It's a real reaction, but what is driving it? Are they seeing reports of violence on Fox News or elsewhere and creating an image of the entire city in flames, awash in thieves with guns? How detailed is the reporting? Is the reporting telling them where the crime is happening and who the targets are? And is the reporting putting this rise in crime in the context of a historical low period of crime in New York?
Their fear may be real, but I question the integrity and the purpose of some of the sources supplying them with this fear. Though it also sounds like, from your other comments, these are people who were already inclined to feel unsafe when in the city, so they don't need much of a push to presume the worst. I go out for a late night walk around my neighborhood at least once a week, often more, and I always feel safe. Things are rough and getting rougher, but much (most?) of the city is still as safe as it was last year. |
