Is NYC REALLY safe? Pt.2 - My Trip to Harlem (w/pics) (Hope: law, dangerous)
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I love Harlem and always will. But in all fairness you walking the streets and taking these pictures in the dead of winter. My suggestion would be to go back on hot summer night in July.
Yup. Winter and Summer is night and day. Most hoods earn their bad reps on summer nights. Not many places are "hot" when it's 20 degrees out.
December of last year was the bloodiest month of 08. It was 53 murders (if I counted right)
(source Murder Book). If I'm right that means it was the bloodiest month of 08 and NO summer month had that many murders alone.
I know what you're saying though, usually more murder occurs in the summer but I just wanted to point that out.
I counted 27. The headlines have the number of murders for that day, if a number is not given (eg 2 dead in Bronx), then it's usually a story on the capture of the assaliant or leads to an unresolved murder.
I counted 27. The headlines have the number of murders for that day, if a number is not given (eg 2 dead in Bronx), then it's usually a story on the capture of the assaliant or leads to an unresolved murder.
So if I'm right with December...homicides per month
Summer Months:
50, 49, 47
Winter Months:
27, 36, 31
I doubt the Dec number was over 50. 27 is more in line with the rest of the winter months.
But look at the number of murders at the beginning of december. There were 469 murders at the start of December. There were 522 murders total of all last year therefore there were 53 murders in december. Winter doesn't start until december 21st but it is considered a winter month.
We'll revist at the end of winter to see if there are more murders than 08 summer months
OP, I think what your tour proved is that the answer is somewhere in between. It's not as safe as some of the transplants would like to believe, but it's not quite as bleak as some of the locals would have you believe also. So yeah the city has gotten safer, but no it's not exactly safe.
Also seems like the cops try their darnedest to keep the crime contained to the project areas or the grittier blocks. That's the impression I've always gotten. The more developed areas get shielded.
Wasn't your tour more like Central/East Harlem. You didn't really go through much of West Harlem.
Good stuff though.
Actually yes, I just realized that I said west. My mistake.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NooYowkur81
, I think what your tour proved is that the answer is somewhere in between. It's not as safe as some of the transplants would like to believe, but it's not quite as bleak as some of the locals would have you believe also. So yeah the city has gotten safer, but no it's not exactly safe.
Also seems like the cops try their darnedest to keep the crime contained to the project areas or the grittier blocks. That's the impression I've always gotten. The more developed areas get shielded.
I saw police in every projects and on most blocks. Getrified blocks had NO police. At least they were there.
Last edited by justfarr1030; 01-26-2009 at 03:26 PM..
Reason: Fix quote
Agreed NYer81....there is definitely a middle ground here and you explained it perfectly. If you like to hang out with the homies in the projects at 4am, you will likely believe NYC is extremely dangerous. If you spend your time traversing the many the many tourist spots, and then go home to Riverdale on the MetroNorth, you will believe the city is pleasant and feels much safer than it ever has.
Agreed NYer81....there is definitely a middle ground here and you explained it perfectly. If you like to hang out with the homies in the projects at 4am, you will likely believe NYC is extremely dangerous. If you spend your time traversing the many the many tourist spots, and then go home to Riverdale on the MetroNorth, you will believe the city is pleasant and feels much safer than it ever has.
That was a VERY inaccurate and distasteful generalization. I do not hang with any "homies" at 4am and you do not know if the people I interviewed do or not. The fact is general danger is there when you live in certain areas, if your are a certain race or age bracket. Futhermore, criminals do not just stay on there block either. So while you live in a nice gentrified block does not mean that you cannot be a victim of crime from surrounding areas. Hopefully, that is not the case.
I am not saying YOU hang with the homies, I am merely giving an example of why one person may think the city is "extremely dangerous" while another may think it is "pleasant and safer than it ever has been." It is all relative.
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