New York crime getting out of hand?
With the recent murder of Christina Lee (homeless person followed her into her home in Chinatown and stabbed her), and a bunch of other big news murder cases (woman pushed off onto subway track, asian guy beaten up) especially involving asian community, is New York still considered safe enough?
I ask because as an Asian female incoming analyst to New York, I have been seriously deliberating over whether I should take the job up in the end, as it seems so dangerous and I have this constant worry about not being able to make it out of the analyst program alive (lol but fr). Coupled with that, my asian family has been bugging me with all these big crimes against asians in new york sending me the articles and saying it's not safe etc.
Is it reasonable to request for HR to let me continue the analyst program in my hometown or request for full remote? I don't know man..or should I just start searching for alternatives in other safer locations. I don't know if I'm just being overly paranoid but with a string of events like this, it really makes it seem like a legitimate safety concern .
Anyone has thoughts about this? Or anyone in the same boat thinking the same lol?
I understand your concern but there is a decent amount of criminality in almost all of the world's largest cities except maybe Hong Kong and Singapore. If you want a lucrative career in high-finance and need to move to a large metropolis to do so then you'll have to suck it up and risk it (even though the risk of being the victim of a violent crime is very low realistically.) In general most of life's rewards are hidden behind some form of danger and avoiding any risk in your life will paralyze you and leave you completely ineffective. You sound like a very fearful person.
In New York, the odds of you being the victim of violent crime is <1% and can be even lower with vigilance on your part. Live in the right area even if that strains your rent a bit, be aware of your surroundings, carry pepper spray, don't wander off to the wrong places at the wrong time, don't look clueless and have a sense of purpose in your stride. The reason why city-dwellers seem to have an abrasive exterior is because the hectic nature of their environment has toughened them, which is good. You sound like you need to be hardened a little bit.
Hey thank you for your comment and I totally get that! I do need toughening up but it's just to what risk level....I know that the city will definitely have its level of crime and all but just was worried because this level of crime is different from the usual especially ever since the pandemic and then the mayors policy on criminals etc. I wanted to get a sanity check on how concerned I should be and if my fears are founded.
It seems that its not a case of concern from what you type! In terms of areas to rent in, do you have recommendations on safer areas and perhaps even the associated rent prices? Im not a new york native here so any help would be appreciated!
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I mean I wasn't going to list out a litany of cities lol. But, I agree, there's a decent chunk of Asian cities and maybe some other cities in Australia / NZ, Europe, maybe Middle-East that are safe but I definitely wouldn't say it's "normal" (as in the statistical / observed norm) for a large city to be as safe as Shenzhen. Desirable, yes, normal, no. I guess that's just a question of semantics though.
This is correct. The whole "all big cities have severe crime" objectively false, and a horrible cope.
Curious, what do those cities do differently? I’ve wondered if it’s possible to replicate that environment in US cities.
NYC isn’t the only city where you can progress your finance career. If it makes you more comfortable, a smaller city might be better for you. I’m thinking maybe Charlotte, Boston, or somewhere in Texas. I feel like NYC is overhyped on wso and although it gives you the best career options, it might not be the best fit for everyone’s personal lives.
Hard to compare all types of crime since every PD seems to define it differently, but:
NYC, total pop 8.4 million, crime per 100k: 6 murders, 18 rapes
Boston, total pop 700k, crime per 100k: 6 murders, 30 rapes
Charlotte, total pop 860k, crime per 100k: 11 murders, 37 rapes
Crime stat sources
NYC: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs-en-u…
Boston: https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/12/08/shootings-homicides-drop-in-bos…
Charlotte: https://charlottenc.gov/CMPD/Safety/Pages/CrimeStats.aspx
If you are a numbers person go take a look at NYC crime stats today versus 1990. Yes, NYC seems to be headed in the wrong direction at the moment, but it's still objectively safer than most large cities in the United States and the world. And it used to be a LOT worse here...
Why is this post made every week. You guys are such pansies, literally just have some street smarts and you will be fine
The news always veers to the negative. You always hear the one bad story. Vast majority is fine. This definitely is not the city of Gotham with criminals running amok.
1. Don't walk alone extremely late at night, especially on less travelled streets
2. Check your surroundings
3. Don't take the subway late at night, and don't get on empty trains. When waiting from the train, stand far back, by a pole, etc. Keep your eye out for crazy people and move away
4. Try to live in a doorman building
If you do these 4 things you'll be fine. You honestly might have a run-in, but the chances of a dangerous run-in are something different (i.e. you might be in a duane reade and an old, out of touch person will look at you funny, or even be brash enough to say that covid's your fault)
what do you do if ur working near midnight or early morning hours? I've only done remote at my firm so I've never experienced walking/riding back home at that time.
you take an uber...
Generally firms expense uber home.
You should do only what makes you comfortable. It is true that nyc has had an uptick in crime. It’s a democratic city and right now the liberals have real power given the disgust that trump caused from many people.
It’s can certainly be dangerous for a young, Asian woman. If you are going to come to the city, there are some things you can do to try and stay safe.
Don’t take the subway after 7pm. Just take a taxi or Uber.
Don’t walk anywhere alone at night, always be with a friend.
Don’t wear iPods when walking out, be aware of your surroundings.
