A cop watches commuters exiting the Morgan L station on Bogart Street. Due to increased muggings in the area the NYPD now keeps an officer at the subway stop 24 hours a day.
photo by Diego Cupolo
Wall Street’s sinking and crime’s rising in New York City.
The murder rate jumped about 77 percent with 46 homicides this September, compared to last September’s 26, according to NYPD figures. Shooting crimes also rose last month, with the number of victims up 11 percent and the number of incidents up 10 percent.
So how much of this is happening in Bushwick?
The 83rd Precinct on Knickerbocker Avenue reports weekly Bushwick crime figures on CompStat. The statistics are posted every Monday, and though they do not list the location of the incidents, they provide a raw count of murders, rapes, robberies, felony assaults, burglaries, grand larcenies (the theft of more than $1000) and grand larcenies for automobiles (G.L.A.).
A valuable function of NYPD’s CompStat system is its ability to match up current trends with crime figures from 2006, 1998 and beyond. In Bushwick, crime in general has been on a downward trend since the early 1990s, but a closer look at the 2008 numbers will reveal the number of rape, robbery, grand larceny and G.L.A. incidents have increased in comparison to last year.
Rape rose 20 percent to 24 incidents through Sept 21., compared to 20 through the same date in September 2007. Also, G.L.A is up 35 percent this year compared to 2007, but down 76 percent when compared to statistics from 1993.
Another crime resource is EveryBlock New York City which, unlike CompStat, keeps weekly figures from the past available for the public . Though the site has only kept records since last October, it can serve as way to notice seasonal trends – like the spike in robberies last July.
To answer the original question about whether the rising murder rate is affecting Bushwick: there have been 8 murders in Bushwick this year, compared 9 through the same time period in 2007, so no (or at least not yet). It’s also worth mentioning the New York City murder rate hit an all-time low in 2007, so don’t get too paranoid if 2008 is only the second least-deadly year in the city.
Dresden October 2nd, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I seriously wish I could exercise my 2nd Ammendment rights without fearing incarceration.
John Derezewski October 2nd, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Diego, congratulations for addressing this issue before I could have updated my April post on this subject, which originally appeared in the Forum.
At that time, I discussed what, according to
CompStat, amounted to a 10.22% increase in crime in Bushwick(83rd Precinct) relative to the previous year’s. In spelling this out, I noted that ALL of this increase occurred during the previous 28 days and speculated that this could either be a computer blip or a harbinger of bad things to come.
Six months after this post, the data clearly indicates that this was a computer blip and that Bushwick’s crime problem has not worsened. Specifically, as of September 21, all 2008 crimes only exceed the year-to-date 2007 totals by 2.45%. This means that, during the interim, overall crime has actually decreased relative to 2007. In fact, the only non serious crime category demonstrating a huge incident increase in 2008 – 34.6% – was Grand Larceny Auto, which only confirms my previous conjecture that Bushwickites now own cars that people want to rob.
Turning to serious crimes, Diego is definately right that rapes are a problem in Bushwick. The 20 to 24 incident increase over the last year is not only tragic but builds upon an upsurge that began in 2007. This is a crime category that NYPD really needs to address and upon which the community must demand accountability. (The fact that rape incidents are even higher in Ocean Hill – Brownsville and East New York should not obscure the serious extent of the problem in Bushwick.)
Turning to murder, Bushwick’s 11% (9 to 8) reduction mirrors similar decreases that continue to occur in Brooklyn North, which has actually experienced a nearly 19% (82 to 101) decline. The City-wide 9.5% (377 to 344) increase is obviously happening elsewhere.
One problem area that definitely needs attention is the 90th Precinct, which takes in most of Williamsburg – including Morgantown. While the crime rate did decrease from +17% in April to +13% today, it is still very troublesome – and remains the worst in Brooklyn North. The major players here are Grand Larceny (+24%) and Felonious Assault (+22%). (Interestingly, the incidents of murder (3) and rape (6) fall far below Bushwick’s.)
Since Morgantown constitutes only a small part of the 90th, it is impossible to tell how much of the upsurge in crime occurred here. (My impression – butressed by some news articles and anecdotal accounts – is that the Southside has experienced the bulk of the increase, but this is just a guess.) Those interested in learning more on this could raise their concerns at the Precinct council.
So Diego, thanks for providing me with the opportunity to return to this subject.
John Derezewski October 2nd, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Don’t know how the “Smiling Face” intruded in my report of Bushwick’s declining murder rate. I can assure you there is no Freudian explanation. Anyhow, I meant to say that the numbers went down from 9 to 8.
Dresden October 2nd, 2008 at 11:57 pm
I want to be able to legally have a firearm in my home, as is my constitutional right.
Can anyone please explain why this retarded town won’t let me?
k2 October 6th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Because you’re not in a well regulated militia.
Jeremy Sapienza October 7th, 2008 at 12:19 am
No, because NY is inhabited by and run by people who don’t understand the concept of unintended consequences and who don’t give a shit about the reasonable exercise of individual rights.
Dresden October 7th, 2008 at 6:48 am
Actually, I think I’m allowed to have a rifle or a shotgun more easily than a handgun.
Anyway, the second ammendment isn’t very far down the list… it’s right next to the first ammendment -
and admittedly, the “right to bear arms” shouldn’t mean a private citizen can own a fucking nuclear device, but come on – I grew up with guns. I’m comfortable around them and responsible with them.
Why do I need to keep a storage shed upstate for when I want to go hunting? It’s wee-wee-tarded.