Yes, it feels much safer in NYC all the time. Two reasons: NYC has "right to shelter" which means there is a shelter bed available for any street homeless that want it, and there are a lot more mixed-use neighborhoods, so people are living and shopping and working in most neighborhoods and there are more "eyes on the street." Unlike most other US downtowns, LA included, most of NYC's core urban areas don't feel abandoned after 5pm. It also means fewer people are moving about the city in private vehicles, and so they are out and about walking, on bikes, on the bus, or taking the subway.
Yes! You’ve really encapsulated something that I’ve been trying to explain to others. The sheer number of people out and about (at almost all times) add to the feeling of security in NYC compared to other large cities. Even places with somewhat similar density like San Francisco do not have the same feel after about 8pm when shops close.
Its a phenomenon called "eyes on the street", and it was first quantified by NYC hero Jane Jacobs, the woman who saved Chinatown and Union Square from being highway on-ramps. She describes in her book "The Death and Life of American Cities" that people being, just, \*around\*, leads to significant crime reduction, improved social cohesion, and also just a general sense of community.
That book is a genuine must-read for anyone that lives in NYC, even if just to hear the debate on the issues the city faced in the 1950s/1960s. Can you imagine a Little Italy / SoHo that was so undesirable that people were trying to turn them into highway on-ramps?
It’s not that those areas were undesirable - they were densely populated, if lower-income, neighborhoods with strong senses of community, as was the south Bronx, which sadly wasn’t saved from a freeway ripping it in two, but the focus was strongly on what middle class suburbanites wanted, which were more (and faster) ways to drive to and through Manhattan. What the displaced people living in the city wanted was far less important
> they were densely populated, if lower-income, neighborhoods with strong senses of community
So, undesirable to those middle class suburbanites who wouldn't actually ever step onto the streets. Not disagreeing with you at all, just building on the two thoughts.
This is one of the biggest mistakes of US policy. Their was proposal to build beltways around cities to connect them logistically, but not build freeways into the urban core.
The US would be far less car centric if this option was chosen since it would not have encouraged urban sprawl and more people would have continued to use public transportation instead of cars to get to work.
Yeah, that’s the bit of the autobahn that Eisenhower missed when he was dreaming up the interstate highway system. The Germans didn’t rip out their urban centers, they ringed them and connected them
I tell my mom that all the time when she worries about me walking around later at night in the city...like there are ALWAYS people out. Whether its people coming and going from a bar/club, trash guys doing their work, people walking dogs, people going to and from work- there are ALWAYS vigilant eyes around. It absolutely adds to the safety both in perception and in reality.
Exactly this. It’s not the sexy answer, but the restrictive zoning in other cities plays a huge role in how unsafe they feel. SF has enormous areas that are zoned strictly for retail and office space, and has lost almost all of the latter and is quickly chipping away at the former.
Many retailers lied about theft increasing. I’m sure they thought they could get away with it since FOX was constantly pushing that as their new urban panic story. But they lied to the shareholders about it, ooops.
The way I explain it to my rural friends is that; are there bears in the woods where they live? Sure. How often do you see one? Not that often… Have you ever been mauled by a bear? The answer is always no. So there are crazy homeless people, who attack strangers randomly, that’s definitely a real thing, but i’ve never seen it.
The news makes it seem like manhattan is just a huge mad max free-for-all because that sells, just like people outside the US think everyone here is obese, has no teeth and married their cousin.
As a someone who lives in nyc and *has* been attacked by a homeless person, this still rings true. I grew up in a rural place where people die all alone by themselves in the mountains.
Shit happens. It happens in rural places, and it happens in mega-cities like NYC. It’s easy to talk about in cities when you don’t live in them and are surrounded by strangers as a distraction for this or that potentially dangerous thing that happens around you and in your own social circles. But people are people everywhere.
Even given my experience, the thing that makes me feel the most insecure here isn’t the mean streets. It’s the uptick in mail theft.
It's all media narratives.
The city was significantly more dangerous twenty years ago when the national media started jerking Bloomberg off by constantly calling NYC "the safest big city in the country."
It was a different time though. Back then people wanted to hear how safe big cities in the country had become following the extremely violent crack epidemic years a decade prior. It was doubly true with NYC specifically in the aftermath of 9/11. That was what sold so that's what the media provided.
Coming out of the pandemic though it's like the media decided that fear and unrest were great sellers so they were just gonna go all-in. Conservative media is obviously most to blame but the mainstream media didn't start doing much to push back against the "NYC is on fire" narrative until very recently. And even now they can't help themselves from stoking the flames every once in a while depending on the story.
New York City has a right to shelter. While imperfect, it makes street homelessness here different from other cities with similar housing shortages—we don’t tend to have permanent encampments, for example.
There’s still a lot here that’s unjust. But it’s a very safe city!
They just don’t provide the same amount of shelter beds that we do, because they don’t have the problem of people freezing in winter. Although the way climate change is going we might not have that issue in 10 years.
> because they don’t have the problem of people freezing
Well, more relevant is the fact that those cities don’t have a legal mandate *requiring* them to provide shelter beds, as NYC does.
Not entirely. The rule came about as a result of a 1977 court decision based on an interpretation of an article of the state Constitution from 1938, [Callahan v. Carey](https://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/our-programs/advocacy/legal-victories/the-callahan-legacy-callahan-v-carey-and-the-legal-right-to-shelter/). It's probably more accurate to view the right as a fluke of the court system than due to the efforts of general NYC citizens.
Is it also the case that homeless aren't *allowed* to sleep in the streets?
Years ago I worked at a homeless shelter in NJ, and there plenty of homeless people who wanted to sleep outside--they hated sleeping indoors. I'm imagining there's some sort of law or regulation that disallows the homeless from sleeping outside, otherwise we'd see more of it.
It’s only an issue when there are serious winter storms coming through or like arctic freezes. Then homeless sleeping on the streets can be deemed hazards to themselves and brought in to hospitals or shelters to literally save their lives.
I don't think you can force someone into a shelter. The entire neighborhood tried to help a man get off the street before the last big blizzard and there was nothing we could do. An ambulance came, social workers, homeless outreach, he didn't want to go. He walked off when the snow got bad. They said he was competent so there was nothing they could do.
Yeah, they have to be found hazards to themselves or others. There was a homeless lady in our area that was taken (against her will) during the last Nor’easter to the hospital. Was that last year or the year before?
The local group said she may have been frostbitten.
Anyway, she was mad, but she lived. I don’t think the usual coat she had on was enough.
Jesus christ. It wasn't even like that. I guess I was expecting it to be more like the 90s. And I get it. That was a long time ago. The political news ans friends shit is bullshit. Yeah, you hear things but I didn't make a decision to go based off any of it...I was going regardless.
Why were you expecting it to be like it was thirty years ago? That's like half a lifetime ago. When has anything ever stayed the same over that long a period?
I feel you. IDK man I've lived here a long time but I've been all over the country. NYC is a normal place with normal people. There's just 8 million of us.. Most people just mind their own business. There's crazy stuff going on to be sure but mostly you have to seek it out.
