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in all honesty, even though stats show crime way down, northern brooklyn doesn't feel that much different from the mid and late 90's. you still hear the same amount of gunshots, you still have the same odds of getting jumped and robbed at night, you still see the same amount of prostitution and numerous other petty crimes, you still can't leave nice things (like, i don't know, a bike) outside without it being gone the very next day. so whats the difference? the more i open my eyes, the more i see that the only thing thats changed is the story the nypd is telling you.
GDK...that may be the case in Northern Brooklyn....you FEEL things are the same. But I can tell you in the Bronx they are VERY different than the 90s, and in fact continue to improve literally on a daily basis. I suspect that you are just older, and see things differently today, which does not mean things are the same. You are just looking at them from a different vantage point. I suspect if you actually sat down with friends and family, and really analysed the changes, you would note they were significant. This does not mean we live in an Utopia, but things HAVE improved. If I were ONLY relying on the stories the NYPD were telling me, I would be a fool. However, I rely on on my own experiences and the real difference I see on a daily basis.
Something to keep in mind for many of you posting is that the city's demographic map is shifting. Just because the city as a whole is getting safer, doesn't mean every single block/nabe is. Poverty is shifting in the city away from Harlem/Brownstone Brooklyn to places like West/North Bronx, Bronwsville-ENY, Woodhaven/Ozone Park/Richmond Hill, East Flatbush-Canarsie and parts of SI.
For everyone saying crime is going up, it could also mean that bad elements are unfortunetly gravitating your way after being priced out of other areas.
its not that i think crime is going up, per se, its just that the city really isn't that better off (quality of life and crime wise) than 11 or 12 years ago. i don't think anyone can honestly say that the city is noticeably safer and cleaner today than the late 90's. now, late 80's? most definitely. but the late 90's? no.
I would agree with the Shizzles, although I think crime overall is going down due largely to our general societal decrease in crime, but also because of the more effective policing and community activism. However, I do agree that crime is shifting to the communities you listed, as there is a reshuffling of the deck for lack of a better term. GDK...I disagree with you quite a bit...I think the city is noticable safer and cleaner than the late 90s. In fact, there is substantially more parkland, greenspace, trees, bike trails, garbage containers, cleaner parks, transportation is better, and there is ALOT more investment in communities, which ALL leads to a much higher quality of life. Of course I am speaking of the city overall, but moreso my area of the South bronx, which continues to have phenomenal changes in every way that it can.
more parks and trees doesn't make a city safer, SobroGuy. i can't speak on the south bronx because i hardly ever go up there, but northern brooklyn (and even brooklyn as a whole) has not, IMO, improved at all since the 90's (post crack era of course). but i'm not talking about how many parks and condo's, or whatever, a neighborhood has gained since then, i'm talking about the amount of crime you experience in these nabes haven't changed at all to me.
Of course trees and parks don't make it safer, but you also indicated quality of life, and the list I included are substantial improvements in the quality of life for NYC residents. Regarding crime specifically, let's remove the stats for a moment as many people do not believe them. As a longtime resident, I can tell you that the South Bronx has improved greatly in every way that it can, including crime. How do I know this? It's little things that I see...like a very proactive and effective police presence, which did not exist before. They patrol heavily in and around the neighborhood, especially the projects, interact with residents, and disperse any crowds of youths. There are also the neighbors who are removing bars from the windows, replacing the steel doors with decorative glass/wood paneled doors (myself included), and the change of attitude from solely crime issues to quality of life, demonstrating that crime is moving to the backburner, and the area is now focusing on quality of life issues, like greening, parkland, etc. It is also the influx of new residents of all colors, something the South Bronx has not seen in 2 generations, and indicative of the real drop in crime and improved safety, and perception of increased safety. As a result, I, my neighbors, and new residents, FEEL safer, and can acknowledge the changes that have occured, and are occuring, thanks in large part to the big drop in crime. Does this mean we live in a Utopia? Nope. Does this mean we can leave our doors unlocked? Nope. Does it mean it is much improved since the late 90s. YES. Maybe Northern Brooklyn has not enjoyed the same big decreases in crime because it wasn't as high to begin with?
The only difference from 99 and 09 is that in 09 we have ALOT more gentrification since NYC (king Bloomberg) is trying to exterminate poor people. Granted some neighborhoods look better from 99 OVERALL the city is just as dirty as it was in 99 plus the dangerous places in the city have shown no improvement at all from 99 except for a bunch 500,000 condos around but then again appearance means nothing.
Bad places in the City I belive have shown no improvment from 1999
East Harlem
Washington Heights
Corona/East Elmhurst
Far Rockaway
Jamaica
West Bronx
Most of South Bronx
Soundview
Parts of Bushwick
East New York
Bed Stuy
Brownsville
Crown Heights
Flatbush
Fort Greene
Coney Island
West Brighton
KRS....with a statement like "Bloomberg is trying to exterminate poor people" how can anyone take your comments seriously? You are losing whatever little credibility you have. And for the record, if Bloomberg were in fact trying to exterminate poor people, why would he create the largest affordable housing program in NYC's history targeted PRECISELY towards people Bloomberg considers poor: the working/middle class. Furthermore, this huge program is being invested in poor neighborhoods throughout NYC with residency and income requirements so that the "poor" are sure to be the ONLY ones to benefit. But hey who needs facts. While we are at it, let's say Bloomberg hates Jews, even though he is one...because it is equally as wrong as him wanting to exterminate poor people. Sorry KRS, but this comment reveals how irrational and wrong your way of thinking is.
Sobro, regarding your last sentence (on post #213) ...you are very uninformed if you believe northern brooklyns crime wasn't high. northern brooklyn's nabes were (and most likely still are) more crime filled than any other part of the city (yes, including the south bronx).
yea, and i know i mentioned quality of life, but IMO, green space doesn't improve that aspect of my life one bit. parks? don't have time to mess around in parks all day. bike trails? you can't enjoy them when everytime you buy a bike, it gets stolen. trees? yea, they improve my life quality alot. the things you listed would have no impact on most peoples quality of life. cheaper housing, less violence, and better schools is what i'd consider an increase in quality of life and unfortunately, those are some of the many things this part of brooklyn is lacking.
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