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I can't believe how much press coverage this story has been getting. You'd think these guys were killing people instead of mugging them. Does anyone honestly think it would get this much coverage if it was happening in Harlem or Bed-Stuy?
I agree that it would not get as much coverage if it were in a more disadvantaged area. Part of what I have noticed, however, is that the crimes seem to be occurring when people are letting their guard down, believing the hype that Manhattan is as safe as a small town. One victim's account that I read in the paper stated that she thought something was amiss when the people turned the corner, who turned out to be the thugs who mugged her. People should be as vigilant in SoHo or the UES as they would be in a less expensive area, since property values alone do not prevent street crime.
For past ~15yrs, NYC (and every other major city in US) have been remarkably free of street crime in upscale areas where many live/work....
NYC, as epicenter of the financial meltdown, will likely have increased street crime and reduced police protection in a setting of a declining tax base for next few yrs until financial industry stabilizes and recovers
Many have forgotten why many affluent in '70s-'80s preferred to live in affluent suburbs; drive everywhere; and avoid cities, except for employment in certain industries based in urban centers...and for occasional dinners at elite restaurants
Have lived and worked in cities throughout my career....and, even in Manhattan earlier this decade, would always drive from point A to B for office or dinner, etc....common sense suggests walking, mass transit or cabs increase one's risk of becoming a street crime victim, even in supposedly upscale areas....one's own car is much safer and more comfortable in any urban region than "communal" approaches to travel....and cars and garaging costs are a hell of a lot cheaper than cost of surgeries and disabilities post-violent mugging....
Have lived and worked in cities throughout my career....and, even in Manhattan earlier this decade, would always drive from point A to B for office or dinner, etc....common sense suggests walking, mass transit or cabs increase one's risk of becoming a street crime victim, even in supposedly upscale areas....one's own car is much safer and more comfortable in any urban region than "communal" approaches to travel....and cars and garaging costs are a hell of a lot cheaper than cost of surgeries and disabilities post-violent mugging....
The prospect of carjacking in tough times sometimes makes even the most elite descend on the subway to participate in one of those "communal" approaches you refer to.
Have lived and worked in cities throughout my career....and, even in Manhattan earlier this decade, would always drive from point A to B for office or dinner, etc....common sense suggests walking, mass transit or cabs increase one's risk of becoming a street crime victim, even in supposedly upscale areas....one's own car is much safer and more comfortable in any urban region than "communal" approaches to travel....and cars and garaging costs are a hell of a lot cheaper than cost of surgeries and disabilities post-violent mugging....
Another point re: your suggestion to use a privately owned vehicle in lieu of communal forms of transportation to avoid being mugged in the Village or elsewhere.
If I recollect from your posts in other threads, you personally had a vehicle that experienced, shall we say, constant breakdowns, etc., on the highways.
Now, city driving is a bit tougher and I'm assuming you upgraded your model and year of vehicle. After all, an unreliable vehicle in the city to avoid the costs of surgery, etc., to which you refer, may defeat the purpose. One may well find that both one and one's vehicle may be in need of repair if one's vehicle cannot be depended upon to outrun one's attackers.
common sense suggests walking, mass transit or cabs increase one's risk of becoming a street crime victim, even in supposedly upscale areas....one's own car is much safer and more comfortable in any urban region than "communal" approaches to travel....and cars and garaging costs are a hell of a lot cheaper than cost of surgeries and disabilities post-violent mugging....
There was a study done a couple years ago which debunked this idea. They found that most Americans' chances of getting injured/killed in a car crash are actually higher than their chances of getting injured/killed by a criminal.
People feel safe in a car because they have their hands on the wheel and control the vehicle personally. It's not that driving a car is actually safer than any other way to get around. Plane crashes are so rare that they make national news. Plane rides are a common fear despite the fact that airplane travel is extremely safe compared to other modes of transportation. People die in car crashes every day and most people don't bat an eye.
My fiancee told me once that we had a higher chance of being struck by lightning than dying in a plane crash. Do you guys think thats accurate? And to hsw... being in a car in economic downturn makes you more of a target especially if said car is nice and pricey... carjacking is a very common type of theft you know.
I've heard foreign cars are especially likely to be targets, as the parts are harder to come by and therefore worth more money to thieves.
I think part of the reason people are so nervous about planes is because when a plane crashes, it's never pretty. If you're lucky, it'll happen somewhere close to the ground; you'll have a chance of surviving if you can fight off your fellow passengers well enough to get out of the plane. If, however, something happens at 35,000 ft.-- say, a bomb goes off midflight-- you have almost a zero percent chance of surviving, even over bodies of water.
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