Boston crime thread - all posts go here. (Boston: single, students)

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by Lampert

I stated my point pretty clearly. Crime rates (or really any metric) by city limits are of little value. Should look at crime rates by urban area. And I have no idea how crime rates by urban area look like in NY, you are adding areas of high crime in NJ but also areas of low crime in Long Island.

I think it's pretty obvious that a boom in homicide in Cambridge is a problem for Boston too, even though in a statistic by city it doesn't show up in Boston.

Why would a boon in Homicide in Cambridge be a problem for Boston. Nothing to do with BPD

Crime rates should be measured at very small level like by neighborhood not even by city. Metro makes no sense as individual people don’t live at that scale..where crime is an issue crime is an issue. Meaningless to kink in Brownsville with Darien Connecticut or Grove Hall with Sudbury. That’s just fluff.

[WestieWhitie]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

Why would a boon in Homicide in Cambridge be a problem for Boston. Nothing to do with BPD

Crime rates should be measured at very small level like by neighborhood not even by city. Metro makes no sense as individual people don’t live at that scale..where crime is an issue crime is an issue. Meaningless to kink in Brownsville with Darien Connecticut or Grove Hall with Sudbury. That’s just fluff.

Homie, you seem to be forgetting criminals are mobile and have cars - get them emboldened enough in their main location and next thing you know gunshots start popping off and guns start getting shoved in people’s faces outside of designated hamsterdams or even several towns over, just look at Minneapolis. Not a problem in Boston and surrounding towns right now as criminal underclass is mostly gentrified out and those remaining know cops are willing to crack skulls if needed but that can easily change if our centered green new equitable racial thermal justice leadership turns on police and gives criminals free reign. Once again, just look at Minneapolis.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Yet Darien CT has a non existent crime rate?

Anyways Boston cops aren’t known to crack skulls at all. They just lie, a lot. Lots of evidence they lie I can’t think of the last brutality case against BPD

Indeed, both the New York MSA and Boston MSA each contain several of the safest cities in America. But I’m not sure how safety in Hopkinton has any relation whatsoever to Bostonians. What does Bergenfield NJ or Brick NJ have to do with people in the Bronx? Like I said- this only matters to a suburbanite.

Not sure what the value add is in comparing a city with crime to what are honestly random unrelated towns on a personal level. Places that truly don’t experience crime.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

Why would a boon in Homicide in Cambridge be a problem for Boston. Nothing to do with BPD

Crime rates should be measured at very small level like by neighborhood not even by city. Metro makes no sense as individual people don’t live at that scale..where crime is an issue crime is an issue. Meaningless to kink in Brownsville with Darien Connecticut or Grove Hall with Sudbury. That’s just fluff.

The scale you use depends on what you are trying to say with your data. If you are trying to do an in-depth analysis of criminal activity, or you are trying to buy a house, I agree crime should be studied at very small scale.
If you are making broad statements in term of crime in "Boston" than it makes a lot more sense to do a broader scale.

The homicide rate in Boston is important because outside of MA Cambridge IS Boston. If Cambridge became infested with violent crimes this would reflect on the image of Boston and with time the whole area could start loosing tourism both leisure and business.
This is especially true for Boston where a typical 2-3 visit of the city includes a visit to Cambridge.

The problem with city limits is that they are purely arbitrary. They can change and the statistics could change dramatically without really any real change happen.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by Lampert

The scale you use depends on what you are trying to say with your data. If you are trying to do an in-depth analysis of criminal activity, or you are trying to buy a house, I agree crime should be studied at very small scale.
If you are making broad statements in term of crime in "Boston" than it makes a lot more sense to do a broader scale.

The homicide rate in Boston is important because outside of MA Cambridge IS Boston. If Cambridge became infested with violent crimes this would reflect on the image of Boston and with time the whole area could start losing tourism both leisure and business.
This is especially true for Boston where a typical 2-3 visit of the city includes a visit to Cambridge.

The problem with city limits is that they are purely arbitrary.

1. why would this be a focus? Is Chicago experiencing declines in tourism? it was rising pre covid.. What about NYC?

2. define arbitrary and purely, please. here's the definitions I have

Arbitrary: "based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system."

Purely: entirely; exclusively.

I would say that's not how Boston or NYC city limits were made. It obviously wasn't random or based on any one person's whim. There were concrete reasons to agglomerate or not. Many of which were explained at great length 150 years ago. You can't just say it's arbitrary.

You admit that for anything remotely practical or meaningful crime should be studied at a small scale. The police and city residents could give a damn about Cambridge or Tewksbury. Look at the thread title. This is what I mean- you're focus is on tourists and people unfamiliar with Boston. My focus is on Boston, Bostonians and neighborhoods. This is generally how crime is approached and thought about unless you're detached and/or unfamiliar with the city, like a tourist or suburbanite. But those folks arent talking to and dealing with police or crime so to me thats irrelevant. How much do people really care about high crime areas so long as theyre removed from where they visit? very little.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

1. why would this be a focus? Is Chicago experiencing declines in tourism? it was rising pre covid.. What about NYC?

