Minneapolis: Most dangerous downtown of any US major city? (Stephen: neighborhood, tenant)

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Here ya go: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2352605...n_tab_contents

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.chi...story,amp.html

"He has had some very ingenious studies," said Gary Becker, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, of Levitt's work.

Named a tenured professor in 1999 after just two years at the U. of C., Levitt has garnered a stream of accolades in his short career and made an impact with his quirky, sometimes obscure studies in a storied economics department known for its conservatism and focus on free markets. Most significant, in 2003 he won the John Bates Clark Medal from the American Economic Association. The honor is bestowed every two years for the nation's most outstanding economist under age 40.

Columbia University sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh said Levitt's research was sound, but that it was just a highly charged topic. "Steve's approach is that he is going to be driven entirely by science, not the political ramifications of the question or the result," Venkatesh said.

"He has made a reputation in the wider world in as non-technical a way as one could imagine," added Daniel Hamermesh, a leading labor economist at the University of Texas, who has used Levitt's studies in his undergraduate courses. "His studies have worked because they are an illustration of the breadth to which economics can be applied."

His studies are cited in a several text books:
https://books.google.com/books?id=JC...levitt&f=false

https://books.google.com/books?id=I1...levitt&f=false

Here is his Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/speakers/steven_levitt

It makes no difference what I provide to defend his work because you’ve already written him off.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by Cruz Azul Guy

Here ya go: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2352605...n_tab_contents

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.chi...story,amp.html









His studies are cited in a several text books:
https://books.google.com/books?id=JC...levitt&f=false

https://books.google.com/books?id=I1...levitt&f=false

Here is his Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/speakers/steven_levitt

It makes no difference what I provide to defend his work because you’ve already written him off.

Now that is how you demonstrate a point. With reason and not emotion.

I accept that Levitt’s work is controversial. It is not beyond question by any means, but he has a few supporters.

[MidwestRedux]

New York City, Boston and other cities that experienced dramatic drops in crime over the last couple decades appear to validate broken windows theory. They used zero tolerance enforcement in specific areas to physically stop crimes from being committed.

In the 1990s, the NYPD would shut down entire blocks so they could see exactly who was coming and going. It worked. While there were other factors involved this was a big part of the reason that NYC went from over 2000 murders a year to 200 something last year.

Milwaukee is a very good comparison to Minneapolis. It has a larger minority population, is just as segregated and has a higher overall crime rate. However, the downtown area, while not exactly bustling, appears much safer. I've stayed downtown several times recently and walked around at all hours of the night and never felt unsafe.

I'm still curious as to whether anyone can identify a specific downtown that made them feel less safe. I spent time in downtown Detroit a couple months ago. It is still somewhat rundown, but didnt have the same appearance of people hanging around looking for trouble like Minneapolis.

St Paul seems to be catching up pretty quickly though.

[Minntoaz]

Shocker: people protest every move law enforcement make and violence goes up!

The violence is a problem of a larger issue. It’s a cultural issue that requires an entire paradigm shift. Instead of being mad at police involvement, be mad at the people shooting and beating others. Be mad at that most of these criminals grew up in broken homes. Be mad they are killing their own.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

Originally Posted by MidwestRedux

New York City, Boston and other cities that experienced dramatic drops in crime over the last couple decades appear to validate broken windows theory. They used zero tolerance enforcement in specific areas to physically stop crimes from being committed.

In the 1990s, the NYPD would shut down entire blocks so they could see exactly who was coming and going. It worked. While there were other factors involved this was a big part of the reason that NYC went from over 2000 murders a year to 200 something last year.

Milwaukee is a very good comparison to Minneapolis. It has a larger minority population, is just as segregated and has a higher overall crime rate. However, the downtown area, while not exactly bustling, appears much safer. I've stayed downtown several times recently and walked around at all hours of the night and never felt unsafe.

I'm still curious as to whether anyone can identify a specific downtown that made them feel less safe. I spent time in downtown Detroit a couple months ago. It is still somewhat rundown, but didnt have the same appearance of people hanging around looking for trouble like Minneapolis.

St Paul seems to be catching up pretty quickly though.

Yes but the point made by Levitt in his studies is that other US cities which did not apply the broken window theory policing strategy saw similar drops in crime during the same time period. I believe he used Los Angeles as one example.

[Citykid3785]

Originally Posted by cttransplant85

Cities out west generally have very few black people. Mostly comprised of Whites, Asians, and Hispanics. I very much doubt segregation actually plays into crime, it’s more about culture than anything, socioeconomics also playing a part. NYC is the most ethnically segregated place on earth and has very low crime. Atlanta is one of the least segregated places and has lots of crime.

That may have been true years ago, but Atlanta is extremely segregated. In general, Blacks live in the south & west of the city, whites live in the north, and Asians in the north east. And co-mingling generally isn't pushed here, it seems widely known across the city that the blacks hang with the blacks and go to black churches, same with the whites and the Asians.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by Cruz Azul Guy

Yes but the point made by Levitt in his studies is that other US cities which did not apply the broken window theory policing strategy saw similar drops in crime during the same time period. I believe he used Los Angeles as one example.

Fraakonomics’ comparison of NYC and LA are flawed because he did not correctly adjust for population growth.

Freakonomics is to an academic statistical study as an Oprah Winfrey self-help book is to the Torah, Bible, or Koran. It pretends to be serious but, although entertaining and perhaps not wholly without merit, really isn’t in the same league at all.

[TwinsFan1975]

Originally Posted by Minntoaz

Shocker: people protest every move law enforcement make and violence goes up!

The violence is a problem of a larger issue. It’s a cultural issue that requires an entire paradigm shift. Instead of being mad at police involvement, be mad at the people shooting and beating others. Be mad at that most of these criminals grew up in broken homes. Be mad they are killing their own.

Spot, freakin ON! However the left hates the police because they ultimately want to abolish local police and create a national police force. Under their control, of course.

[RbccL]

Originally Posted by TwinsFan1975

Spot, freakin ON! However the left hates the police because they ultimately want to abolish local police and create a national police force. Under their control, of course.

Easier to agree with until you drag in “left” and “right”.

People ask me if it bothers me, the amount of sirens I hear living in the downtown area of a large city. No, not at all -it means that someone’s responding to crime. I don’t mind if the police are blocking traffic when they have someone surrounded, either. Rather have a huge police presence than having to call them myself.

[TheGrandViking]

Originally Posted by Minntoaz

Shocker: people protest every move law enforcement make and violence goes up!

The violence is a problem of a larger issue. It’s a cultural issue that requires an entire paradigm shift. Instead of being mad at police involvement, be mad at the people shooting and beating others. Be mad at that most of these criminals grew up in broken homes. Be mad they are killing their own.

The problem with this hypothesis we are closer to historic lows than highs in violent crimes. Sounds like protesting is a good method to keep crime low. That's the problem with loose correlations.

Or if there is an increase in crime, it's because of cop videos showing police brutality or Mars is in confluence with Venus. I could go either way.

Coincidence does not equal causation.