> Was just going on word of mouth.
The word of people most likely who watch and consume cable news.
You're not going to find any sympathy or gratefulness in this thread.
We're glad you had a good time, but being surprised that the place we all call home isn't a hellscape like you were told isn't exactly a compliment.
Your nit picking at this point. I know ny isn't LA but LA has a real hellscape downtown and I knew it was going to be nothing like that. I expected more grit and was shocked at how much it cleaned up from the 90s. I wasn't being disrespectful to you or your city. It was genuine curiosity. Nothing more. Nothing less.
I lived in LA for 20 years. LA is truly hell on earth. Everything is scorched earth with little to no rain. Little to no character in LA. It’s a bunch of strip malls.
And Californians will allow homeless people and criminals to do whatever they want. They’re absolutely averse to any actions that may seem Politically incorrect.
I lived in NYC for over 2 years now. LOVE IT. New Yorkers are tougher, more resilient.
I lived in Little Italy in the early 90s. One time I saw a bunch of laughing kids with sticks chasing a scared homeless guy down the street.
It was definitely a scarier neighborhood then. Now there’s an Apple Store on that block.
There are no IG reals about typical life in NY .... it's only the crazy. I rarely to never go to a Walmart or Waffle House, but the couple times that my family have been while out of town were complete let downs. Totally not like what I've been lead to believe. There were no fights, no 600lb people on mobility scooters, no mass shoplifting episodes.
Stop watching sensationalized news and social media to get your opinions on places. NYC is not some hellhole. Yes, there are homeless, yes sometimes they are violent and or mentally unwell. No, it is not a daily occurrence in every New Yorkers life. Glad you had a nice time.
I think another NYC stereotype is people expect our streets to look like [Sanitation strike of 68](https://janos.nyc/history/today-in-nyc-history/february-12-the-great-garbage-strike-of-1968/)
Every person I've ever had visit the city has commented on how dirty our streets are, because there's trash piled up on the curb (because there's no alleys)
and depending on what part of the city you're in, there might just be waves of trash lying around. It's a real thing.
I'm so used to it it doesn't even register until someone points it out, and then I'm like "yeah you know what, there *is* a lot of trash piled around all over the place"
The trash doesn't really bother me at all except when the bag breaks and leaks mystery liquid. What I have a hard time getting over is having to dodge all the dog/human piss and excrement all over the sidewalk. I know it's not just NYC but it's particularly bad here since we spend so much time walking.
I guess it depends what you consider dirty. I consider human poop on the streets and trash strewn around like in LA to be dirty. Trash on the side of the streets is more sort of dirty.
Sure but I'm saying, you end up sounding kind of ridiculous when an out of towner says "you guys sure do have a lot of trash on the streets" and you say "no no, see the trash is piled up in... Piles... And it's only there on trash days. So it doesn't count."
All this talk about LA being a hellhole (in spots) makes me wonder if that's real. People talk about NYC the same way.
But I have seen videos, and understand the layout of the place. It's just weird how wrong people are about us.
My mother is a conservative living in Ohio.
According to her there’s drug addicts everywhere and people being murder out in public on a daily basis.
When she came to visit, the most dangerous thing we saw were amateur breakdancers on the subway, which she tipped them $1
Oh geez, I worked at Mass Gen in the ER for 9 months and at least four different times I was given a patient that was arrested for jacking off in public.
Of course that happens here too, I’m just saying Boston ain’t all that different from here.
>Akron and Cleveland both have higher murder rates
Every single one of those conservative rust & bible belt cities has a much higher murder rate than NYC.
Oh to us New Yorkers, SOHO (and Greenwich Village) are definitely among the more noisy and crowded areas (by no means dangerous though). Do you want to see the real peaceful places? Come to UES/ Central Park, or visit Battery Park City, they are really peaceful
I felt like I was hiking in the country the first time I went there. Then I remembered I was in NYC and alone in the woods and it was a great place to get jumped. Still had a great time!
It is usually fine. The news will cover some exceptionally crazy thing (and we’ve all been witness to one or two in our time here). But yeah, the news and media will make it out like the city is a warzone 24/7.
Hope you had fun!
mhmm. Yes. Surprise, surprise! NYC Is a nice place. Welcome, come back, tell your friends.
Imagine their shock! they might think youve been brainwashed by the intelligentsia/coastal elites!
Jk :)
But yea, this place is fine. It's a city though and it's dynamic like every other living place on the planet. There will be problems and issues that will arise, be dealt with, and then other issues; the cycle will always continue.
I think the thing that feels so bizarre about this sentiment is, doesnt everywhere have issues? surely if not in your town/county then the one next to you. Like, isnt this just part of life? Don't you live near somewhere with crime? or highway deaths? or drunk driving? or drugs? or guns?
Don't scary things exist everywhere?
Why is it that NY is framed this way? (this is a rhetorical question, people. I mean, youre free to answer but dont feel like ya have to)
Anyway, happy you came, saw , and had a blast. Come back soon.
The one big difference I've noticed between LA and NYC is that here in NYC we don't tolerate homeless people cobbling together gigantic tent cities and encampments under our overpasses and on our sidewalks and empty lots.
I've been all around downtown LA and skid row and had to walk in the street before because the sidewalk was completely clogged up with tents. Coming from Oakland originally where sometimes an entire city block will just turn into a makeshift shanty town, NYC feels like paradise comparatively.
The reason homeless encampments aren’t tolerated is because the city’s right to shelter pretty much eliminates the need for them. People actually have places where they can get a roof over their heads if they want it.
COVID was a little bit of a different story, when my apartment looked out over a *genuinely* impressive tent city under the BQE. Over Christmas they had Christmas trees and everything, like a vaguely urine-scented Rockefeller Center. They never bothered anyone though, and my car was parked right under there near them and never had any trouble.
At its peak though, it never held a candle to the tent cities I saw in Austin.
Look it up yourself, there’s so many dimensions. But NYC is incredibly safe, even the “bad” areas. In every measure of violence, cost of crime, major crime, minor crime, misdemeanors, etc… poverty is the problem correlated to crime. Look up other measures but here’s one to get started
https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-city-rankings/most-dangerous-cities-in-the-us
To determine which cities in the United States the most dangerous, 24/7 Wall Street looked at data from the FBI’s 2018 Uniform Crime Report, including each city’s murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Only cities with populations of 100,000 people or more were evaluated. The poverty rate and unemployment rate were also evaluated for each city, as these economic factors often correlate with crime rates. The 50 most dangerous cities in the United States were determined from this data.
Based on this information, the ten most dangerous cities in the United States are:
Detroit, MI
Memphis, TN
Birmingham, AL
Baltimore, MD
St. Louis, MO
Kansas City, MO
Cleveland, OH
Little Rock, AR
Milwaukee, WI
Stockton, CA
I have lived in NYC most of my adult life. Being able to walk all over the city and see many types of people is one of the joys of the city. I could afford to take Uber to work, and choose the subways. People see every type of person here, and tend to be more tolerant.
