So Called "Dangerous Areas" Of NYC=Complete exaggeration!!! (Lee: income, living)

[vsherry]

Originally Posted by amazinmets73

I used to live in that area for a year, never felt unsafe. Im a 22 year old black man so its a little different for me then a 24 year old white girl, but still... there really are no unsafe areas in NYC anymore IMO.. maybe the brownsville PJs at night

I can't get over some of these absolute statements. All the accusations of exaggeration are being leveled at those who paint a negative picture, but some of the NYC safety boosters sound as if they worked for the tourism department.

[vsherry]

Originally Posted by KRS88

I've went to Juarez in the summer and had no problems. Does that mean Juarez is safe...no. As an adoloscent in the early 90s I played manhunt till midnight during the summer in Compton California does that mean the CPT was a haven in the early 90s? Of course not. Just because your not a victim of crime in an area that doesn't mean it's paradise. To add if you think Eny and Brownsville are safe go hang out in the PJs at 3am crack a Corona and listen to your brand new iPod touch and "tweet" your "bestie" and well see how long you last.


(sigh) Typical 21st century new jack think they know everything.

This is precisely what mystifies me. I cannot understand why they assume that merely failing to be a victim thus far makes a neighborhood safe. I'm sure many murder victims die in their first run-in with crime. It takes but one act to make all those other "safe" walks down reputedly dangerous streets meaningless. Even in the most dangerous areas of the country, it's possible to be present without being a crime victim every 20 minutes. That doesn't mean that it won't and can't happen one day. And, if it did, I am sure the OP and the safety boosters would overhaul their views and deprecate those "safe" walks they previously had.

[vsherry]

Originally Posted by latikeriii

I understand where you're coming from. I've been to the worst neighborhoods in the nation, New Orleans, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, LA, and so on and I know how to handle myself in bad areas. As a muscular, 200lbs, 5'9" black male, I usually don't get any slack in those "hoods" and I can take on 1 or 2 guys but what worries me are the young groups(or should I say packs) of guys "wilding" out trying to prove something. I do get dirty looks though, if i'm in an area that people are unfamilar with me.

They do punk (bleep) stuff to prove themselves to the older gang members or just part of gang initiation. Real(older) thugs really don't have much to prove so they don't worry me but if i'm alone in an unfamiliar area and see a group of 3 or more teens, then i'm putting my guard up and walking on the other side and taking a detour. They have nothing to lose and tons to prove. Being tough is one thing, being stupid and trying to fight 2 or more people is plain stupid unless you have no choice. I'd have to put aside my pride and back down to a group of punks. Go to the Daily News website, a 12 year got stabbed in the face and killed as part of a gang initiation.

As another poster said, a white will not be bothered many times in a predominantly high-crime Black or Hispanic area unless they appear to be a druggie because they don't want any extra attention. I look like too many people and worry that i'd be mistaken for someone else. As for the OP, please get rid of your false sense of security or you'll be rudely awakened. I've lived and spent a lot of time in places a lot more dangerous than NYC as a whole but I don't think this city is totally "safe".

I'll go so far as to say I don't think any city, especially a large one, is " totally safe." We won't see the day when that happens either. And something tells me that if it did happen, New York would not be the likeliest candidate.

[cyrusjul]

Well all I have to say is that I hang around all over the city. Even in some neighborhoods that some here tell people to stay away. Even sometimes at 2:00 am walking around. Nothing bad has ever happened to me. Maybe one day, but nothing yet. I have been here for almost 10 years already. Now when I used to live in Philadelphia, I got victimized like three times and many people I know have been victimized more often. Believe it or not NYC is overall very safe. People who lived here all their life need to go live in other cities like Philadelphia to see what I am talking about.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by neonwattagelimit

I think there is a big difference between going to an area and living in it. That's why you see people make comments like those. There are very, very few the city that I would not go (probably East New York or Brownsville or a few other particularly bad areas late at night), but there are plenty of places I would not live.

This is very true. I think the danger of "passing through" bad neighborhoods is often exagerated for urban areas across the U.S., but living in one can be another story. I can easily drive or walk down the street in Englewood (one of Chicago's worst neighborhoods) on a Tuesday afternoon without being hassled, but I don't think anyone believes this is a safe neighborhood. And passing through once verses living there 24/7 are very different things. Your risk is increased if you develop a daily pattern walking from the train to your front door and have to dig for your keys every day after dark. Or if you need to run errands after work. And when you live somewhere you have no choice but to sometimes be in less public parts of the neighborhood or to be out after dark.

[goldengrain]

I have gotten off in Manhattan during the day in wrong subway stops underground and have found myself almost alone in a car, during daylight, with a person who gave me the creeps. On several occasions I really felt I was being sized up for an attack. There are people here who are so drugged out that their thought processed appear to be far removed from the value system that most of us share. They are preditors and everyone is game.

I honestly think that if it were not for cameras scattered around the city I might not be here today. The crooks know where these things are and don't act in those areas.

I cannot forget looking into eyes from which something leered back that had no semblance to a human being.

My husband, just recently, had a mugging attempt in Union Sq Park at dusk. He popped the guy, who was armed with a knife, and knocked out a tooth. The police caught the guy.

There are real disgusting elements in the City and I think most of them are tied into drugs. I wish they would legalized, take the profit out, and maybe then addicts would be less prone to be criminals and have a better chance of turning their lives around.

[Dynamowolf]

I wouldn't say a complete exaggeration, because some rather unpleasant things can happen if you don't have your wits about you, but for the most part, very exaggerated.

