotten more so since I've been here. To me this isn't a bad thing though.
Bedford Park definitely has gotten poorer, more rundown, and higher crime. There are at least two supportive housing buildings for mentally ill, chemically addicted, and/or chronically homeless, and several more supportive and affordable housing buildings that have been erected or are going up on Villa, 202, and 203 Streets. Bedford Park is completely different in character than when I was in high school or college in the late 90s/early 2000s. An awful lot of the private houses were owned and occupied by the owners. It was never wealthy, but there was a good amount of middle class.
Most of the people I was friendly with who were teachers or professionals have left over the past 5 years, and many others plan to in the next few years. Crime has peaked in parts– there’s barely a day that goes by that there isn’t a fight of assault on Villa, Valentine, or Bedford Park. There’ve been a few incidents where shots have been fired, though there wasn’t anything in the news. I can’t recall one shooting happening in Bedford Park prior to the last 2-3 years. I suppose it’s a lot quieter near 201 St., Perry, Decatur, etc.
So, I’m somewhat of a statistics nerd– I used to work with them a lot, so I like updating myself on current trends and trying to use the data to predict future trends. When I was studying Bronx and Uptown neighborhoods, Mott Haven was going blow for blow with Hunt’s Point as poorest, most troubled Bronx neighborhood with East Tremont not far behind. I was tasked with studying statistics to make an argument for where we should begin targeting out social services, employment, and youth development programs. I kept seeing University Heights (Community Board 5) and Fordham (Community Board 7) deteriorating in terms of risk indicators for youth, such as education, housing, employment, and poverty. It surprised me a little but I told my boss that these were areas we needed to look into. Just a few year later, according to the Citizens’ Committee for Children, University Heights ranks 3rd to last of 59 community districts for youth outcomes and Fordham/Bedford Park have moved to 9th to last place.
If I had to make a prediction using the data, I’d say that it’s going to get much tougher before it gets better. The one caveat would be that all of the buildings being built in the Bedford Park area that have some market rate units draws a more professional, civically-minded person who is much more politically active in the community than others have been over the past 20 or so years. If that doesn’t happen, Fordham/University Heights will continue to get poorer and by extension, Bedford Park will absorb many of those socioeconomic issues. I’m not very hopeful.
A partly gentrified area in Brooklyn like Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy still has more shootings than Bedford Park or Fordham. And the problem with areas of Bedford Park getting more segregated is landlords accepting anyone for a section 8 voucher, it is one thing to be poor, but when you're someone in your late 20's to mid 40's and still living with mom doing nothing refusing to work, the problems start. We have a few of these in Pelham Parkway and landlords are painfully getting rid of them little by little. But this is how it is, most of the neighborhood is good, on a few blocks you have a bunch of do-nothing, petty drug dealers, wanabee hoodlums who see no problem hanging in front of a building all day, smoking, blasting music, doing nothing, and degrading the atmosphere. What is it drawing then? does it make a neighborhood attractive? No, then those who can flee, and the entire neighborhood turns to garbage.
Lydig Avenue in Pelham Parkway South, during the summer was crack alley, and it is always the same people coming to hang out and get high because they buy local, they're always in the same spots and cops do nothing, I don't even understand how they're the only ones not noticing them.
Now when I lived in Bed-Stuy and Crown heights, I've witnessed countless amounts of shootings, before during and after gentrification, that can not be total due to the high number of public housing and section 8 buildings, and also impoverished private homes.
Crown Heights is kind of a different animal. There is Starbucks, lots of hipster bars and restaurants, and lots of market rate luxury housing going up. While it’s gotten exponentially better than it was when I worked there over a decade ago, social problems still exist. The displacement caused by the rapid gentrification and the unemployment caused by COVID has created the perfect storm. Still, there are certain sections and blocks of Crown Heights where most of these shootings are occurring– Lincoln Place, St. John, Buffalo, Rochester...places to the eastern end and some side streets. St. John Place and Schenectady is a different world than Franklin Ave. and Bergen, say. I’m not completely sold on Crown Heights. A lot is just below the surface that the newcomers either are naive to.
