Share This Article
Photo by: Izaakb
Last week Mayor de Blasio attended the NYPD’s weekly crime statistics session, a response to the uptick in violence this summer. That uptick has to be seen in context—the number of shootings, murders and other crimes is still way, way lower than it was not just in The Bad Old Days but even just a few years.
What is striking though, when one digs a little deeper into the shooting statistics is how uneven they are across the city. No, it’s not surprising that some areas have more crime than others. What is a little shocking is that, even in a bloodier summer, so many areas have absolutely no reported gun violence.
Through August 10, the city has seen an almost 12 percent increase in shooting victims over 2013. But 31 of the city’s 77 police precincts have seen a decrease, and 12 have seen no change, so far this year. Eighteen of the city’s precincts have not had a single shooting victim this year—and seven of those had no victims at this point in 2013, either.
Looked at another way, the precinct that has seen the sharpest increase in shootings—the 69th, which covers Canarsie—has seen more additional shooting victims this year than the total number of victims the 28 least-violent precincts have seen combined.
Again, the existence of a disparity isn’t shocking, but the degree is stunning, and is just something to keep in mind when the discussion turns to law & order, stop & frisk and other issues—some neighborhoods simply have a lot more skin in the game.
For a precinct map, or to find your own, use NYCGIS.