Avoid homeless males while walking - turnaround, cross the street, etc.
It does appear that a certain race seems to be preying on Asians, so try to avoid them when you see them.
Jeez with all these restrictions does it even make sense for a young Asian female to go to NYC (or female in general)? Pretty crazy that it’s gotten this bad in past few years
I'll answer this in two ways (I live in the city):
- boots on the ground, you'll be fine if you avoid "bad" situations- sketchy parts of town if you include all 5 boroughs, walking alone at night/walking around drunk, leaving other people alone, as said above avoiding anyone sitting/standing you don't feel safe by.
- from a financial/statistical perspective, its like the lottery, you're only seeing the winner, not all the people who lost. If there were stories about everyone who made it home safe every night, you would feel safer than you perceive the city to be now based on one story.
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I was born in NYC in the early 90's and from what I remember it was worse then but that does not negate the direction this city is headed. It is really frustrating to hear people say that there is nothing wrong, that it is safe, etc. It makes me think that no one wants there to be a change or realizes there is a problem. The refrain seems to be "it was worse in the 90's!" which is true statistically, but things are getting bad now. NYC took every possible step to self implode during COVID and it seems to be pretty difficult to get prosecuted for a crime. I believe when Alvin Bragg took office he had plans to stop prosecuting robberies unless there was "grave bodily harm."
Live in a good area. It will cost you more in rent but with the way things are headed you want to live in a safe area. NYC will continue to get worse indefinitely due to everything that falls under the umbrella of extreme politics.
Going by murder rate NYC is back to where it was in 2011, when it was still one of the safest large cities in the US. So yes, it is safe (go ahead, be frustrated). Yes, the direction isn't good, but we're not exactly back in the dark ages. Secondly, murder rates have been going up across the country since 2019 - NYC is not unique nor is it the worst offender.
I wish there were a way to discuss this without using numbers and just using more common sense with aspects like: how the subway feels to you now at night vs 5 years ago. Even if you want to use the numbers and we continue seeing 40% YoY increases in XYZ crimes then the city will further deteriorate. There is no backstop, crimes are not prosecuted. I’m really surprised at how many people don’t see the writing on the wall of what this may look like in 5-10 if these trends continue. The NYPD has effectively stopped working and I don’t blame them. These factors combined don’t make for a rosy outlook.
lol you shoulda gone to Chicago instead of NY. New york is not "cRiMes aRe oUtta cOnTrol".
Hey your concerns for the crime are totally understandable! I do think you are still going to want to have experience in a large metropolitan city and that the experience of working in person in some capacity is important for the job. I currently live in a T2 city, one of the most famous in the US for its terrible crime, and definitely have to take precautions, but in general if you're smart about what you do when walking around the city, you should be ok.
You've probably heard these 1000 times but I'll reiterate them anyway (lol):
I'm an overly paranoid person for safety and security and doing all of those things has worked for me just fine in a pretty bad city for crime. I still walk home from work and take public transit and go out to bars and drink in a city with a murder rate that is 10x NYC's current rate. When I was living there, it didn't feel nearly as bad as where I live now. I still work a coveted job and have made great connections with my coworkers. Don't let crime shut you out of NYC!
If you're interested, here's this week's crime report: https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs-en-u…
Don't worry. Mayor Adams is already putting things in the right direction. For instance, nudging people into having a plant-based aka vegan diet, by making meat more expensive.
Tbh I think he is trying but he’s absolutely screwed. City council and lawmakers are hell bent on this becoming the biggest slum in the world and they’re not going to let him get in the way of that.
Nah, forcing veganism was entirely his idea, because he's vegan. NYC isn't getting out of this without rejecting the whole set
Tips for being in New York:
It’s a very odd thing, but the crime reported vs. pretty much anyone’s lived experience in a city generally do not match up. At the end of the day, New York is one of the largest cities in the world and you named a few incidents out of millions of people.
Also, the fact that the news covered them so intently is because they are unsettling stories. It’s good that they are unsettling, that means they are NOT normal. I’d be more worried if these things were happening and no one cared. That’s when you move out.
Side note: don’t be cheap. You are entering a lucrative career. Live in a nice place, your safety is more important than your retirement savings at your age.
Stopped reading at “lived experience.” Why is your head so in the sand?
What?
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/edchiu_nyc-stabbing-victim-christina-yun…
Nyc is so trash. Move to Miami where it’s way superior.
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good
These last few incidents have been horrible but they are like the 1 person that gets killed in a shark attack and you're terrified of the ocean. As everyone else is saying, you should definitely take the job. Just use some common sense. Also these incidents are getting a ton of publicity for being random + successful women in finance, but this is a really beyond rare occurence. You're more likely to die from a lightning strike.
A few additional tips
- in subways stand with your back against the wall/stairs - don't walk right up to the yellow line. similarly, keep the headphones off when subway is approaching
- never get on an empty subway car, or car with 1 person. look for the ones with a few people
- if someone looks like they are following you don't go home. go to the cvs on the corner and if they're still there call the police
- do not take the subway at night, esp in wee hours post work/going out
- don't zone out in ubers - keep an eye on where they are going and the route
- be mindful of where you live. doorman helps keep random people out, if it makes you more comfortable it might be worth the extra money for that type of unit
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