Pelham Parkway has gone downhill a lot since I was a teenager in the late 90s. I remember when it used to be one of the places you moved to that was seen as a step up in the Bronx. You’d go to Bedford Park if you made a little more money and to Pelham Pkwy if you had a bit more than that. I was appalled to see how most stores on White Plains Rd. are now corporate franchises and how there’s so much begging near the train. We went for drinks at Kirven’s during the summer and I couldn’t believe how many addicts I saw milling around and begging on White Plains Rd. and Lydig. Even some of the people in the stores seemed unkempt. It’s so disappointing that the city is doing absolutely nothing to help the Bronx. Once again, we’re in our own as our politicians line their pockets and not much else.
The thing is, there are fewer and fewer neighborhoods like that left in Brooklyn. A lot of it is gentrified or starting to gentrify. To be clear, a lot of Brooklyn that many people write off only do so because it’s Black. Large swaths of Flatbush, East Flatbush, Canarsie, even Crown Heights, are solidly middle class with high homeownership levels. I’ve also seen hipsters and transplants as far as Buffalo Ave. and Ralph Ave. at night.
I wouldn’t say all of the Bronx is like ENY or Brownsville (who are duking it out with Hunt’s Point, Mott Haven, and East Tremont for dubious distinctions), but we can say the Bronx south of Fordham and west of the Bronx River is almost solidly poor with low performing schools, substandard housing, high unemployment rates, drug issues, and street violence. It’s also hypersegregated. In fact, in areas like University Heights, Fordham, and Bedford Park, it’s actually getting more segregated and poorer, not gentrified. The city has been concentrating poverty for generations, neglecting its citizens, and setting them up for failure here.
I've been in the South Bronx a lot, and I know some parts are bad, but my God is East Tremont scary (I know it's not technically in the South Bronx, but that's what I compare rough Bronx areas to). That is definitely one of the WORST neighborhoods in the Bronx, and in the City for that matter. I have been over by the Fordham Oval, and that area is ok, only because you have those co-ops there which help to stabilize things a bit. Fordham I am not a fan of at all. The further away from Fordham University you go, the worse it gets. Bedford Park also has some sketchy areas. The further north you go and the closer to Botanical Garden you are it improves, but I agree with all of your assessments so far. Spot on.
Ironically, parts of the South Bronx have improves SLIGHTLY, though still quite poor. You have the working class poor that have moved in for what it's worth, but not nearly enough of them to completely improve areas like Melrose and Morrisania. There are just too many Section 8 types around. Mott Haven south of Bruckner Blvd has a few ok pockets, but you can't get rid of all of those housing projects. Just too much concentrated poverty in those areas.
An area like Bedford Park will suffer because it's a bit further out, but it still has subway access, and the prices there landwise aren't crazy, so the City is looking for those types of places to build "affordable housing". Areas with high ownership in the Bronx like Riverdale, Morris Park, Country Club, City Island, Pelham Gardens, and parts of Throggs Neck (i.e. Edgewater and Silver Beach), etc. have remained safe and stable for that reason. These areas also have limited or no subway access, so that helps as well.
Bedford Park definitely has gotten poorer, more rundown, and higher crime. There are at least two supportive housing buildings for mentally ill, chemically addicted, and/or chronically homeless, and several more supportive and affordable housing buildings that have been erected or are going up on Villa, 202, and 203 Streets. Bedford Park is completely different in character than when I was in high school or college in the late 90s/early 2000s. An awful lot of the private houses were owned and occupied by the owners. It was never wealthy, but there was a good amount of middle class.
Most of the people I was friendly with who were teachers or professionals have left over the past 5 years, and many others plan to in the next few years. Crime has peaked in parts– there’s barely a day that goes by that there isn’t a fight of assault on Villa, Valentine, or Bedford Park. There’ve been a few incidents where shots have been fired, though there wasn’t anything in the news. I can’t recall one shooting happening in Bedford Park prior to the last 2-3 years. I suppose it’s a lot quieter near 201 St., Perry, Decatur, etc.
