Which Brooklyn Neighborhoods Saw An Increase In Murder This Year?
Even with the city-wide murder rate at a record low and a precipitous overall drop in crime, improvements haven’t been distributed evenly (for evidence, just take a look at what’s going on in Brownsville), and per some end-of-year data, a lot of neighborhoods have actually seen a small rise in murder and violent crime.
So, where should ignorant, terrified Superbowl tourists rightly be afraid to set foot? Midwood/Borough Park, which had five more murders in 2013 than 2012; South Crown Heights and Sunset Park, which had three more than the previous year; Coney Island, Crown Heights, and West Bed-Stuy, which all had two more murders this year than in 2012; and Red Hook, Greenpoint, and Williamsburg, each of which had one more murder than the previous year.
Felony assault, rape, and robbery also rose in Coney Island and Crown Heights, and the number of rapes increased in Bed Stuy, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint over the past year.
Unsettling statistics in what was overall a productive year for public safety, but there you have it. Here’s to a safe 2014.
Follow Virginia K. Smith on Twitter @vksmith.