I just want to put a few words in for Brownsville, because I see zero representation for it on the forum. As a twenty-something Sociology major who was born and raised in Brownsville and visits family in the brick city literally every week, I can say without question that it's nowhere near as bad as this forum makes it out to be now.

Two decades ago, "Stay out of Brownsville" would be correct. One decade ago, that would be pretty accurate. Since that time however, the place has changed in ways you can't throw numbers at. The attitude of the community these past couple of years from young to old has been "enough is enough". From the projects to the brownstones, people are more concerned with getting the community together than maintaining a destructive reputation.

In recent years, there's much more local investment in the neighborhood, far more than I've ever seen before. A large number local businesses and community gardens are popping up (and staying up), and most importantly, there's not nearly as many kids on the street as it used to be (the primary cause of the horror stories associated with the Ville). But along with this progress, comes the construction of many new residencies, under the guise of "affordable housing"...y'know, the kind "undesirables" can never afford. Unsurprisingly, that's met with nothing but disgust.

A big part of that, is because no one wants to see the neighborhood become one with the Borg (a.k.a. gentrification) like neighboring Bed-Stuy, or Bushwick-in-progress. Despite popular belief, Brownsville is conscious of everything that's going on in this city, and like many of the poor and working class in NYC, they too believe it's the worst thing that could possibly happen. That's right: Locals see it as a wave of destruction, not liberation.

The community knows it stands a chance because of it's architecture - it's a little harder to convince newcomers to move into projects, let alone a neighborhood made of them. But no one's dumb. If anyone knows money can change anything, it's lower-income families, whom quite a number of newcomers (and some affluent, long-time residents) in NYC seem know very little about aside from fairy tales.

Now, I won't lie to anyone and say that you can walk the streets of the Ville at 2AM completely safe and sound. Neither, can you roll up on a high horse and expect not to get brought back down to Earth by some very vocal locals, but compared to back when, that's probably the worst that can happen (unless you really tick someone off, of course).

Much like a Spike Lee movie, these days, social consciousness is on the rise in the Ville. There's less people looking to cause trouble, and a growing number of concerned people bracing for it, because of the reckless sense of entitlement that's threatening to destroy communities across north and east Brooklyn.

Bottom line is, places like the Ville, ENY, etc. have been dangerous because the mentality has been dangerous. Once that shifts, so does the danger. It's a social problem, not a problem you throw money at - especially, if it's supposed to be for "your own good", which quite frankly no one living in poverty takes kindly to. The truth is, when you've got little, that little is your everything, and to go to work one day just to come home to nothing, is truly frightening.

So while I do agree with the OP that the danger is without a doubt exaggerated these days, I wouldn't totally let my guard down. It can still get very hostile, but 9 times out of 10, the reasons will be justified. People on this end of Brooklyn are pushed against a wall by a little more than the usual societal ills this time, and with all the above plus other impending problems like Student MetroCard cuts, it wouldn't surprise me if someone flips out because they're having a really bad day.

[wakeuppeople]

From LookOut Kid: "Your risk is increased if you develop a daily pattern walking from the train to your front door and have to dig for your keys every day after dark." I live in the Bronx and right after I pay for my groceries I take my keys out and have them in my hand so I don't have to go digging for them. Muggers see this digging for keys and take advantage of this. I also look behind me and at the door to the front of my building and make sure all is clear. One time I saw someone I did not know standing in front of the building. He looked like he was waiting to be buzzed in and he was. But I stood back and let him go first because you never know. People I know, then that's ok and I proceed. These are what is called street smarts. It's not perfect, but I do what I can being a petite woman and all to try to protect me and my kids. I try not to take the bus at a dark bus stop with no lights. Even if it means it takes extra time for me to get home. I will take the train to a more lighted bus stop that is safer. When I walk down the street I don't make eye-contact with the people I'm walking with (like my kids or an adult). We could be talking, but I would be noticing my surroundings and looking all around. I look behind me, in front, to the sides, etc. Street smarts.

GoldenGrain said: "I have gotten off in Manhattan during the day in wrong subway stops underground and have found myself almost alone in a car, during daylight, with a person who gave me the creeps. On several occasions I really felt I was being sized up for an attack." In the subway try to get in the conductor's car. It is usually more crowded and safer because you can ask the conductor for help if something happens. If you find you're next to creeps, don't be afraid to get up and switch subway cars. I've had my incidents on the trains as well. Sometimes people for no reason will start with you. I'm sorry to read about your husband, but glad he popped him. You have to not act afraid and look people in their faces and then look away. That says "I know you're there, but I can't be bothered." I look gang members in their faces so they know I see them and I don't act scared. I even look behind me. I find that the most problems I've had is with high school kids. They will start and show off. I'm not a "homegirl" by any means. I grew up in posh Bensonhurst and was a nerd and never did drugs or cut school, etc. I always did my homework. I was one of the smartest kids in my grade. I put these smarts to good use and use them in the Bronx where I now live. I was always picked on as a child. Not anymore. [mod]Language[/mod] Take the train that one extra stop and walk a little farther if it means your safety. If you can't do that because of physical disabilities, then I apologize. Just trying to help out here.

Regards everyone.

[W33ZER]

i took the subways and walked around jackson heights at 3 in the morning in full drag... dont know if that means anything.

did the same exact thing on the lower east side of manhattan and got spit on by a dude... funny isnt it?

[thelazyone]

Is this thread a joke? Try walking through Marcy Ave projects, or the Wyckoff/Gowanus projects to get to your Mod cut apt late @ night. Let me know if you don't feel like the dude in 28 weeks later walking through the abandoned streets of London in broad day light.