So, I’m somewhat of a statistics nerd– I used to work with them a lot, so I like updating myself on current trends and trying to use the data to predict future trends. When I was studying Bronx and Uptown neighborhoods, Mott Haven was going blow for blow with Hunt’s Point as poorest, most troubled Bronx neighborhood with East Tremont not far behind. I was tasked with studying statistics to make an argument for where we should begin targeting out social services, employment, and youth development programs. I kept seeing University Heights (Community Board 5) and Fordham (Community Board 7) deteriorating in terms of risk indicators for youth, such as education, housing, employment, and poverty. It surprised me a little but I told my boss that these were areas we needed to look into. Just a few year later, according to the Citizens’ Committee for Children, University Heights ranks 3rd to last of 59 community districts for youth outcomes and Fordham/Bedford Park have moved to 9th to last place.
If I had to make a prediction using the data, I’d say that it’s going to get much tougher before it gets better. The one caveat would be that all of the buildings being built in the Bedford Park area that have some market rate units draws a more professional, civically-minded person who is much more politically active in the community than others have been over the past 20 or so years. If that doesn’t happen, Fordham/University Heights will continue to get poorer and by extension, Bedford Park will absorb many of those socioeconomic issues. I’m not very hopeful.
There's been a lot of supportive housing coming to the Bronx so maybe we're all doomed, but I'd bet there's a decent amount of that (or other generally unwanted development) in gentrifying areas of Brooklyn, Harlem and Upper Manhattan too. If do a simple google and zoom in to the Yankee Stadium area (I think that's where you live or are from), the amount absolutely eclipses Bedford Park. Another poster had said (last year I think) that a Harvard study had found Bedford Park to be a neighborhood of particular interest for inter-generational mobility so your opinion conflicts but that happens.
As far as the construction on Villa, 202 and 203, I'm very concerned about it but honestly I spend years without going there so it's not something I encounter unless I go out of my way. I'm probably geographically closer to parts of Norwood and Fordham than to Villa Ave. (and have more reason to go there). Fordham has it's problems but I made peace with it a long time ago. I'm not below Fordham Road very often (unless we're talking about Belmont) so I can't address those issues in your other post. I haven't seen the deterioration you write about in the part of Fordham that I go through, but I guess crime stats will tell us in time (although I think you've got to wait till after the pandemic to get a better idea of stats).
Even though you deleted it, the other point I'll respond to was that crime had increased since the early 2000s in Bedford Park, which is just not the case. There were 23 homicides in 2001 in the 52nd precinct (also Fordham's precinct) and 8 in 2019. Homicides decreased 65% during that time and overall crime 36%. It's not crime free, but hasn't ever been. Even though there were 2 more homicides in the 52nd precinct this year, overall crime slightly decreased this year, even with the pandemic.
Property prices have increased a lot so there are definitely people of means buying - on Perry several houses have changed hands although still very affordable for something similar in Brooklyn for instance. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...29787858_zpid/
It's not perfect, but I really like living here. I can leave if I want, I own a house too (and live in it).
There's been a lot of supportive housing coming to the Bronx so maybe we're all doomed, but I'd bet there's a decent amount of that (or other generally unwanted development) in gentrifying areas of Brooklyn, Harlem and Upper Manhattan too. If do a simple google and zoom in to the Yankee Stadium area (I think that's where you live or are from), the amount absolutely eclipses Bedford Park. Another poster had said (last year I think) that a Harvard study had found Bedford Park to be a neighborhood of particular interest for inter-generational mobility so your opinion conflicts but that happens.
As far as the construction on Villa, 202 and 203, I'm very concerned about it but honestly I spend years without going there so it's not something I encounter unless I go out of my way. I'm probably geographically closer to parts of Norwood and Fordham than to Villa Ave. (and have more reason to go there). Fordham has it's problems but I made peace with it a long time ago. I'm not below Fordham Road very often (unless we're talking about Belmont) so I can't address those issues in your other post. I haven't seen the deterioration you write about in the part of Fordham that I go through, but I guess crime stats will tell us in time (although I think you've got to wait till after the pandemic to get a better idea of stats).
Even though you deleted it, the other point I'll respond to was that crime had increased since the early 2000s in Bedford Park, which is just not the case. There were 23 homicides in 2001 in the 52nd precinct (also Fordham's precinct) and 8 in 2019. Homicides decreased 65% during that time and overall crime 36%. It's not crime free, but hasn't ever been. Even though there were 2 more homicides in the 52nd precinct this year, overall crime slightly decreased this year, even with the pandemic madness.
