Two-faced city: Guns, crime and drugs in New York.

• In Event: Strength in Numbers: A New Model for Undergraduate Research on Hot Topics in Criminal Justice and Public Health

Abstract

Crime rates remain at historic lows in New York City, and yet, many residents believe that the city is not safe. This presentation uses data from surveys (n=15,000+) and in-depth interviews (n=5,000+) collected in New York City neighborhoods by students at John Jay College since 2012 to examine what they as New York City residents think about guns, crime and drugs in their own neighborhoods. By focusing on differences in the attitudes, orientations and experiences of New Yorkers who live in high-crime versus low-crime neighborhoods, the paper points to how the daily experiences of some New Yorkers leads to vastly different outlooks about their own neighborhood, personal safety and their place in the city. The chasm is also evident in gentrifying neighborhoods that feature a mix of old residents who remember the war on drugs and what it did to the neighborhood and the new residents who have no collective memory and seem oblivious to the past. The presentation will include detailed analysis of the data collected by our students.

Authors

• Yolanda C. Martin, City University of New York / BMCC

• Raymond Ruggiero, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

• Samantha Jean, Borough of Manhattan Community College

• Laiquan Bates, Borough of Manhattan Community College

• Irini Zenuni, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

• Peter Haxhi, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

• Franklin Ramirez, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY

• Marta Guadalupe Orellana, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY