Post: High Crime Near High Priced Housing in Bed Stuy, Bushwick
We debated whether to ignore or call out The Post’s story on crime in Bed Stuy and Bushwick, which reads like something written by an Internet troll circa 2008. It even has the requisite gentrifier who says “More people like me are moving in and changing the neighborhood. So that’s comforting.” Newsflash: Violent crime is less than half…
We debated whether to ignore or call out The Post’s story on crime in Bed Stuy and Bushwick, which reads like something written by an Internet troll circa 2008. It even has the requisite gentrifier who says “More people like me are moving in and changing the neighborhood. So that’s comforting.” Newsflash: Violent crime is less than half what it was in the early ’90s, thanks to the efforts of people who have been living here all along, including community boards and Neighborhood Watch groups.
Bed Stuy does have a problem with young black men shooting each other, and it’s horrifying and needs to stop — as people in the community recognize all too well. That’s entirely different from saying white gentrifiers will be preyed on by black bogeymen, which is the implication of the story — but not supported by facts.
“There has also been an uptick in burglaries and muggings targeting the gentrifiers who move in,” said the story, but it did not give any evidence to support that. Crime is down across the board. In the 81st Precinct, for example, which covers part of Bed Stuy, violent crime to date this year is down in every category, including burglary and felonious assault, except rape.
We hope violent crime will continue to decrease, including rape, for the sake of everyone who lives here, not just the newcomers.
MM, how do you get proper line spacing after paragraphs?
Sorry Sandcastle that’s a load of BS you’re trying to shove and you know it. Please give me a break. Guys like you I can spot a mile away. It’s almost comical. Lol! ☺
I’ve been on this blog for ten years and its always the same load of fear mongering crap spewed by hopeful buyers priced out of an exceedingly hot real estate market. We’ve heard it all on this site before: Fort Greene Park is a rape trap, Murder Ave (Myrtle) is a gang and drug dealing strip, Fulton St is a cesspool, don’t walk on Franklin Ave after dark, stay away from Putnam, the A, C and G trains are unsafe, etc. Yada..yada..yada.. yada….gag me with a spoon.
If you’re looking to buy near Saratoga Park (“cheapest part of Bed-Stuy”) then you’re obviously looking for a great relatively value deal and know that the neighborhood has tremendous upside. However, you’re probably priced out of Bedford Corners and Stuy Heights as well as most nabes in Brownstone Brooklyn and I definitely sense your frustration and sincerely empathize with your struggles in purchasing a home in this market. I get it.
However, please don’t cast aspersions on the fine people of those communities for the sake of stoking fear; trust me when I say that your little post will have absolutely zero affect on property values. Mine too. The free market dictates proper value, not bloggers.
In addition, many folks on this site have either friends or family who live in BS, have gone on walking tours in BS or have visited the neighborhood on multiple occasions and I guarantee you that your assessment of Bed-Stuy is downright laughable. No one is buying that crap.
BTW – I’m not a broker. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, presently live in Stuy Heights but own investment properties in BS, FG, CH and CrH. I’m extremely happy with where I live and my real estate investments. However, I have no vested interest on where you decide to live.
If you feel unsafe in Bed-Stuy then I would encourage you and your family to look elsewhere. But I’m not sure where you are going to find a brownstone for under $1mm anywhere in Brooklyn. You should look at Windsor Terrace, Kensington, South Slope and Sunset Park as these are the most “affordable” nabes west of Flatbush. However, they are far from cheap. You’ll pay far more than BS but you will feel far safer too. Decent trade-off if you ask me.
Lastly, in Stuy Heights I have neighbors of all races and ethnicities and no one to my knowledge has ever been robbed or had their homes or cars burglarized. And I’ve been living in the heart of Stuy Heights for almost ten years. The neighborhood you describe above is foreign to me, my neighbors and I’m sure to most on this site. The one glaring drawback is education but most of my friends in my social circle send their kids to private school. On my block alone, we have kids attending Poly Prep, Packer, St. Anne, Trinity, Dalton and Spence. Most of these kids attended nursery school at Stuy Height Montessori which is located on — wait for it — wait for it — wait for it — Howard Ave. How funny is that? 😉
I don’t doubt that you’re telling the truth about your conversation with the police officer. All I ask is for you (and others) to do your own research and be reasonable about these things. Seriously, if you are to accept what the officer told you, do you honestly believe that the issue of unpublished crime would be unique to Bed Stuy as opposed to any other neighborhood in the city?? Just a question to ask yourself.
