Assaulted on the Model Block

flo

Re: Statistics showing black on black crime being far more prevalant..

I had an interesting professor--Meda Chesney-Lind in a class on criminology and women (I think she was a pioneer in the field) and she talked about women's perception of crime as opposed to the actual statistics. She brought up some interesting points, which made me think about the black on black statistic mentioned above.

1. She asked the question "Does women's perceived fear effect their behavior, which in turn actually skews the statistics?" (You could ask yourself, do women stay off the street at night because they perceive it to be dangerous, therefore protecting themselves..or do young black men think they are safer on the streets than they in fact are? Do people stay out of neighborhoods or away from places because they perceive them to be dangerous?)

Why do you think crime is mostly minority on minority? Do you think it relates to some kind of bias or would your guess be it has more to do that quintessential NY phrase....location, location, location. (Obviously it's not quite that simple, but it's a piece of the puzzle.) Proximity does play a role.

Maybe it isn't as exciting as the good old days and the stats are looking up and that is certainly a good thing for all the people who live in the neighborhood. But it wasn't that long ago that there were special NYPD communications unit parked on Franklin Ave. And the unit wasn't there because this is a model block in the neighborhood, whichever one the realtors are calling it these days.

flo

And I apologize for the sloppiness and spelling errors in my last post. Must get something to eat...and remember to read what I've written before sending.

anonymous

Yes, beware of the hype! The realtors will speak to "sell" an attitude or if one is a homebuyer, they will share the family thing. As stated earlier, although I am from Pennsylvania German country, I have lived in Prospect Heights almost half of my life and have seen it go through transitions, and I lived in the city for 7 years (Northern Manhattan, Chelsea, West Village, East Village). I encourage everyone to not only look for (of course, the rent is very importatnt) whether they want to be a part of a neighborhood, look for grocery stores, hang outs, laundrymats, transportation, etc. This is a unique neighborhood BUT we have crime and crime uniqui to our neighborhood because there are quite a few schools, children, teens, families, etc. People live here, not just work here. Guess I am preachy but when I first moved here I was never here, I was partying and working in Manhattan. I was mugged here years ago but I was also robbed in Manhattan. There is a second sense about looking around. God, sorry about this. I am ruminating because I am moving (same building) to an apartment after being a super for quite a few years. This is a wonderful forum. Thank you.

filmlover44

Well, I'm no professor but I'd suggest that it's location, location, location. Poor people tend to live in the same neighborhoods and are not only more likely to be criminals but the easy prey of same. When people perceived to be wealthier move in to the neighborhood, they are better prey.

I think that crime goes down because eventually the poorer people are pushed out of the neighborhood. The south slope is a prime example. It is still largely hispanic, but now a working to middle class neighborhood. The drug dealers are gone and the crime rate is relatively low.

Eventually/Soon enough - the working class/middle class will start going (many of my neighbors are selling and moving) and it will be more like Park Slope proper. At that point, I suspect that the crime rate will go back up a bit but nowhere near to the levels that it was at when the neighborhood was mostly poor.

jewels_burns

Barring vigilantism, why not form a neighborhood patrol. We can arm ourselves with a camera, take pictures, and alert the police to incidents that they are not aware of. We could carry flashlights like Surefire

http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/co_disp/displ/pgrfnbr/16/sesent/00

as a defense. These flashlights can blind an assailant in darkness.

We could drive around in vehicles marked as civilian security patrol cars. A magnetic strip enclosed in plastic would not mar a vehicle's finish.

We can help provide security for our neighbors in our changing environment.

anonymous

Why would you call Prospect Place and Vanderbilt a "model" block. It is a city street in Brooklyn and whenever one reads "up and coming" etc., it really means it had crime trouble and there is less. I love my neighborhood and it is NOT Soho, etc. This is Brooklyn!

emily

Because there is a sign on the block that says exactly that. I believe that it was an award of some type for, I don't know, neighborhood organization or good landscaping or something, that it won in the '90s. I believe the NYPD organizes the program.