Bushwick Projects and Environs Safe?
Over on Brooklynian, a concerned mother worries that her attractive daughter is planning to move to a new apartment across the street from the Bushwick projects. The feedback from the peanut gallery is pretty unanimous: She’s got good reason to worry. “Simply put,” responds one board member, “This is a dangerous area and probably a…
Over on Brooklynian, a concerned mother worries that her attractive daughter is planning to move to a new apartment across the street from the Bushwick projects. The feedback from the peanut gallery is pretty unanimous: She’s got good reason to worry. “Simply put,” responds one board member, “This is a dangerous area and probably a bad place to live if your daughter is not extremely street savvy, large, or armed.” The sentiment is confirmed by another commenter: “Lived near there for three years. Nothing ever happened to me but my girlfriend was the victim of an attempted “push in” robbery or perhaps rape.” Yikes. Should mom bail out her daughter?
No, she shouldn’t let her daughter live there. No way no way no way.
I got my nose smashed in next to the projects. And if it were my child, I would pony up the extra money for an apartment in a better neighborhood.
Anyone who says the mother shouldn’t interfere doesn’t have a child of their own.
Why wasn’t my earlier comment approved? It was innocuous and on topic…
I gotta say that I’m all for this mother butting out, but I too was surprised at the uniformity of the negative, yet calm, responses in the Brooklynian thread. That would say something to me, because normally, the people on that site are all about telling other people to stop worrying about neighborhoods that would give me pause.
Perhaps there’s something that we don’t know about her daughter (like she wants better access to support her drug habit, or something like that). Anyway, she’s 25. Either something will happen that’ll scare the stuffin’ out of her (and hopefully no more than that), or she’ll wise up in a couple of years and move elsewhere.
Chosen
My husband’s aunt and 2 cousins live in the FT Green projects and I never said they want to live there forever – all I said is they are a good family who really mind their own business and don’t want any trouble. There are many families like that – however it’s the knuckleheads that as you said might be hanging in the stairwell smoking and chillin who might say something to you to start something
but I highly doubt the girl we are all talking about would find herself actually going into an apartment in the Bushwick houses
While I’m only half way through reading this book, I highly highly recommend:
Gang Leader for a Day – Sudhar Venkatesh
An interesting look at the most notorious Projects in Chicago and gang life.
ENY, I agree – QOTD!
Brilliant!
Rob, that I used to wear Tahari suits? And it was the only time in my life I’ve ever been scared of “the pj’s.”
And maybe a little some of the alienation we all feel about whatever “others” there are goes both ways… and is just as pointless in either direction. Projects are just full of people. And being poor isn’t contagious.
What, perhaps I should put giant arrows and sarcasm alerts around sarcasm. I would have thought you’d be smart enough to detect it. OF COURSE I DON’T FEEL THAT WAY.
IT’S CALLED SARCASM.
The Albany Houses are in Crown Heights not Bushwick and the Bushwick projects are one of the least dangerous in Brooklyn. Violence in all of the projects which are divided into PSA’s by the NYPD has gone down drastically. Even with the economic downturn, crime has not increased in them due to recent policies that evict any family that houses a convicted felon and Police patrols that sometimes border on harassment.
Some of the most dangerous or high crime projects were and are in areas where Brownstones sell for a million dollars. Everyone, Black, White, ugly or pretty must keep their wits about them and beware of their surroundings where ever they travel in the city.
“there are actually really good families(mine)for instance who live there and really don’t want any trouble – but for every family like that – you also have folks who live there and who just hang out there that really are looking for trouble” So not true in my experience. Most people living in the projects are working poor and would live elsewhere if they could. The number of good people far outnumber the trouble makers. The projects in Fort Greene were by far the worst in Brooklyn, I know, I grew up there. For my family moving to the projects in Bushwick was like moving to the suburbs.
You can’t walk around looking scared or overly friendly. A simple quick nod of the head when walking by a group hanging on the corner or in the lobby, a friendly smile to the elderly, small talk but not being nosy with your immediate neighbors will go along way. Her mother as all mothers should always be concerned but if her daughter is at least a little street smart, she will be okay.