2. define arbitrary and purely, please. here's the definitions I have

Arbitrary: "based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system."

Purely: entirely; exclusively.

I would say that's not how Boston or NYC city limits were made. It obviously wasn't random or based on any one person's whim. There were concrete reasons to agglomerate or not. Many of which were explained at great length 150 years ago. You can't just say it's arbitrary.

They are arbitrary in the sense there isn't any unchangeable reason why they are what they are. They can change for a number of reasons and this will not change the reality of how things are.
You can be robbed on either side of the muddy river, it's going to be recorded as a crime in a different city but it's very much of impact to anyone living in the area.

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

The police and city residents could give a damn about Cambridge or Tewksbury. Look at the thread title. This is what I mean- you're focus is on tourists and people unfamiliar with Boston. My focus is on Boston, Bostonians and neighborhoods. This is generally how crime is approached and thought about unless you're detached and/or unfamiliar with the city, like a tourist or suburbanite. But those folks arent talking to and dealing with police or crime so to me thats irrelevant. How much do people really care about high crime areas so long as theyre removed from where they visit? very little.

Definitely not true about places like Cambridge or Brookline, pretty common for lots of Bostonians to hang out there. People in Allston, city center, East Boston, Misson Hill etc are much more likely to go to places on Cambridge or Brookline than Dorchester or South Boston. So if you are a Bostonian that lives in Brighton the crime rate in Brookline or Cambridge is of very much interest to you. But frankly even if you are a Bostonian from Roxbury that happens to work in Cambridge. You speak like people don't move around.

And BTW, since none is asking , here is the crime rate by metro areas:
https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s...tables/table-6


Boston urban core (2m people) sits at 396
Boston MSA (4.9m people) sits at 280

Worcester MSA (800k people) 310

Springfield MSA (700k people) 471

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by Lampert

They are arbitrary in the sense there isn't any unchangeable reason why they are what they are. They can change for a number of reasons and this will not change the reality of how things are.
You can be robbed on either side of the muddy river, it's going to be recorded as a crime in a different city but it's very much of impact to anyone living in the area.



Definitely not true about places like Cambridge or Brookline, pretty common for lots of Bostonians to hang out there. People in Allston, city center, East Boston, Misson Hill etc are much more likely to go to places on Cambridge or Brookline than Dorchester or South Boston. So if you are a Bostonian that lives in Brighton the crime rate in Brookline or Cambridge is of very much interest to you. But frankly even if you are a Bostonian from Roxbury that happens to work in Cambridge. You speak like people don't move around.

And BTW, since none is asking , here is the crime rate by metro areas:
https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s...tables/table-6


Boston urban core (2m people) sits at 396
Boston MSA (4.9m people) sits at 280

Worcester MSA (800k people) 310

Springfield MSA (700k people) 471

It's not for no reason though- Cambridge is denser, with straighter streets, ore squares, much more liberal, different form of government, different school acheivement, different levels of integration, different levels of upward mobility. There's a super-wide range of things that make Cambridge meaningfully different than Boston. Working in Cambridge doesn't seem relevant-I don't know how much you think people in the DRM go to Cambridge but I can assure you its not that high. For lack of a better word hoodrats stay in their hood.

Baltimore is Baltimore I don't say it's safe because I go to the mall in Towson. Hartford is Hartford its not safe because I go to West Farms or Blueback Square or Rocky Hill or because the downtown area is immaculate and safe.

[Lampert]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

It's not for no reason though- Cambridge is denser, with straighter streets, ore squares, much more liberal, different form of government, different school acheivement, different levels of integration, different levels of upward mobility. There's a super-wide range of things that make Cambridge meaningfully different than Boston. Working in Cambridge doesn't seem relevant-I don't know how much you think people in the DRM go to Cambridge but I can assure you its not that high. For lack of a better word hoodrats stay in their hood.

What Boston are you talking about? That's the point. Allston is Boston just like Dorchester but I can guarantee you most people that live in Allston don't really care what happens in Dorchester. They happen to be in the same city but their day to day life doesn't overlap in any meaningful way. While it overlaps a lot more with neighboring Brookline or Cambridge, both geographically and demographically.

That's way I agree that if you are doing an in-depth criminal analysis it's much better to have very small areas to look at. But the point is that the city level is particularly meaningless because you aggregate areas that share little in common (especially when it comes to criminal activity), if you want to aggregate than aggregate more comprehensively by urban area.

Statistics will show much higher criminal activity in the city compared to suburbs in part because people from the suburbs contribute to criminal activity in the city, for instance they will go there to buy drugs and stuff.
It isn't very fair to the city, yes there is more criminal activity but you should take into account how much of it's fueled by "outsiders". And looking at urban area crime rate is a step in that direction.

[msRB311]

Shooting in hyde park on pierce st last night...no news on it yet...something like 43 rounds.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by msRB311

Shooting in hyde park on pierce st last night...no news on it yet...something like 43 rounds.

Man shot on Wayne Street in Dorchester as well I don't think the Pierce street shooting had a victim.

People don't report on shooting w/o victims and generally not on non-fatals.