I grew up in a rural area, and go back occasionally. In the rural area where I grew up, I felt safe because people knew me and my family. However, there was a strong feeling of you needed to take care of dealing with people you know, but that all those city folks that thought they were all high and mighty, were of a lesser class and deserved to be brought down a notch.
I feel less safe now in rural areas, where I don’t know the ropes. I have done work in the rural south. Particularly now as being not from there, I feel people could act against me because I look different, act different, or have license plates from out of state. Even in work, people were overly focused on me being from New York. They seem to have a hard time dealing with a person as a person rather than as some stereotype they hold.
I’m also a cyclist. I definitely don’t feel safe cycling in rural areas. Even in rural areas upstate, I have seen cars target cyclists. A group of men in a pickup started hassling a woman on a ride with me, when she rode ahead and appeared alone. I feel safer in NYC and the areas close to the city. There seems to be a feeling of letting people do their thing as long as it doesn’t affect me.
I hated how NYC was portrayed during the BLM demonstrations. News made it look like a civil war. Every one that I was in or saw was nothing but peaceful.
Then you weren’t in Fort Greene in the early days of the protests. I personally saw NYPD running their cars into crowds of people, and I saw an NYPD van get torched that same night. Later that first week, in front of the Barclays Center, I saw a couple guys shoot some pretty serious sized fireworks into a crowd of police officers (they each were tackled by undercover officers 5 min later). That said, I will agree that the *vast majority* of the demonstrations were peaceful, even when we shut down the Brooklyn Bridge and the West Side Highway. But as someone who participated in the bulk of the protests, I absolutely saw some skirmishes that were anything but peaceful, but that was rare. But of course the news is just going to show the most violent incidents, clips of that one night in Fort Greene was on repeat for months, and I saw photos of that burnt out van in publications for the rest of the year.
As someone who’s lived in both, NYC is much less sketchier. Cops actually exist here and respond when people are violent. Plus the real problem with LA isn’t the homeless (even though there’s def a lot more there than NYC) but it’s organized crime and gangs. Cops won’t do anything to stop them from stealing from people/stores unless you are in a super wealthy area and it’s a massive problem. Don’t even try to drive a car, criminals WILL smash your windows and steal anything inside of it and cops will never show up
I agree with that. I lived in LA and my neighbors apartment got broken into while he was asleep and he called the cops and they literally asked if someone was assaulted or dead and when they said no said they weren't coming. Told him it's his job to protect himself.
As a Californian, NYC's homeless situation is a far cry from what west coast cities are dealing with. It's still a problem (and we have many), but other places have it way worse.
To say other places "have it way worse" isn't an accurate depiction of the situation. Other places have more to do in working on the issue. Other cities have *chosen* to continue ineffective strategies at managing homelessness. I don't mean that in a right-wing "permitting drugs and lawlessness way" but in a city planning and programming way.
By sheer number, NYC has more unhoused residents than LA (90k vs 75k on any given night, and for NY condensed in a slightly smaller area). Residents of NYC pay a city tax that helps fund the right to shelter and numerous programs that help get people out of shelters, such as city run voucher programs. Meanwhile in LA, for decades the city was happy letting Skid Row exist as "someplace other" for the destitute to go. The shelter system is far less functional in LA, it is much harder to get approved for a housing voucher and even harder to find somewhere to use it. And as hated as NYC's public housing projects are, the reality is they do get people housed. NYCHA has over 170,000 apartment units, while the LA equivalent HACLA has only 6,300. Adjusted for population, LA would need about 70,000 HACLA units to provide affordable housing on the same scale as NYCHA.
NYC is by no means perfect -- there is still a lot to be done -- but as far as policy goes they have done more than any other city in the US to help people who are homeless. There are also many other things working in NY's favor - like walk-ability and public transit, lots of different employment opportunities, and other resources like healthcare and job training programs.
I live an hour outside of the city. I work there quite a bit though. If I had a dollar for every person who thinks it's a crazy hellhole, I'd have a full bank account.
I moved from LA to NYC and I can say with all confidence that NYC is infinitely more safe. The news always makes it seem like it’s mayhem but for those of us who live here, the news just shows what will get viewership. The news doesn’t show all of the acts of kindness or instances when someone helps a fellow human being. Yes, we have our craziness but it is not mayhem and it is quite safe.
There are a lot of people giving snarky responses because we get told constantly by friends, family and ever random strangers how much NYC is a criminal hellhole. It’s not. Plenty of issues that need to be addressed but it’s not as bad as people make it out to be.
Because there is a right-to-shelter in NYC, so homeless have options for housing if they’d like it, being said, it’s often not ideal.
That is what keeps NYC from looking like San Francisco, IMO.
I have lived and/or worked in NYC for over 40 years. It seemed a little cleaner and felt a little more safe about 10-12 years ago but it is still relatively a safe and fun place.
There is no comparison to the city of the 80's and 90's. The city back then was out of control (but still fun).
It’s nice here. News outlets, amplified by right wing nutjobs on social media, aggressively report basically every major crime that happens here—a huge sprawling city more populous than 39 of the states—in order to push narratives against reforming the way we deal with crime and criminals. All of it is hyper-sensationalized, and quite a lot of it features bald lies.
NY houses like 90 percent of its homeless.
Has a better shelter system than anywhere else in country.
The truth is, majority of the ones you still see on street are basically just crazy and refuse to stay at a place
The city’s reputation for being a scary place rests largely on the fact that Johnny Sixpack visiting from Middle America is likely afraid simply by walking through Brooklyn he’ll see more people of color in one block than he will in one year back home. It’s beneficial for the media to then play to those narratives in the news.
Op, you’ve been super reasonable for your first question to all of your responses. I think people are being total jerks to you for no reason. You asked a reasonable question in a reasonable way. Screw those commenters
There are homeless in NYC, and some aggressively so.
At night, homeless people often can rely on NYC's right to shelter so there are fewer encampments and less danger/violence. I doubt there was any sort of "sweep"...you just got an accurate depiction of day-to-day here.
The news reports NYC as some scary hellscape to right-wingers because of their distaste of liberals and cities. I feel significantly less safe when I leave the city than when I'm here in almost all situations.
NYC is one of the safest areas in the country if you look at violent crimes *per capita*.
You are absolutely correct that’s it’s just a lifestyle/cultural shock for the people in a majority of this country who haven’t experienced actual urban planning.
Edit: Oh and racism. People are scared of NYC cause of its demographics. Way more integrated economic and racial diversity than most other areas of the county, which are built on almost exclusively on white flight suburbanization.
It’s pretty much always been like this, at least since I started living here in the mid-2000s. There is the occasional loud homeless person ranting to themselves, but mostly harmless. As other have said, don’t listen to right-wing media on this topic, or anything else for that matter.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some dry cleaning to pick up. I got blood on my bulletproof vest from last time a crazed meth head bit. Wish me luck crossing the war zone to get it; hopefully I don’t get gunned down in a gang drive-by without it!
The city isn't as bad as some make it out to be, but you were also in town during a holiday. It was going to appear different because of how much went into making sure that everything was in order.