Property prices have increased a lot so there are definitely people of means buying - on Perry several houses have changed hands although still very affordable for something similar in Brooklyn for instance. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2...29787858_zpid/
It's not perfect, but I really like living here. I can leave if I want, I own a house too (and live in it).
I deleted the first post because I realized you’d written two and I began responding to the wrong one (Fordham versus Bedford Park.) and wrote a second one about Fordham.
Do you remember when the Harvard study was done? I’d love to read it. I think that Bedford Park has changed very quickly in the past decade, so I do believe that one could have achieved upward mobility here (perhaps why so many people left.) I used to say that one could go from daycare to a Master’s degree without ever leaving the neighborhood, thanks to the various high schools and college here. It was less than 8 years ago that it was featured in various newspapers as being the next big neighborhood. Then the demolitions started and...well.
As far as crime increase, murder rates don’t tell the entire story of a neighborhood. I’m very skeptical about what CompStat reports, as police officers admitted years ago that they were under tremendous pressure to downgrade crimes and fudge numbers. The 52nd Precinct was featured in a Norwood News article about the uptick in shootings in the vicinity this year: https://www.norwoodnews.org/bedford-...-gun-violence/ Because the police aren’t pursuing quality of life crimes as much as they did, I get the impression that unless it’s a big sting, they aren’t very interested in drug use and sales. I lived behind Central Booking and the block was horrible with drug addicts and dealers, yet “nobody every saw anything.” It was so frustrating because the precinct knew quite well what was going on and would just drive right by. I’ve seen things that never appeared in any newspaper or 10 o’clock news broadcast, including officer misconduct.
With that, I’m going to say something that you probably won’t agree with and maybe not believe: a lot of crime is not reported. I’ll say the 52 is more responsive than the 44 Precinct. When I lived in the South Bronx, you could call 911, the Community Affairs number, the main precinct line, and 311 all night, and they still at times did not respond. I’ve had at least one 911 operator argue with and hang up on me. I’ve also once been put in a potentially dangerous situation due to their incompetence. A lot of people just stopped calling them things. This is why a lot of people do not trust the police and don’t call them when there’s a crime. I’ve seen things with my own eyes here that tell me things aren’t being reported or at least not recorded on CompStat. There’s something going on on Villa Ave. nearly everyday. If nothing changes, people stop reporting it.
Last year, my husband found various cars broken into as he was jogging, called both the 50 and the 52, and they told him he couldn’t file a report because none of the cars were his. I had a situation similar on Marion Ave./201 St. years ago where a drunk driver had hit several cars on my block and the 52 not only didn’t show up, they also told me they wouldn’t take a report from me because they weren’t my cars (seeing a pattern?) We’ve also called them on at least two occasions to report domestic violence. I was told that they wouldn’t come to investigate, though they’d already gotten a dozen calls but we’d not seen him hit her, so they couldn’t respond. My husband saw a woman in similar distress, they told him more or less the same thing, then called him 45 minutes later to ask him if he was still waiting at the scene.
I too own a home but we are probably selling once things are less in the air regarding COVID. I love this neighborhood and thought I’d never leave, but I no longer see a future here. All I see is friends leaving and the neighborhood deteriorating. It would have to be something miraculous to change the trajectory of where this neighborhood is headed.
I deleted the first post because I realized you’d written two and I began responding to the wrong one (Fordham versus Bedford Park.) and wrote a second one about Fordham.
Do you remember when the Harvard study was done? I’d love to read it. I think that Bedford Park has changed very quickly in the past decade, so I do believe that one could have achieved upward mobility here (perhaps why so many people left.) I used to say that one could go from daycare to a Master’s degree without ever leaving the neighborhood, thanks to the various high schools and college here. It was less than 8 years ago that it was featured in various newspapers as being the next big neighborhood. Then the demolitions started and...well.
As far as crime increase, murder rates don’t tell the entire story of a neighborhood. I’m very skeptical about what CompStat reports, as police officers admitted years ago that they were under tremendous pressure to downgrade crimes and fudge numbers. The 52nd Precinct was featured in a Norwood News article about the uptick in shootings in the vicinity this year: https://www.norwoodnews.org/bedford-...-gun-violence/ Because the police aren’t pursuing quality of life crimes as much as they did, I get the impression that unless it’s a big sting, they aren’t very interested in drug use and sales. I lived behind Central Booking and the block was horrible with drug addicts and dealers, yet “nobody every saw anything.” It was so frustrating because the precinct knew quite well what was going on and would just drive right by. I’ve seen things that never appeared in any newspaper or 10 o’clock news broadcast, including officer misconduct.
