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Gentrification Causing More Crime In Brooklyn?
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Jan 10, 2011
Modified Jan 10, 2011
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By
Jaya Saxena
Published Jan 10, 2011
Modified Jan 10, 2011
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If you moved to Brooklyn because you were looking forward to living the "gritty" life you were promised on the TV (but not to actual gritty Brooklyn because, ew, poor people), congratulations! You may be responsible for more economic crime, and consequently that street cred you're dying to brag about. NYPD stats show that many northern Brooklyn neighborhoods that have been known for gentrification pushes in the past few years have been hit with more economic crimes like muggings and break-ins. One Greenwood Heights resident said, "The police told us [the robbers] come down from other parts of Sunset Park and look for places that look richer."
Clinton Hill and Fort Greene saw 12% surges in crime last year, especially in grand larcenies. One longtime resident said, "It's scary ... There are some younger people and affluent people living here, but there's a lot of people who have lived here longer and some of them don't have as much." Not that it's just northern Brooklyn that's seeing the spike; East New York and Brownsville were rated the city's most dangerous neighborhoods last year, with spikes in murders.
City Council Member Letitia James (Fort Greene) suspects that the economy has a lot to do with robbers targeting richer neighborhoods. "They're living side by side. You add a downturn in our economy... and it's something we need to stop." Of course it's not like everyone in Williamsburg is living in a fancy condo; their parents stopped sending them money years ago. They'd be better off spending the money on the subway to track down whoever bought this parking spot.
Tagged
brooklyn
crime
gentrification
northern brooklyn
nypd
Jaya Saxena
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