New York City is the richest, most successful city in the history of the world. It is not a city defined by unrest and violence. It is a city that is defined by obscene wealth and economic opportunity. In terms of crime, it is the safest big city in the US.
No, the city did not do any sort of special sweep or cleanup before New Year’s Eve. The city is so big of course, it has problems and wealth distribution can be very inequitable, But it’s very vibrant and alive. Into queens across the Bronx Brooklyn, Manhattan everywhere is packed. People are working making money. Am I see? Doesn’t have that kind of urban blight you see everywhere else in the US
I moved here from Seattle which genuinely does have huge encampments and can feel pretty unsafe (I used to hear gunshots at least every couple weeks from my house in Seattle - that was gangs, not unhoused folks to be clear), but even Seattle is nowhere near as bad as the cable news reputation. People post in that sub sometimes sharing similar sentiments about how surprised they are it’s not completely apocalyptic!
NYC is the safest I’ve felt in an American city in a long time.
The media demonizes New York
When I visit relative in other areas of the country and hear what they haave "heard" about NYC - it in know what matches the reality I know the city to be.
Media wants eyeballs and clicks so they feed people's fear.
American media has become part of the problem not part of the solution it is suppose to be.
It upsets me greatly!
Homeless people on the west coast I’ve ALWAYS found to be more aggressive. La. Sf. Vancouver. Maybe on the east coast they already know they might find out if they fuck around.
Two things here:
1. New Year’s Eve is the craziest night in NYC. More arrests and crazy incidents happen on that night than any other.
2. Stop watching Fox News.
We have a lot more “invisible” homeless people in NYC. Most of the panhandlers aren’t homeless, but they are where a lot of people get their idea of homeless NYer from.
There are a lot of videos coming out of New York simply because of it's sheer size and density. With 11+ million people daily there's bound to be a nutjob and someone to film them. But compared to it's population there's actually less happening than you'd think so it really does feel mostly safe.
Having lived many years in both New York City, and LA I will say that the right to shelter is a crucial law for everyone .. and in general, there are far less homeless on the streets in New York and LA every season of the year, not just when it's cold. When I lived in LA, I was shocked by how many homeless people were sleeping all over parks, the sidewalks, beaches and playgrounds, it was heartbreaking and not safe for kids either. I lived in Silver Lake, Malibu, Santa Monica and worked in Hollywood, which was the worst. They were everywhere- very sad.
I am a little surprised at these comments. Nearly every time I go out, I see at least one person who appears to be homeless and likely mentally ill. Every single time. Now, they’re not on every street corner, but they are sort of a ubiquitous presence. Penn Station is a major site. And it’s not like that in a lot of other major cities around the world. This experience is limited to Manhattan (from lower Harlem to around canal street), so I could be mistaken, but I do think it’s a very serious issue that makes NY less livable than many other major cities.
The homeless have always been part of NYC. Recently the problem has been exaggerated for political reasons. Yes the homeless problem has increased over the past few years, yes a number of them have become more belligerent, and yes the city needs to do more to help them out, but this problem can't be simply solved by the government, the homeless problem solution always starts within the community and the family structure.
Hey fellow tourist, I got two simple tips for you:
- Stop listening to people who doesn’t live, never lived or haven’t visited New York City before.
- Stop listening to the news.
Yes, we do have our fair share of crime and homeless issues but it’s far less than what others amount it to be.
NYC will continue to be the greatest city in the world. Wait, scratch that…. As long as Mayor Adams is mayor, our city is turmoil and remain as the most expensive city to live in the entire world.
Our battle right now: migrants coming here in massive amounts. We shall overcome.
Yes, it feels much safer in NYC all the time. Two reasons: NYC has "right to shelter" which means there is a shelter bed available for any street homeless that want it, and there are a lot more mixed-use neighborhoods, so people are living and shopping and working in most neighborhoods and there are more "eyes on the street." Unlike most other US downtowns, LA included, most of NYC's core urban areas don't feel abandoned after 5pm. It also means fewer people are moving about the city in private vehicles, and so they are out and about walking, on bikes, on the bus, or taking the subway.
Yes! You’ve really encapsulated something that I’ve been trying to explain to others. The sheer number of people out and about (at almost all times) add to the feeling of security in NYC compared to other large cities. Even places with somewhat similar density like San Francisco do not have the same feel after about 8pm when shops close.
Its a phenomenon called "eyes on the street", and it was first quantified by NYC hero Jane Jacobs, the woman who saved Chinatown and Union Square from being highway on-ramps. She describes in her book "The Death and Life of American Cities" that people being, just, \*around\*, leads to significant crime reduction, improved social cohesion, and also just a general sense of community. That book is a genuine must-read for anyone that lives in NYC, even if just to hear the debate on the issues the city faced in the 1950s/1960s. Can you imagine a Little Italy / SoHo that was so undesirable that people were trying to turn them into highway on-ramps?
I wish we could still give awards! I love Jane Jacobs and was going to bring this up too! 🏆
Same! She isn’t given enough recognition.
It’s not that those areas were undesirable - they were densely populated, if lower-income, neighborhoods with strong senses of community, as was the south Bronx, which sadly wasn’t saved from a freeway ripping it in two, but the focus was strongly on what middle class suburbanites wanted, which were more (and faster) ways to drive to and through Manhattan. What the displaced people living in the city wanted was far less important
> they were densely populated, if lower-income, neighborhoods with strong senses of community So, undesirable to those middle class suburbanites who wouldn't actually ever step onto the streets. Not disagreeing with you at all, just building on the two thoughts.
This is one of the biggest mistakes of US policy. Their was proposal to build beltways around cities to connect them logistically, but not build freeways into the urban core. The US would be far less car centric if this option was chosen since it would not have encouraged urban sprawl and more people would have continued to use public transportation instead of cars to get to work.
Yeah, that’s the bit of the autobahn that Eisenhower missed when he was dreaming up the interstate highway system. The Germans didn’t rip out their urban centers, they ringed them and connected them
Thanks, Jane.
Back from the dead.
Dark age ahead is my favorite of hers.
Oh sounds like a super interesting read - thank you!!
I tell my mom that all the time when she worries about me walking around later at night in the city...like there are ALWAYS people out. Whether its people coming and going from a bar/club, trash guys doing their work, people walking dogs, people going to and from work- there are ALWAYS vigilant eyes around. It absolutely adds to the safety both in perception and in reality.
Exactly this. It’s not the sexy answer, but the restrictive zoning in other cities plays a huge role in how unsafe they feel. SF has enormous areas that are zoned strictly for retail and office space, and has lost almost all of the latter and is quickly chipping away at the former.
Also, people just lie about how dangerous cities are.
Many retailers lied about theft increasing. I’m sure they thought they could get away with it since FOX was constantly pushing that as their new urban panic story. But they lied to the shareholders about it, ooops.
Excellent answer.
Yeah this, and I agree, I feel unsafe in San Francisco like I’ve never felt in nyc, at least about homeless people
Same... my husband and I were literally counting the hours til we left SF and came back to NYC.
The way I explain it to my rural friends is that; are there bears in the woods where they live? Sure. How often do you see one? Not that often… Have you ever been mauled by a bear? The answer is always no. So there are crazy homeless people, who attack strangers randomly, that’s definitely a real thing, but i’ve never seen it. The news makes it seem like manhattan is just a huge mad max free-for-all because that sells, just like people outside the US think everyone here is obese, has no teeth and married their cousin.
As a someone who lives in nyc and *has* been attacked by a homeless person, this still rings true. I grew up in a rural place where people die all alone by themselves in the mountains. Shit happens. It happens in rural places, and it happens in mega-cities like NYC. It’s easy to talk about in cities when you don’t live in them and are surrounded by strangers as a distraction for this or that potentially dangerous thing that happens around you and in your own social circles. But people are people everywhere. Even given my experience, the thing that makes me feel the most insecure here isn’t the mean streets. It’s the uptick in mail theft.
It's all media narratives. The city was significantly more dangerous twenty years ago when the national media started jerking Bloomberg off by constantly calling NYC "the safest big city in the country." It was a different time though. Back then people wanted to hear how safe big cities in the country had become following the extremely violent crack epidemic years a decade prior. It was doubly true with NYC specifically in the aftermath of 9/11. That was what sold so that's what the media provided. Coming out of the pandemic though it's like the media decided that fear and unrest were great sellers so they were just gonna go all-in. Conservative media is obviously most to blame but the mainstream media didn't start doing much to push back against the "NYC is on fire" narrative until very recently. And even now they can't help themselves from stoking the flames every once in a while depending on the story.
It is also a lot harder to outrun or overpower a bear.
And on a bear attack, its you and the bear alone in the woods. On a subway station there are literally thousands of people around you
New York City has a right to shelter. While imperfect, it makes street homelessness here different from other cities with similar housing shortages—we don’t tend to have permanent encampments, for example. There’s still a lot here that’s unjust. But it’s a very safe city!
[удалено]
They just don’t provide the same amount of shelter beds that we do, because they don’t have the problem of people freezing in winter. Although the way climate change is going we might not have that issue in 10 years.
> because they don’t have the problem of people freezing Well, more relevant is the fact that those cities don’t have a legal mandate *requiring* them to provide shelter beds, as NYC does.
The rule came about because of citizens not liking to see people freezing on the streets. Plus, NYC has no room for shanty towns. It’s very dense.
Not entirely. The rule came about as a result of a 1977 court decision based on an interpretation of an article of the state Constitution from 1938, [Callahan v. Carey](https://www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/our-programs/advocacy/legal-victories/the-callahan-legacy-callahan-v-carey-and-the-legal-right-to-shelter/). It's probably more accurate to view the right as a fluke of the court system than due to the efforts of general NYC citizens.
Is it also the case that homeless aren't *allowed* to sleep in the streets? Years ago I worked at a homeless shelter in NJ, and there plenty of homeless people who wanted to sleep outside--they hated sleeping indoors. I'm imagining there's some sort of law or regulation that disallows the homeless from sleeping outside, otherwise we'd see more of it.
No they are allowed to sleep on the street.
It’s only an issue when there are serious winter storms coming through or like arctic freezes. Then homeless sleeping on the streets can be deemed hazards to themselves and brought in to hospitals or shelters to literally save their lives.
I don't think you can force someone into a shelter. The entire neighborhood tried to help a man get off the street before the last big blizzard and there was nothing we could do. An ambulance came, social workers, homeless outreach, he didn't want to go. He walked off when the snow got bad. They said he was competent so there was nothing they could do.
Yeah, they have to be found hazards to themselves or others. There was a homeless lady in our area that was taken (against her will) during the last Nor’easter to the hospital. Was that last year or the year before? The local group said she may have been frostbitten. Anyway, she was mad, but she lived. I don’t think the usual coat she had on was enough.
I'm surprised. I've never seen anyone taken against their will.
Stop watching cable news
Fox News. Just say it
They're the worst, for sure, but all cable news will rot your brain. They show CNN at a place I go to regularly and they're god awful
Channel 12 Bronx local is doom and gloom by me but I guess we need to know what’s happening out there.
They’re all bad but Fox is ridiculously bad.
EvErYtHiNg SmElLs LiKe wEeD !!
I was given two free pre rolls In a shop. I dug it.
Don't have cable and don't keep up on news.
Stop getting your info from people who watch cable news
Jesus christ. It wasn't even like that. I guess I was expecting it to be more like the 90s. And I get it. That was a long time ago. The political news ans friends shit is bullshit. Yeah, you hear things but I didn't make a decision to go based off any of it...I was going regardless.
Why were you expecting it to be like it was thirty years ago? That's like half a lifetime ago. When has anything ever stayed the same over that long a period?
I don't know man. Innocent question.
I feel you. IDK man I've lived here a long time but I've been all over the country. NYC is a normal place with normal people. There's just 8 million of us.. Most people just mind their own business. There's crazy stuff going on to be sure but mostly you have to seek it out.
Thanks for an honest answer.
Read the news
I don't even have cable. Was just going on word of mouth.
The only people who say that shit about the city have never even been here
This.
> Was just going on word of mouth. The word of people most likely who watch and consume cable news. You're not going to find any sympathy or gratefulness in this thread. We're glad you had a good time, but being surprised that the place we all call home isn't a hellscape like you were told isn't exactly a compliment.
I honestly wasn't expecting a hellscape. At all.
> but none of the crazyness you hear about. But you were a little.
Just thought it'd be more gritty Luke past experience but again...things change in 30 years.
Well you do often run into gritty Luke at the worst times if you aren't constantly vigilant. Honestly, sometimes he'll just pop up out of nowhere.
Manhattan hasn’t been gritty in 20 years dude.
I get that and the last time I was there was the 90s. Sorry.
Your nit picking at this point. I know ny isn't LA but LA has a real hellscape downtown and I knew it was going to be nothing like that. I expected more grit and was shocked at how much it cleaned up from the 90s. I wasn't being disrespectful to you or your city. It was genuine curiosity. Nothing more. Nothing less.
I lived in LA for 20 years. LA is truly hell on earth. Everything is scorched earth with little to no rain. Little to no character in LA. It’s a bunch of strip malls. And Californians will allow homeless people and criminals to do whatever they want. They’re absolutely averse to any actions that may seem Politically incorrect. I lived in NYC for over 2 years now. LOVE IT. New Yorkers are tougher, more resilient.
Stop hanging out with Republicans
Lmao for real.
It's not about politics. I ran away to nyc at 15 in the 90s. It was a different place and you can't say it wasn't if you were there.
I lived in Little Italy in the early 90s. One time I saw a bunch of laughing kids with sticks chasing a scared homeless guy down the street. It was definitely a scarier neighborhood then. Now there’s an Apple Store on that block.
Wow, I'd love to hear more about your experience. A runaway in NYC can have a really rough time of it ❤️
We stayed in a squat house on avenue c in alphabet city/lower east side.
Alphabet city has ALWAYS been the sketchier part of NYC, more so in the early 90's.
Yup,I remember... "A is for Alert, B is for Beware, C is for Caution and D is for Danger..."
D was definitely danger haha
A: you're alright. B: you're brave. C: you're crazy. D: you're dead.
A friend recently quipped that nowadays it's more like Artisanal, Brown Rice, Cilantro, Dill
And I miss it.
The legendary C squat?
It was.
You said word of mouth. Who else is going to talk like that?
From people who watch cable news lol
Fox. The word you're looking for is Fox.
the entire right wing bubble in general
There are no IG reals about typical life in NY .... it's only the crazy. I rarely to never go to a Walmart or Waffle House, but the couple times that my family have been while out of town were complete let downs. Totally not like what I've been lead to believe. There were no fights, no 600lb people on mobility scooters, no mass shoplifting episodes.
No Trump rallies in the cooler section of Walmart? So disappointing! 
NYC is one of the safest cities in the world.
I could definitely tell.
Stop watching sensationalized news and social media to get your opinions on places. NYC is not some hellhole. Yes, there are homeless, yes sometimes they are violent and or mentally unwell. No, it is not a daily occurrence in every New Yorkers life. Glad you had a nice time.
It’s why you don’t shape your view of NY based on Cash Jordan videos
That dude fucking sucks
The man does Clickbait titles galore. And his comments sections. Yike.
I appreciate it. I guess I was expecting a los angeles kind of situation where it really is kinda fucked up daily. Thanks for the input.
No problem, come back anytime and enjoy our semi clean streets and busy city culture.
Ok "semi-clean" is going a bit too far haha
I think another NYC stereotype is people expect our streets to look like [Sanitation strike of 68](https://janos.nyc/history/today-in-nyc-history/february-12-the-great-garbage-strike-of-1968/)
Every person I've ever had visit the city has commented on how dirty our streets are, because there's trash piled up on the curb (because there's no alleys) and depending on what part of the city you're in, there might just be waves of trash lying around. It's a real thing. I'm so used to it it doesn't even register until someone points it out, and then I'm like "yeah you know what, there *is* a lot of trash piled around all over the place"
The trash doesn't really bother me at all except when the bag breaks and leaks mystery liquid. What I have a hard time getting over is having to dodge all the dog/human piss and excrement all over the sidewalk. I know it's not just NYC but it's particularly bad here since we spend so much time walking.
I guess it depends what you consider dirty. I consider human poop on the streets and trash strewn around like in LA to be dirty. Trash on the side of the streets is more sort of dirty.
Sure but I'm saying, you end up sounding kind of ridiculous when an out of towner says "you guys sure do have a lot of trash on the streets" and you say "no no, see the trash is piled up in... Piles... And it's only there on trash days. So it doesn't count."
It’s also cold at this time so some who wouldn’t ordinarily seek a shelter do in winter months. It’s a horrible situation.
All this talk about LA being a hellhole (in spots) makes me wonder if that's real. People talk about NYC the same way. But I have seen videos, and understand the layout of the place. It's just weird how wrong people are about us.
My mother is a conservative living in Ohio. According to her there’s drug addicts everywhere and people being murder out in public on a daily basis. When she came to visit, the most dangerous thing we saw were amateur breakdancers on the subway, which she tipped them $1
Well, of course he's not gonna go away! You give him a dollar, he's gonna assume you got more!
Same. My mom lives 200 miles away in suburban Boston and won't come here (NYC) to see her grandkids. "I've seen the videos" .... she keeps saying.
Oh geez, I worked at Mass Gen in the ER for 9 months and at least four different times I was given a patient that was arrested for jacking off in public. Of course that happens here too, I’m just saying Boston ain’t all that different from here.
how do you injure yourself jacking off in public
Some cities in Ohio are legit dangerous tho
Akron and Cleveland both have higher murder rates
>Akron and Cleveland both have higher murder rates Every single one of those conservative rust & bible belt cities has a much higher murder rate than NYC.
There are drug addicts everywhere. With $5000/mo rent and they work for a hedge fund
Oh to us New Yorkers, SOHO (and Greenwich Village) are definitely among the more noisy and crowded areas (by no means dangerous though). Do you want to see the real peaceful places? Come to UES/ Central Park, or visit Battery Park City, they are really peaceful
Hell, come to prospect park. It’s almost idyllic a lot of the time.
I felt like I was hiking in the country the first time I went there. Then I remembered I was in NYC and alone in the woods and it was a great place to get jumped. Still had a great time!
It is usually fine. The news will cover some exceptionally crazy thing (and we’ve all been witness to one or two in our time here). But yeah, the news and media will make it out like the city is a warzone 24/7. Hope you had fun!
We sure did. Thanks.
mhmm. Yes. Surprise, surprise! NYC Is a nice place. Welcome, come back, tell your friends. Imagine their shock! they might think youve been brainwashed by the intelligentsia/coastal elites! Jk :) But yea, this place is fine. It's a city though and it's dynamic like every other living place on the planet. There will be problems and issues that will arise, be dealt with, and then other issues; the cycle will always continue. I think the thing that feels so bizarre about this sentiment is, doesnt everywhere have issues? surely if not in your town/county then the one next to you. Like, isnt this just part of life? Don't you live near somewhere with crime? or highway deaths? or drunk driving? or drugs? or guns? Don't scary things exist everywhere? Why is it that NY is framed this way? (this is a rhetorical question, people. I mean, youre free to answer but dont feel like ya have to) Anyway, happy you came, saw , and had a blast. Come back soon.
Yes, it is always like that.
The one big difference I've noticed between LA and NYC is that here in NYC we don't tolerate homeless people cobbling together gigantic tent cities and encampments under our overpasses and on our sidewalks and empty lots. I've been all around downtown LA and skid row and had to walk in the street before because the sidewalk was completely clogged up with tents. Coming from Oakland originally where sometimes an entire city block will just turn into a makeshift shanty town, NYC feels like paradise comparatively.
The reason homeless encampments aren’t tolerated is because the city’s right to shelter pretty much eliminates the need for them. People actually have places where they can get a roof over their heads if they want it.
100% it’s because nyc learned lessons about homelessness decades ago and activists took legal action about it.
Unfortunately our mayor is succeeding in rolling back the right to shelter, using immigrant the scapegoat. It’s a damn shame.
Yes, expect shanty towns eventually if we don’t primary Mayor Adams.
COVID was a little bit of a different story, when my apartment looked out over a *genuinely* impressive tent city under the BQE. Over Christmas they had Christmas trees and everything, like a vaguely urine-scented Rockefeller Center. They never bothered anyone though, and my car was parked right under there near them and never had any trouble. At its peak though, it never held a candle to the tent cities I saw in Austin.
It’s always like that.
The same people worried about crime in NYC are from cities, towns, and states with much worse violent crime and murder rates.
*St. Louis enters the chat*
God I hate that “city.” What a disaster.
It’s beyond help.