With that, I’m going to say something that you probably won’t agree with and maybe not believe: a lot of crime is not reported. I’ll say the 52 is more responsive than the 44 Precinct. When I lived in the South Bronx, you could call 911, the Community Affairs number, the main precinct line, and 311 all night, and they still at times did not respond. I’ve had at least one 911 operator argue with and hang up on me. I’ve also once been put in a potentially dangerous situation due to their incompetence. A lot of people just stopped calling them things. This is why a lot of people do not trust the police and don’t call them when there’s a crime. I’ve seen things with my own eyes here that tell me things aren’t being reported or at least not recorded on CompStat. There’s something going on on Villa Ave. nearly everyday. If nothing changes, people stop reporting it.
Last year, my husband found various cars broken into as he was jogging, called both the 50 and the 52, and they told him he couldn’t file a report because none of the cars were his. I had a situation similar on Marion Ave./201 St. years ago where a drunk driver had hit several cars on my block and the 52 not only didn’t show up, they also told me they wouldn’t take a report from me because they weren’t my cars (seeing a pattern?) We’ve also called them on at least two occasions to report domestic violence. I was told that they wouldn’t come to investigate, though they’d already gotten a dozen calls but we’d not seen him hit her, so they couldn’t respond. My husband saw a woman in similar distress, they told him more or less the same thing, then called him 45 minutes later to ask him if he was still waiting at the scene.
I too own a home but we are probably selling once things are less in the air regarding COVID. I love this neighborhood and thought I’d never leave, but I no longer see a future here. All I see is friends leaving and the neighborhood deteriorating. It would have to be something miraculous to change the trajectory of where this neighborhood is headed.
I googled it at the time so get the feeling it came out around when this poster mentioned it, which was last year I thought. I looked a bit through old posts but didn't find it yet though.
So you live in Bedford Park? I thought you were the stats nerd, but if you dismiss crime stats then we're just left with our feelings and impressions and ours are very different. I get a feeling we don't live in the same part of the neighborhood. You also own a house? If I was going to buy a house in NYC somewhere besides Bedford Park, I have no idea where it would be. Every other borough would be out of the question because of price, but there's so much about the area that I like. Where are you planning to move to?
I deleted the first post because I realized you’d written two and I began responding to the wrong one (Fordham versus Bedford Park.) and wrote a second one about Fordham.
Do you remember when the Harvard study was done? I’d love to read it. I think that Bedford Park has changed very quickly in the past decade, so I do believe that one could have achieved upward mobility here (perhaps why so many people left.) I used to say that one could go from daycare to a Master’s degree without ever leaving the neighborhood, thanks to the various high schools and college here. It was less than 8 years ago that it was featured in various newspapers as being the next big neighborhood. Then the demolitions started and...well.
As far as crime increase, murder rates don’t tell the entire story of a neighborhood. I’m very skeptical about what CompStat reports, as police officers admitted years ago that they were under tremendous pressure to downgrade crimes and fudge numbers. The 52nd Precinct was featured in a Norwood News article about the uptick in shootings in the vicinity this year: https://www.norwoodnews.org/bedford-...-gun-violence/ Because the police aren’t pursuing quality of life crimes as much as they did, I get the impression that unless it’s a big sting, they aren’t very interested in drug use and sales. I lived behind Central Booking and the block was horrible with drug addicts and dealers, yet “nobody every saw anything.” It was so frustrating because the precinct knew quite well what was going on and would just drive right by. I’ve seen things that never appeared in any newspaper or 10 o’clock news broadcast, including officer misconduct.