Warning people not to have a false sense of security?? That’s true for ALL parts of this City, from Times Square to the Upper East Side to Bed Stuy, all of which are similar theft crime incident rates. Yet, I doubt you and others would have the same reservations about moving to the UES. Now, I readily admit that all of Bed Stuy isn’t the same, and that crime is worse in certain parts of Bed Stuy vs. other parts. But one can make that very legitimate point without condemning the entire neighborhood as this Post piece does, and as many commentators often do.
And I spend time on Marcus Garvey BLVD. I have no problem walking down the vast majority of that stretch of street, and wonder what your issue is with it. But I find such hysteria especially troubling coming from outsiders, particularly when they have knowledge of police officers heavily patrolling that neighborhood as a crime deterrent and when they don’t present evidence to show that they are going to be at any actual/serious risk of being harmed in Bed Stuy. It would be one thing if gentrifiers were being shot up and shot at in Bed Stuy, and had to dodge bullets on their way home every day. But that IS NOT happening. I lived in Bed Stuy when it was a true problem neighborhood (and this was neighborhood-wide). Trust me when I say that Bed Stuy is not “dangerous” to the average person, certainly not as a general matter.
By the way, those cops likely couldn’t live in Bed Stuy today even if they wanted to as they likely couldn’t afford it. This isn’t so much a slight against the police officers, but more of a testament to how far Bed Stuy has come.
Thank you! Those concerns are overblown. As you mentioned, “gentrifiers” aren’t being shot, and nor are the overwhelming majority (99.99%) of the long-time residents. Rather, as I’ve mentioned above, the shootings that are occurring happen between and among gangbangers and largely in certain areas (i.e. close to projects). You’re also correct about the theft crime averages. Theft is no more of a problem in Bed Stuy as it is in the UES, yet I doubt people would express similar concerns about moving there!
Nice!! Got it! ☺
As someone who has been renting in the neighborhood only since 2012, with no long-term investment(s) in Bed-Stuy beyond my one-year lease, and with little to gain from pretending my neighborhood is safer than it really is (unless I just want my rent to skyrocket…), I can tell you with certainty that what you learned from these police officers is false, especially that “it is common at night to get jumped coming out of the subway then dragged to a vacant building and robbed, beaten and /or raped.” No, that’s not the neighborhood I live in.
Well let’s see. I’ve always purchased properties in high crime areas densely populated by minorities. Perhaps I’m just a glutton for punishment. Lol!
My saftey was definitely at risk when I bought my first brownstone on Adelphi St in FG for $400k in 1997. My safety was also at risk when I purchased a second building in Clinton Hill for $700k in 2001 and most definitely at risk when I purchased a third building in Bed-Stuy for $900k in 2005. I can go on and on. I simply look at crime and demographics as providing an arbitrage opportunity in comparable historic districts with the expectation of price convergence in later years.
I can’t be paralyzed by fear of the unknown because there are no guarantees in real estate investment. You simply have to know your targeted market extremely well, follow your instincts and go with the trend. You can either follow that trend east of Flatbush or continue to rent and sit on your hands while the market trades away from you. That’s your choice. I’m just happy that I didn’t listen to the naysayers or cops on the beat when I was looking to purchase properties 10 years ago. I might still be renting today.
Sorry dude. Not a broker.
If this doesn’t say broker babble, I don’t know what does:
“The factors that attract buyers to these neighborhoods are varied and wide in scope. Notwithstanding the incredible architecture, what about the ease of public transportation, extra wide streets, avenues and boulevards and/or ample public street parking?”
countless run down properties that has not been maintained for years mixed in with ugly 70s new construction, the c trains that never come, extra wide streets that are constantly being ripped open for pipe construction due to lack of capacity. Welcome home to Bed Stuy.
who is buying the block, the neighborhood, the area? Dixon, “developers” that develop nothing but their wealth, “investors”, etc and then almost immediately upon closing they are selling the properties via the Corcorans, etc. to naive outsiders for double. Oh, sure, there might be the “reno” phase where the slap on drywall to cover up the termites and other problems, add a nice home depot kitchen with a lovely granite counter, etc. and then sell, but basically the majority of sales in Bed Stuy and Crown Heights are now quick flips. Sad state we are all in. PEOPLE – check what the property was bought for just a few months ago (sales records are easily accessible on Streeteasy, Trulia and often on less reliable Zillow) and REFUSE to be ripped off. It is so easy to check what those developers paid and let them know you know and don’t want to be taken. This practice has got to stop! This trend is definitely not my friend.