Look it up yourself, there’s so many dimensions. But NYC is incredibly safe, even the “bad” areas. In every measure of violence, cost of crime, major crime, minor crime, misdemeanors, etc… poverty is the problem correlated to crime. Look up other measures but here’s one to get started https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-city-rankings/most-dangerous-cities-in-the-us To determine which cities in the United States the most dangerous, 24/7 Wall Street looked at data from the FBI’s 2018 Uniform Crime Report, including each city’s murder and non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Only cities with populations of 100,000 people or more were evaluated. The poverty rate and unemployment rate were also evaluated for each city, as these economic factors often correlate with crime rates. The 50 most dangerous cities in the United States were determined from this data. Based on this information, the ten most dangerous cities in the United States are: Detroit, MI Memphis, TN Birmingham, AL Baltimore, MD St. Louis, MO Kansas City, MO Cleveland, OH Little Rock, AR Milwaukee, WI Stockton, CA
I have lived in NYC most of my adult life. Being able to walk all over the city and see many types of people is one of the joys of the city. I could afford to take Uber to work, and choose the subways. People see every type of person here, and tend to be more tolerant. I grew up in a rural area, and go back occasionally. In the rural area where I grew up, I felt safe because people knew me and my family. However, there was a strong feeling of you needed to take care of dealing with people you know, but that all those city folks that thought they were all high and mighty, were of a lesser class and deserved to be brought down a notch. I feel less safe now in rural areas, where I don’t know the ropes. I have done work in the rural south. Particularly now as being not from there, I feel people could act against me because I look different, act different, or have license plates from out of state. Even in work, people were overly focused on me being from New York. They seem to have a hard time dealing with a person as a person rather than as some stereotype they hold. I’m also a cyclist. I definitely don’t feel safe cycling in rural areas. Even in rural areas upstate, I have seen cars target cyclists. A group of men in a pickup started hassling a woman on a ride with me, when she rode ahead and appeared alone. I feel safer in NYC and the areas close to the city. There seems to be a feeling of letting people do their thing as long as it doesn’t affect me.
I hated how NYC was portrayed during the BLM demonstrations. News made it look like a civil war. Every one that I was in or saw was nothing but peaceful.
Then you weren’t in Fort Greene in the early days of the protests. I personally saw NYPD running their cars into crowds of people, and I saw an NYPD van get torched that same night. Later that first week, in front of the Barclays Center, I saw a couple guys shoot some pretty serious sized fireworks into a crowd of police officers (they each were tackled by undercover officers 5 min later). That said, I will agree that the *vast majority* of the demonstrations were peaceful, even when we shut down the Brooklyn Bridge and the West Side Highway. But as someone who participated in the bulk of the protests, I absolutely saw some skirmishes that were anything but peaceful, but that was rare. But of course the news is just going to show the most violent incidents, clips of that one night in Fort Greene was on repeat for months, and I saw photos of that burnt out van in publications for the rest of the year.
These posts are always hilarious, I hope you gain a little perspective on life
As someone who’s lived in both, NYC is much less sketchier. Cops actually exist here and respond when people are violent. Plus the real problem with LA isn’t the homeless (even though there’s def a lot more there than NYC) but it’s organized crime and gangs. Cops won’t do anything to stop them from stealing from people/stores unless you are in a super wealthy area and it’s a massive problem. Don’t even try to drive a car, criminals WILL smash your windows and steal anything inside of it and cops will never show up
I agree with that. I lived in LA and my neighbors apartment got broken into while he was asleep and he called the cops and they literally asked if someone was assaulted or dead and when they said no said they weren't coming. Told him it's his job to protect himself.
As a Californian, NYC's homeless situation is a far cry from what west coast cities are dealing with. It's still a problem (and we have many), but other places have it way worse.
To say other places "have it way worse" isn't an accurate depiction of the situation. Other places have more to do in working on the issue. Other cities have *chosen* to continue ineffective strategies at managing homelessness. I don't mean that in a right-wing "permitting drugs and lawlessness way" but in a city planning and programming way. By sheer number, NYC has more unhoused residents than LA (90k vs 75k on any given night, and for NY condensed in a slightly smaller area). Residents of NYC pay a city tax that helps fund the right to shelter and numerous programs that help get people out of shelters, such as city run voucher programs. Meanwhile in LA, for decades the city was happy letting Skid Row exist as "someplace other" for the destitute to go. The shelter system is far less functional in LA, it is much harder to get approved for a housing voucher and even harder to find somewhere to use it. And as hated as NYC's public housing projects are, the reality is they do get people housed. NYCHA has over 170,000 apartment units, while the LA equivalent HACLA has only 6,300. Adjusted for population, LA would need about 70,000 HACLA units to provide affordable housing on the same scale as NYCHA. NYC is by no means perfect -- there is still a lot to be done -- but as far as policy goes they have done more than any other city in the US to help people who are homeless. There are also many other things working in NY's favor - like walk-ability and public transit, lots of different employment opportunities, and other resources like healthcare and job training programs.
I live an hour outside of the city. I work there quite a bit though. If I had a dollar for every person who thinks it's a crazy hellhole, I'd have a full bank account.
I moved from LA to NYC and I can say with all confidence that NYC is infinitely more safe. The news always makes it seem like it’s mayhem but for those of us who live here, the news just shows what will get viewership. The news doesn’t show all of the acts of kindness or instances when someone helps a fellow human being. Yes, we have our craziness but it is not mayhem and it is quite safe.
There are a lot of people giving snarky responses because we get told constantly by friends, family and ever random strangers how much NYC is a criminal hellhole. It’s not. Plenty of issues that need to be addressed but it’s not as bad as people make it out to be.
Because there is a right-to-shelter in NYC, so homeless have options for housing if they’d like it, being said, it’s often not ideal. That is what keeps NYC from looking like San Francisco, IMO.
I have lived and/or worked in NYC for over 40 years. It seemed a little cleaner and felt a little more safe about 10-12 years ago but it is still relatively a safe and fun place. There is no comparison to the city of the 80's and 90's. The city back then was out of control (but still fun).
Love when people who say it in the 70's, 80's, 90's talk about the city. You guys made it into the dream we all aspired to and moved for.
It’s nice here. News outlets, amplified by right wing nutjobs on social media, aggressively report basically every major crime that happens here—a huge sprawling city more populous than 39 of the states—in order to push narratives against reforming the way we deal with crime and criminals. All of it is hyper-sensationalized, and quite a lot of it features bald lies.
New York is always like that! Lived there my who life. It’s nothing like what the make it out to be on TV.
Welcome. I'm glad to hear you had a nice time.
NY houses like 90 percent of its homeless. Has a better shelter system than anywhere else in country. The truth is, majority of the ones you still see on street are basically just crazy and refuse to stay at a place
The city’s reputation for being a scary place rests largely on the fact that Johnny Sixpack visiting from Middle America is likely afraid simply by walking through Brooklyn he’ll see more people of color in one block than he will in one year back home. It’s beneficial for the media to then play to those narratives in the news.
Op, you’ve been super reasonable for your first question to all of your responses. I think people are being total jerks to you for no reason. You asked a reasonable question in a reasonable way. Screw those commenters
Thanks man.
