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?
I’m sorry, newsouthsloper, but I don’t find all of your statement to jibe with any of the projects I’ve either been in, or walked by, and covers quite a few projects in different boroughs and neighborhoods.
Granted, there are the knuckleheads who do carry on like that, but they are not everywhere, or a constant presence. I repeat something I’ve said enough to be able to cut and paste it. Most people in the projects are more concerned with making a living in this city, taking care of family, and going about their business, and looking out for their own safety. Most people could care less if you, me, or Miss World and her court go by their buildings.
If said knuckleheads who might be out there are in my path, I just keep going like I go by any group of people. Purse clutching, crossing the street, and obvious fear are what piss them off. A “hey, Momma” isn’t going to hurt me, and I just nod or give them a half smile. That usually satisfies them, they just want to be noticed. At this point in my life, it’s usually their fathers who say anything, anyway.
“The culture of this envirnment is unfortunately one of disrespect for women, aloofness to crime, chronic drug abuse, and glorification of the “Pimpish” lifestlye.”
Sounds like some Wall Streeters.
Posted by: East New York at March 26, 2009 11:58 AM
QOTD
“Sounds like some Wall Streeters.”
ENY, LOL! Thank you for that…cracked me up!
heather what was the point of that story?
*rob*
^^ The part of Myrtle that’s lined with projects, I mean, by the way.
Although actually, maybe some of those are the Clinton Hill Co-ops, unsure.
What doesn’t understand sarcasm.
When I was 25, which was longer ago than I care to admit — that is to say, the mid-nineties, I once accidentally got on the F-train instead of the D, which I was going to use to transfer to the M to get home. Or something like that. In any case, going over the Manhattan Bridge I realized my mistake, and got off at York and decided to walk to Williamsburg from there.
I knew the way in theoretical terms, but wasn’t sure how to go… and so I got totally lost.
Somehow I found myself on Myrtle Ave, for the first time ever. Nowadays, that doesn’t seem that scary, but at the time, especially because I didn’t know where I was, it was a little weird. I was also wearing a Tahari suit and carrying an expensive, leather bag. (It was during my assisting bond trader days.) Nonetheless, I shouldered on. It was daytime, during the week. There were tons of people all around.
A man started chasing me. And kept chasing me. I quickened my step, not quite running. “Miss! Miss!” he called. “Wait, Miss? Excuse me?”
My heart beat faster. Surely, in the middle of the day, nothing was going to happen, I reasoned. And wow, was I lost.
After half a block of this I turned to face him.
“Are you the caseworker?” he asked. “Because the office is –”
“Um, no,” I replied, relieved. “Hey, is Williamsburg this way?” I gestured onward.
He looked confused and shrugged and went away.
Eventually I found my apartment, which was on Bedford and South 3rd, also located, ironically, in what some would consider a slum.
“The culture of this envirnment is unfortunately one of disrespect for women, aloofness to crime, chronic drug abuse, and glorification of the “Pimpish” lifestlye.”
Sounds like some Wall Streeters.
It’s depressing that some people still think that rape is about sexual attraction rather than violence.
I also don’t see the point of this post unless it’s an attempt to stoke class warfare. Mothers will always be mothers, kids will always be kids, and families will work through these issues just as they always have. There is literally nothing to see here.
Mr. B, last week you said you’d follow up with some suggestions about commenting and elevating the level of dialogue on the site? Well, we’re all ears!