With that, I’m going to say something that you probably won’t agree with and maybe not believe: a lot of crime is not reported. I’ll say the 52 is more responsive than the 44 Precinct. When I lived in the South Bronx, you could call 911, the Community Affairs number, the main precinct line, and 311 all night, and they still at times did not respond. I’ve had at least one 911 operator argue with and hang up on me. I’ve also once been put in a potentially dangerous situation due to their incompetence. A lot of people just stopped calling them things. This is why a lot of people do not trust the police and don’t call them when there’s a crime. I’ve seen things with my own eyes here that tell me things aren’t being reported or at least not recorded on CompStat. There’s something going on on Villa Ave. nearly everyday. If nothing changes, people stop reporting it.
Last year, my husband found various cars broken into as he was jogging, called both the 50 and the 52, and they told him he couldn’t file a report because none of the cars were his. I had a situation similar on Marion Ave./201 St. years ago where a drunk driver had hit several cars on my block and the 52 not only didn’t show up, they also told me they wouldn’t take a report from me because they weren’t my cars (seeing a pattern?) We’ve also called them on at least two occasions to report domestic violence. I was told that they wouldn’t come to investigate, though they’d already gotten a dozen calls but we’d not seen him hit her, so they couldn’t respond. My husband saw a woman in similar distress, they told him more or less the same thing, then called him 45 minutes later to ask him if he was still waiting at the scene.
I too own a home but we are probably selling once things are less in the air regarding COVID. I love this neighborhood and thought I’d never leave, but I no longer see a future here. All I see is friends leaving and the neighborhood deteriorating. It would have to be something miraculous to change the trajectory of where this neighborhood is headed.
I remember reading an article mentioning Bedford Park residents sharing concerns about Villa Avenue and describing the exact same issues you are describing.
Now when it comes to Bedford Park, real estate prices went up really fast, and like in Pelham Parkway an average two bedroom apartment is around 250,000.
Once again the issue with Bedford Park is, landlords cash that section 8 money out, and couldn’t care less about who they’re bringing in.
A real estate agent told me about Bedford Park, I remember his words “it’s gonna be expensive”. And it seems to be following this path.
When it comes to the developments on Villa Avenue, not all of the buildings will be affordable housing, there will be market-rate rentals. One of the buildings will include many affordable units for the seniors, reducing the risk of crime. And from the article I read, the issues seem to come from the abandoned buildings and the everlasting scaffoldings.
So eventually it will get better, but give it a few years.
The only problem with Bedford Park as opposed to similar neighborhoods on the east side of the Bronx, or even in Belmont, which has really degraded, is the quality of the stores. Bedford Park got nothing. In Belmont, regardless of how bad the area is, besides the tourist aspect of “Little Italy” , Albanians have opened door cafes and bars, barber shops, and stores for the past few years, and they are going to open more in the next few months.
Bedford Park has One or two bad supermarkets and.... delis, delis, delis, delis, delis and more delis. Food options are extremely limited between the diners and the gross pizza spots and Dominican and Mexican “restaurants” (eateries with cheap tables and aluminium chairs with the food served from heaters with a ladle into a styrofoam container or aluminum to go container). Now the other side on Webster Avenue is gonna be fully revitalized, and it has already started, even the Cherry Hill supermarket close to Botanical Garden Metro North is going to be torn down and they’ll build something instead. A few restaurants and a cute bakery have opened over the last three years on Webster Avenue.
They are now in the process of opening a classier liquor and wine store on the corner of 198 and Webster (brick walls, black iron racks and shelves...). And eventually it will bring up the value and improve the atmosphere and will get even with Norwood, which is overall not bad at all. The main difference is Norwood has stores, useful stores, fruit and vegetable stores, banks, bakeries, fish markets, medical offices, and Montefiore Hospital all over. Bedford Park doesn’t have much. But again, landlords need to be reasonable and get rid of problem tenants.
I remember reading an article mentioning Bedford Park residents sharing concerns about Villa Avenue and describing the exact same issues you are describing.
Now when it comes to Bedford Park, real estate prices went up really fast, and like in Pelham Parkway an average two bedroom apartment is around 250,000.
Once again the issue with Bedford Park is, landlords cash that section 8 money out, and couldn’t care less about who they’re bringing in.
A real estate agent told me about Bedford Park, I remember his words “it’s gonna be expensive”. And it seems to be following this path.
