Eh, I've lived here since 98, the biggest thing I've seen is the rise in shoplifting, that's definitely a dynamic that's different than it was in previous years, and that is no doubt driven by the ability to sell these goods easily on facebook and other places (it wasn't worth your time to shoplift hairbrushes because where would you sell them and for how much, but there's a guy who steals hairbrushes from my local DR every day that there isn't a cop car parked outside).
But in terms of actual violent crime, its going back down and is nowhere near what it was like even back in 2000 in the same neighborhood I live in now. In terms of budget, the NYPDs spending dropped in 2021 by $500m, and in 2022 was only down $100m from 2020, so it's bouncing back. There's only ~1500 officers fewer than target, which means there's still 33500 police officers. The NYPD's budget is still over $5b, which is more than the entire military budget of Peru, New Zealand, Romania, and Finland (plus a bunch of other countries).
> violent crime, its going back down and is nowhere near what it was like even back in 2000 in the same neighborhood I live in now
Curious though if you actually lived in that neighborhood your whole 25? years in NYC?
I think personally my experience is that while city-wide crime might be similar to when I moved here nearly 20 years ago, I do not live in the same area. For example I had 2 mentors that started a decade before me. The "up and coming" areas they lived in their 20s were BK Heights & East Village (not alphabet city). The equivalent "up and coming" 20 something who I mentor is probably in Bushwick.
Bushwick 2023 is certainly grittier than Brooklyn Heights was in 2000.
Not exactly, but almost. Five years in and around midtown east, then 7 years in astoria, now 13 years in midtown east. Not the same apartment, obviously, but same enough that I pass by the same places that I was passing by back in 1998.
In my experience, the places that were sketchy back then in Manhattan are still sketchy today, but the radius of sketch is much smaller and the demarcation line much brighter.
To use your examples, I agree that bushwick today is grittier than BH in 2000, but my impression is that it compares similarly to, say, avenue C in 2000, where there were hipster bars and restaurants popping up, but it was still considered less safe than the area around washington square park. I don't live in bushwick, though, so I'm sure its an imperfect comparison.
> The NYPD's budget is still over $5b, which is more than the entire military budget of Peru, New Zealand, Romania, and Finland (plus a bunch of other countries).
Thanks. Now I have an irresistible urge to MacGyver some crazy geopolitical circumstances where the NYPD invades Finland. That will be my life's work.
But in terms of actual violent crime, its going back down and is nowhere near what it was like even back in 2000 in the same neighborhood I live in now. In terms of budget, the NYPDs spending dropped in 2021 by $500m, and in 2022 was only down $100m from 2020, so it's bouncing back. There's only ~1500 officers fewer than target, which means there's still 33500 police officers. The NYPD's budget is still over $5b, which is more than the entire military budget of Peru, New Zealand, Romania, and Finland (plus a bunch of other countries).