Is Crime Increasing Because of Our Financial Crisis?
Financial crisis leading to tough times can cause increased crime. We've certainly got the tough times. I wonder whether times are tough enough to bring back the 70s.
Here in New York, the epitome of tough times for those of us under 100 years old, who really don't remember the Great Depression, would have to be the 1970s - a time that goes back about 40 years. New York City, my home town, was a lot different 40 years ago. And it wasn't pleasant.
The connection between today and the 70s occurred to me when I was reading about graffiti. Back in the 70s, graffiti became a plague in New York. Splotches of graffiti were everywhere. And as opposed to all the propaganda about "graffiti artists" and freedom of expression, most of the graffiti was just kids and vandals spraying ugly images and messages - none of which had artistic merit.
As I was reading more about graffiti, I thought about a trip to Rome last year where I learned that graffiti was something ancient Romans scratched onto walls that typically expressed a political view, or message. Some of it was personal. But it wasn't really the work of vandals, like the stuff in NYC in the 70s (and 80s).
While I haven't seen a return to the 70s graffiti plague, recently a local bank had to hire a service to clean up graffiti sprayed on their walls and the sidewalk in front of the bank.
Besides some signs of graffiti, I have seen another reminder of the awful 70s: the stuff your dog leaves on the sidewalk when you walk it and don't clean up after it. (I'm trying to express this as delicately as I can.)
After the great clean-up of the years when Rudy Giuliani was mayor, people are slipping back to the days when they didn't feel their dog's leave-behinds sitting on the sidewalks was a big deal. Too bad, because it really is. Beside the inconvenience (actually more than a mere inconvenience) of stepping in the stuff, it's just unhealthy and unsightly.
The next step for a full-blown return to the 70s would be the return of aforementioned graffiti, and those old lovable "squeegy" guys - the ones who used to wipe your car windshield when you were stopped at a traffic light. Oh, and let's not forget about the bums in the subways and the bums (homeless?) on the streets.
We've definitely got an increase in bums in the subway. You don't notice too many yet on the streets. And, again, the graffiti is not at all ubiquitous as it once was.
So, all in all, New York isn't back in the 70s yet, but I'm keeping my eyes and ears open just in case. You can't take what I've described and make sweeping generalizations or come to definite conclusions. What I've been talking about is basically anecdotal evidence. But it's not something you should ignore either.
On the other hand, friends and colleagues in cities in the Midwest have been telling me about a noticeable increase in crime - indeed much of it violent crime. And, getting back to New York, a recent report claims subway crime has spiked over 30%. That's a big jump. That statistic isn't anecdotal, by the way. And when you start seeing statistics like that combined with anecdotal evidence, you're got reason to be concerned.
Frankly, it's worrisome. And it reminds me of warnings I gave to clients after the market collapse of 2008, as we slipped into what would prove to be a bad recession. Most of them didn't grow up in New York. They emigrated here after the 70s and 80s. They've only known the New York that's become the #1 tourist attraction in the world. It's been a relatively safe city for the last couple of decades. So these folks probably thought I was crazy when I told them to be cautious and described what the city was like in the 70s. I specifically mentioned subway crime. And I specifically said what happened in the 70s slowly evolved over 15 - 20 years, starting in the 50s. (Yes, that's how it happened. It wasn't an overnight thing.) So they shouldn't expect crime to come roaring in out of the blue. But they should still be awake and aware of any signs that things might be changing for the worse.
I hope these recent signs won't mean a change for the worse. I certainly hope that we don't revisit the 70s. But I'm also being cautious and advising my own family to be alert.
Meanwhile, I really wish dog owners would try to understand that it's really, REALLY, obnoxious when they don't pick up after their dogs. And tough times - which we do seem to be in right now - are no excuse!
Here in New York, the epitome of tough times for those of us under 100 years old, who really don't remember the Great Depression, would have to be the 1970s - a time that goes back about 40 years. New York City, my home town, was a lot different 40 years ago. And it wasn't pleasant.
The connection between today and the 70s occurred to me when I was reading about graffiti. Back in the 70s, graffiti became a plague in New York. Splotches of graffiti were everywhere. And as opposed to all the propaganda about "graffiti artists" and freedom of expression, most of the graffiti was just kids and vandals spraying ugly images and messages - none of which had artistic merit.
As I was reading more about graffiti, I thought about a trip to Rome last year where I learned that graffiti was something ancient Romans scratched onto walls that typically expressed a political view, or message. Some of it was personal. But it wasn't really the work of vandals, like the stuff in NYC in the 70s (and 80s).
While I haven't seen a return to the 70s graffiti plague, recently a local bank had to hire a service to clean up graffiti sprayed on their walls and the sidewalk in front of the bank.
Besides some signs of graffiti, I have seen another reminder of the awful 70s: the stuff your dog leaves on the sidewalk when you walk it and don't clean up after it. (I'm trying to express this as delicately as I can.)
After the great clean-up of the years when Rudy Giuliani was mayor, people are slipping back to the days when they didn't feel their dog's leave-behinds sitting on the sidewalks was a big deal. Too bad, because it really is. Beside the inconvenience (actually more than a mere inconvenience) of stepping in the stuff, it's just unhealthy and unsightly.
The next step for a full-blown return to the 70s would be the return of aforementioned graffiti, and those old lovable "squeegy" guys - the ones who used to wipe your car windshield when you were stopped at a traffic light. Oh, and let's not forget about the bums in the subways and the bums (homeless?) on the streets.
We've definitely got an increase in bums in the subway. You don't notice too many yet on the streets. And, again, the graffiti is not at all ubiquitous as it once was.
So, all in all, New York isn't back in the 70s yet, but I'm keeping my eyes and ears open just in case. You can't take what I've described and make sweeping generalizations or come to definite conclusions. What I've been talking about is basically anecdotal evidence. But it's not something you should ignore either.
On the other hand, friends and colleagues in cities in the Midwest have been telling me about a noticeable increase in crime - indeed much of it violent crime. And, getting back to New York, a recent report claims subway crime has spiked over 30%. That's a big jump. That statistic isn't anecdotal, by the way. And when you start seeing statistics like that combined with anecdotal evidence, you're got reason to be concerned.
Frankly, it's worrisome. And it reminds me of warnings I gave to clients after the market collapse of 2008, as we slipped into what would prove to be a bad recession. Most of them didn't grow up in New York. They emigrated here after the 70s and 80s. They've only known the New York that's become the #1 tourist attraction in the world. It's been a relatively safe city for the last couple of decades. So these folks probably thought I was crazy when I told them to be cautious and described what the city was like in the 70s. I specifically mentioned subway crime. And I specifically said what happened in the 70s slowly evolved over 15 - 20 years, starting in the 50s. (Yes, that's how it happened. It wasn't an overnight thing.) So they shouldn't expect crime to come roaring in out of the blue. But they should still be awake and aware of any signs that things might be changing for the worse.
I hope these recent signs won't mean a change for the worse. I certainly hope that we don't revisit the 70s. But I'm also being cautious and advising my own family to be alert.
Meanwhile, I really wish dog owners would try to understand that it's really, REALLY, obnoxious when they don't pick up after their dogs. And tough times - which we do seem to be in right now - are no excuse!
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