When it comes to the developments on Villa Avenue, not all of the buildings will be affordable housing, there will be market-rate rentals. One of the buildings will include many affordable units for the seniors, reducing the risk of crime. And from the article I read, the issues seem to come from the abandoned buildings and the everlasting scaffoldings.
So eventually it will get better, but give it a few years.
The only problem with Bedford Park as opposed to similar neighborhoods on the east side of the Bronx, or even in Belmont, which has really degraded, is the quality of the stores. Bedford Park got nothing. In Belmont, regardless of how bad the area is, besides the tourist aspect of “Little Italy” , Albanians have opened door cafes and bars, barber shops, and stores for the past few years, and they are going to open more in the next few months.
Bedford Park has One or two bad supermarkets and.... delis, delis, delis, delis, delis and more delis. Food options are extremely limited between the diners and the gross pizza spots and Dominican and Mexican “restaurants” (eateries with cheap tables and aluminium chairs with the food served from heaters with a ladle into a styrofoam container or aluminum to go container). Now the other side on Webster Avenue is gonna be fully revitalized, and it has already started, even the Cherry Hill supermarket close to Botanical Garden Metro North is going to be torn down and they’ll build something instead. A few restaurants and a cute bakery have opened over the last three years on Webster Avenue.
They are now in the process of opening a classier liquor and wine store on the corner of 198 and Webster (brick walls, black iron racks and shelves...). And eventually it will bring up the value and improve the atmosphere and will get even with Norwood, which is overall not bad at all. The main difference is Norwood has stores, useful stores, fruit and vegetable stores, banks, bakeries, fish markets, medical offices, and Montefiore Hospital all over. Bedford Park doesn’t have much. But again, landlords need to be reasonable and get rid of problem tenants.
Being where I am in Bedford Park, the only retail that's close is that one block of Bedford Park Blvd. and whatever is around the corner
from there on Webster. There's also stores on the western side of Bedford Park Blvd. and 204th but that's not close for me. It's the basic, everyday stuff in that little retail area -- hardware store, supermarket, drug store, barber, bakery, diner, pizza, chinese, dry cleaners etc. Still I think Bedford Park's location is pretty strategic. It's probably less than 15 min to Fordham Road on foot and whatevers there, Old Navy, Gap outlet...For me, I'm more often in Fordham to go to Battambang (Asian specialty store) and the Indian or Pakistani markets next door, or to go to the main Bronx branch of NYPL. Eating out is another 15 min or so to Little Italy. The hospital is about a 15-20 min walk in the other direction, and for the bank it's 204th in Norwood (there's also BofA on 198th but I don't bank there). Then there's the NYBG right here which for me was one of the main draws of living here. The zoo is also about 15-20 min walk.
Even though it's not a lot of retail, when we first moved here I was soo excited to have what we do this close by because where we lived in Inwood had nothing close by. If you needed even a roll of paper towels you had to walk a ways for it. If you needed something quick from the supermarket for something you were cooking, forget it.
If there was one thing I would want to improve in Bedford Park is takeout! At least there's Mexican food at the diner, and or a while there was a tiny Japanese/Thai place on Webster closer to Fordham but that closed. There's gonna be a keto place opening on Webster for those who are watching carbs...Jolly Tinker does takeout now but I don't like any of it. I guess we could get delivery from Norwood, but I don't know what's there that's good either. Then there's restaurant delivery from Little Italy but just seems too expensive. I hope with new stores on Webster that there'll be some improvement eventually.
After writing the other post I was thinking about where I'd want to move to if we were to leave here and everywhere I'd be giving up something. I like Van Cortlandt Village but it's isolated, less shopping, no metro north, no NYBG. I love Inwood but prices aren't in the same league and I don't love it enough to trade a house for an apartment again, and besides, it's not perfect either. Pelham Parkway is great, but it's not for me. I'm a west Bronx/Upper Manhattan person I guess mostly for the topography and density. You can walk to Inwood from here a lot quicker than what most people realize (it's about a 30min walk to Target and then over the bridge from there). Belmont has restaurants, but the lack of subway is a deal breaker for me, plus there's more crime, and too much Fordham crap built there. Even the metro north is a much longer walk. If I had the money I'd probably move to a townhouse on the Upper West Side (despite homeless lol), but that's not reality.
Last edited by yodel; 12-24-2020 at 08:42 AM..
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