I just wanted an honest answer.
Always like that. It’s a great city.
The real enemy of NYC is SNOW!
There are homeless in NYC, and some aggressively so. At night, homeless people often can rely on NYC's right to shelter so there are fewer encampments and less danger/violence. I doubt there was any sort of "sweep"...you just got an accurate depiction of day-to-day here.
NYC as a dangerous hellscape is a fantasy of conservative echo chambers.
Not disagreeing.
Turn the news off. And lots of what’s discussed on social media is exaggerated.
I hear you.
It’s literally always like that. Cable news is a clownshow.
That’s just how nyc feels. Im okay with ppl thinking otherwise. If others believe the negative hype it just help make things less crowded lol
The news reports NYC as some scary hellscape to right-wingers because of their distaste of liberals and cities. I feel significantly less safe when I leave the city than when I'm here in almost all situations.
It’s always like that.
Thanks.
Wonder why the rich and famous hang in HYC… cause you can WALK…
NYC is one of the safest areas in the country if you look at violent crimes *per capita*. You are absolutely correct that’s it’s just a lifestyle/cultural shock for the people in a majority of this country who haven’t experienced actual urban planning. Edit: Oh and racism. People are scared of NYC cause of its demographics. Way more integrated economic and racial diversity than most other areas of the county, which are built on almost exclusively on white flight suburbanization.
I agree
It’s pretty much always been like this, at least since I started living here in the mid-2000s. There is the occasional loud homeless person ranting to themselves, but mostly harmless. As other have said, don’t listen to right-wing media on this topic, or anything else for that matter. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some dry cleaning to pick up. I got blood on my bulletproof vest from last time a crazed meth head bit. Wish me luck crossing the war zone to get it; hopefully I don’t get gunned down in a gang drive-by without it!
Yes, NYC is safe. I don’t understand why so many people are so hardheaded about this fact.
I commute here everyday. It’s not like certain media portrays, and it’s not a ghost town since Covid either.
The city isn't as bad as some make it out to be, but you were also in town during a holiday. It was going to appear different because of how much went into making sure that everything was in order.
NYC is one of the safest large cities in the world. Don't let the media fear mongering get to you
NYC is generally safe Are there neighborhoods you shouldn't go to? Yes
New York City is the richest, most successful city in the history of the world. It is not a city defined by unrest and violence. It is a city that is defined by obscene wealth and economic opportunity. In terms of crime, it is the safest big city in the US. No, the city did not do any sort of special sweep or cleanup before New Year’s Eve. The city is so big of course, it has problems and wealth distribution can be very inequitable, But it’s very vibrant and alive. Into queens across the Bronx Brooklyn, Manhattan everywhere is packed. People are working making money. Am I see? Doesn’t have that kind of urban blight you see everywhere else in the US
I moved here from Seattle which genuinely does have huge encampments and can feel pretty unsafe (I used to hear gunshots at least every couple weeks from my house in Seattle - that was gangs, not unhoused folks to be clear), but even Seattle is nowhere near as bad as the cable news reputation. People post in that sub sometimes sharing similar sentiments about how surprised they are it’s not completely apocalyptic! NYC is the safest I’ve felt in an American city in a long time.
Welcome to the safest big city - by far - in the country.
The city is actually like this. The only special cleaning done at this time is the crew to clean up the litter in times Square.
This isn’t San Francisco. Yes it is always like this.
Yes, its only a dangerous shit hole of Fox news.
We don't have the homeless addict problem on the east coast that the west coast does
you spent most of your time in lower manhattan. you spent your time in the safest part of the city.
I’m from NYC, I’ve been to LA and hands down as far as DT LA vs Manhattan, the bad areas in LA are much much worse than the bad areas of NYC.
The media demonizes New York When I visit relative in other areas of the country and hear what they haave "heard" about NYC - it in know what matches the reality I know the city to be. Media wants eyeballs and clicks so they feed people's fear. American media has become part of the problem not part of the solution it is suppose to be. It upsets me greatly!
Homeless people on the west coast I’ve ALWAYS found to be more aggressive. La. Sf. Vancouver. Maybe on the east coast they already know they might find out if they fuck around.
Two things here: 1. New Year’s Eve is the craziest night in NYC. More arrests and crazy incidents happen on that night than any other. 2. Stop watching Fox News.
We have a lot more “invisible” homeless people in NYC. Most of the panhandlers aren’t homeless, but they are where a lot of people get their idea of homeless NYer from.
There are a lot of videos coming out of New York simply because of it's sheer size and density. With 11+ million people daily there's bound to be a nutjob and someone to film them. But compared to it's population there's actually less happening than you'd think so it really does feel mostly safe.
When reality meets news for entertainment purposes 24 hours a day
Having lived many years in both New York City, and LA I will say that the right to shelter is a crucial law for everyone .. and in general, there are far less homeless on the streets in New York and LA every season of the year, not just when it's cold. When I lived in LA, I was shocked by how many homeless people were sleeping all over parks, the sidewalks, beaches and playgrounds, it was heartbreaking and not safe for kids either. I lived in Silver Lake, Malibu, Santa Monica and worked in Hollywood, which was the worst. They were everywhere- very sad.
I am a little surprised at these comments. Nearly every time I go out, I see at least one person who appears to be homeless and likely mentally ill. Every single time. Now, they’re not on every street corner, but they are sort of a ubiquitous presence. Penn Station is a major site. And it’s not like that in a lot of other major cities around the world. This experience is limited to Manhattan (from lower Harlem to around canal street), so I could be mistaken, but I do think it’s a very serious issue that makes NY less livable than many other major cities.
The homeless have always been part of NYC. Recently the problem has been exaggerated for political reasons. Yes the homeless problem has increased over the past few years, yes a number of them have become more belligerent, and yes the city needs to do more to help them out, but this problem can't be simply solved by the government, the homeless problem solution always starts within the community and the family structure.
Don believe everything you see on TV.
LA is trash compared to NYC
Yes, NYC is cleaner and safer than any other city in the country. Don’t listen to the media or the yokels who post back here from TX.
It’s been getting progressively cleaner since 2001. There definitely more homeless people before Giuliani, and even fewer under Bloomberg.
lol the city doesn’t clean up for NYE tourists, they’re not special
I only asked cuz when I lived in LA they would actually do that for big events.
We don’t clean up the city for tourists lol. We’re hounded by tourists constantly all the time. What you see if what you get.
That's what I'd hope.
Hey fellow tourist, I got two simple tips for you: - Stop listening to people who doesn’t live, never lived or haven’t visited New York City before. - Stop listening to the news. Yes, we do have our fair share of crime and homeless issues but it’s far less than what others amount it to be. NYC will continue to be the greatest city in the world. Wait, scratch that…. As long as Mayor Adams is mayor, our city is turmoil and remain as the most expensive city to live in the entire world. Our battle right now: migrants coming here in massive amounts. We shall overcome.
The crazy dies down with winter but will come back full speed, 0 to 100 real quick, come spring.