The Bed-Stuy Safety Question. Again
I write to request insights and advice from the Bedford Stuyvesant residents. My husband, baby, and I started visiting open houses in the area last weekend (on Hancock between Tompkins and Malcolm X and Bainbridge near Stuyvesant) and we fell in love with the neighborhood. The homes are gorgeous, the people are nice, we felt…
I write to request insights and advice from the Bedford Stuyvesant residents. My husband, baby, and I started visiting open houses in the area last weekend (on Hancock between Tompkins and Malcolm X and Bainbridge near Stuyvesant) and we fell in love with the neighborhood. The homes are gorgeous, the people are nice, we felt good. Well, most of the people are nice. We stopped to ask one resident what they like about the area and were told that we absolutely cannot live there, that there are shootings every day, and that we could not let our baby play in the backyard because he would probably get shot. While I believe that this person was a little loopy, this was unnerving, to say the least.
I understand that Bedford Stuyvesant may not be Bedford Falls – and think that’s good. But how worried do I need to be about my family’s safety if we move in? My husband works late hours sometimes, and I now worry about him driving home at 11PM. And I worry about my little man, too.
Your thoughts on this subject are greatly appreciated. I have read many prior posts on this issue, but would really like to hear from you. Thanks so much.
Yes, people get mugged all over, and at all times.
Random or targeted isn’t the point– a bullet knows no person. It just travels and, well, it stops when it stops.
Things do happen, and I don’t believe that it is a bad thing to be a bit of a prospector– usually it’s the civil servants/teachers/NYPD-NYFD/artists etc that change neighborhoods.
Look at the schools. Speak to the police.
You have (a) child/ren.
You will know what to do, and will live with your decision.
Enjoy your new home, where ever it is!
I greatly appreciate all of your thoughtful responses. This question has been asked so many times that I honestly didn’t expect to hear from anyone.
I don’t know what we will do. My husband is going to drive around a little on his way home later this week, to see how he feels about the neighborhood at night. My gut feeling is that this would be a good decision for us, but my brain is not quite there.
Thing is, I have friends on some of the most picturesque blocks in the Slope and people get mugged there in broad daylight. Regularly. Granted, I have not heard of many shootings there.
Thanks again for all of your help. We have a lot of food for thought.
We recently moved to Stuyvesant Heights and now have a beautiful townhouse with mortgage payments close to the same as our rent was in Carroll Gardens. We have looked at this neighborhood for some time and decided now was the time to act before these amazing homes will be out of our reach. Safety may be a concern late at night, but otherwise we feel safe here and we are sure that it will only improve over time. if you have any questions feel free to write laudrup11 at me.com
blou, maybe you should stick to more “comfortable” areas like park slope, Carroll gardens etc. I’m sure there is a 700sf coop or two that suits your budget. God forbid you get trapped at a Bed-Stuy summer block party with all that “menacing” bass heavy music…
I just purchased a building in Stuyvesant Heights (Jefferson Ave and Throop), and I find the area just as safe (or unsafe) as Crown Heights – where I grew up all my life. Many people are moving to the area, and it is only getting better. Yes, you hear shootings from time to time…but like someone said in a recent post, it’s not random. Not sure if that’s any consolation 🙂 Stuy Heights is definitely beautiful, and I have lots of investor friends in real estate who are buying up the area!
I would not pay $800K for a house and have to be worried about getting mugged or shot on the way home. Yes, the houses are beautiful, but if the schools stink, and you are constantly worried, why would you spend that amount of money and move into that area? I think the person you spoke to is being truthful.
As some others have said, if you are looking for a brownstone in relatively good condition and for less than $800k, Stuyvesant Heights probably offers the best value at this time. You can find cheaper houses in other parts of Brooklyn and in Queens, but they won’t be brownstones (if that’s what you like) and the commute will not be as good. I have lived close to the Utica A stop between Lewis and Stuyvesant, and all the blocks around here are very quiet and feel safe. But of course my definition of safe may be different from yours, so you should spend more time in the area, and the suggestion of renting for a year is very good. But I can tell you that the vast majority of the people in my area care very much about the neighborhood and won’t tolerate noise and criminal behavior, and that’s probably the main reason the quality of life is good around here. As anywhere in the city, it’s very block by block. For example Chauncey near Malcolm X has a bad reputation and more crime, apparently related to the small projects located there, but the problems don’t seem to spill very far from that building.
Bed Stuy is definitely block by block. Like others have said, spend some time in the area, check out your walk from the train to the house late at night to see what it’s like. I live closer to Bushwick and the J train and have no issues taking the train home up to about midnight (after that is shows up so randomly its not worth the wait). My walk home is past the cop shop and fire station and things are usually really quiet. There have definitely been some incidents nearby in the last few years but it doesn’t feel outrageous–crappy violent things happen in the big city. The best news is that–knock on wood–cars almost never get broken into. Weird but great.
The biggest issues are amenities (stuy heights is getting better but nothing much east of Stuyvesant), and schools.
Good luck.
We were in very much the same boat you describe, and comparing what is available in that price range, I don’t think you can beat the location. Would be happy to meet up for a frank chat at some point if that would be helpful to you. you can email me at jellystew at gmail if you like.