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January 10, 2007
Let's Talk About the Rushkoffs, Dammit
Since we're about the only publication in town who hasn't written about writer Douglas Rushkoff's Christmas eve mugging outside his Park Slope apartment and subsequent decision to leave (and, along with his wife, to write about leaving) Brooklyn, we might as well throw it out there. His wife now famously wrote that she felt safer in the East Village in the 1980s that she does in Park Slope today, which sounded kind of silly until her hubby clarified that this was only because they knew the drug dealers in the East Village. We got a call from a reporter a couple of days ago asking whether we thought the incident would have a negative effect on real estate prices. In short? No. In long? No, no, no. The Rushkoffs decision to leave was an emotional, albeit understandable, one. Unless the entire city enters a 1970s-like downward spiral, we're pretty sure Park Slope will be just fine.
Do You Care If the Rushkoffs Leave Brooklyn? [New York Magazine]
On Leaving Brooklyn [Steven Berlin Johnson]
The Rushkoffs' original blog posts are no longer available online.
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Comments
there making a hugh mistake .
the biggest mistakes in life are made when you let your emotions make choices instead of REALLY thinking them out . What happened to them is sad but . No need to run away
Posted by: electricgreek at January 10, 2007 9:09 AM
He should move to Bed Stuy, people don't bother you here.
Posted by: tommy at January 10, 2007 9:11 AM
Who is Douglas Rushkoff? And why is it a big deal that he got mugged?
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 9:17 AM
You can't discount their decision and call it hysteria - how would anyone here feel if they were mugged outside their house? Some may get over it fast, but others may not. It's a very personal decision.
You also have to hope that it's not the start of a trend of crime. The gap between the haves and have nots seems to be widening, and with the cost of living alone rising, some people just can't take it. I would hope it's not a trend, but it's something to watch out for.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 9:19 AM
I was out of town and missed this whole brouhaha - where in PS does/did the Rushkoffs live?
Posted by: zeebee at January 10, 2007 9:23 AM
I don't think it's a trend. These things happen from time to time. I was mugged on President St between Smith & Hoyt in 1991 (a landmark block, no less)...I didn't leave. Since then, there have been scattered muggings, purse snatchings, car thefts and car vandalism on that block, albeit few and far between, but people are not leaving because of it.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 9:27 AM
I hate to put us off topic but lets not excuse criminal behavior b/c it comes from a "have/have not" situation or cost of living rises. GET A JOB like the rest of the world.
We dont know who mugged this guy but no matter what he has or doesnt, it doesnt justify attacking another human being b/c he wants his stuff. This guy wasnt stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family...so lets not overdramatize it. Its a low life criminal plain and simple who preyed on some innocent guy walking down his street. That happens everywhere no matter what the cost of living is.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 9:32 AM
i thought this was a reprint from 1986. give me a break.
Posted by: 9000 at January 10, 2007 9:35 AM
Another liberal has just been mugged by reality.
Posted by: Robert O'Booey at January 10, 2007 9:37 AM
I think what is unnerving is that you are never totally safe. And that feeling of being invincible was erased from this dude (after all he lived in East Village and nothing ever happened there so to him nothing bad could happen).
So now that the myth is shattered he will blame it on 'Brooklyn' and hope to recapture the feeling of safety by moving elsewhere. Understandable yes.
Logical no.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 9:40 AM
buh-bye.
Posted by: Wallis at January 10, 2007 9:40 AM
With every word the Rushkoffs write and say about this incident, the deeper the hole. I love this from the NY Mag article:
Luckily, Rushkoff himself puts the matter to rest yesterday in his lengthy interview with Brian Lehrer. "Park Slope is dark; it has residential streets that nobody walks on," he explained. "[In the East Village] I knew which drug dealers are on which corner, and I actually had a relationship with them. In Park Slope, there's a tension in our relationship … I don't think they consider me part of the same neighborhood." And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen: The Rushkoffs are leaving Park Slope because they don't feel accepted by their local drug dealers. And how does Doug respond to his friend Steven Berlin Johnson's entreaties? "Steven Berlin? He lives in a gorgeous townhouse by the park. He's not living in the same Park Slope that I can afford."
Boo hoo. Douglas Rushkoff can't afford a townhouse between 8th and the Park. He lives -- where? -- between 6th & 7th? -- and its soooo much more dangerous there!
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 9:44 AM
Brooklyn to Rushkoff: don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 9:48 AM
Call me heartless, but I don't see why I should have sympathy for these people. So he got mugged outside his apartment. He wasn't shot, or stabbed, or banged over the head with a blunt instrument. He lost his wallet and maybe a little of his dignity, just like I did when I got mugged in front of my building in Manhattan. He and his wife should be glad they weren't hurt and that they have the money to leave, if that's what they want to do.
But they should beware the 'burbs, if that's where they're headed. Out here, they don't mug you on the street, they break into your house--while you're inside it--which happened to me on 12/22.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 9:51 AM
Unpredictable reality intrudes on one man's routine ...
An enclave of caring people cries ...
How many ways to express
"I DON'T CARE"?
Posted by: Rick at January 10, 2007 9:54 AM
where's this sort of "element" coming from anyway in Park Slope?...there aren't any projects in prime slope as far as I know...
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 9:56 AM
Rick -- if you'd read the original blog posts or listened to Rushkoff on the radio, I think you'd find your sympathy level taking a steep dive. These two talk as if they are the only people ever to be mugged, as if the fact that they pay a lot for their housing in Park Slope should be some kind of guarantor that they never encounter crime, as if they are mightily deprived if they can't afford to send their child to private school, and on and on. If they had simply reported their misfortune, I am sure they would have received ample sympathy. But they thought instead that the fact that this happened was an event of great sociological significance. Thus the disdain.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 10:04 AM
completely off topic, but I've always liked the two small limestone townhouses in the photo above. They're on Lafayette Avenue in Clinton Hill, between St. James Place and Grand Avenue, next to the Pratt Architecture School building.
Posted by: lp at January 10, 2007 10:05 AM
One more reason that this guy's a twit. (You should try reading his books....)
Posted by: anon at January 10, 2007 10:05 AM
Hey, I was mugged in front of my house in Clinton Hill in the 80s. I figured that was better than my prior digs in the East Village, where three people were shot in front of my apt in a single night of drug dealing (yes I knew the dealers, but that didn't make me feel more secure...there's still the crossfire). Better yet, my mugging was one in a series at the same corner, and my neighbors finally nailed the guy in the act when his next victim screamed bloody murder, and accidentally broke his legs while waiting for the cops to arrive. No more muggings at that corner...and better security than the East Village.
Posted by: Anon at January 10, 2007 10:08 AM
Sort of a non-story, really. If this were the only mugging in the city this year, then perhaps it's worthy of discussion. Keep in mind the number of crimes (and really really badly personal crimes) that occur while people are waiting to find their keys in their own vestibules in unattended manhattan apartment buildings. Not trying to justify the crime, but rather saying if you're trying to run from crime, better be ready to run long and far.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 10:15 AM
These things happen. You don't have to assume that Brooklyn is circling the drain because this person was robbed, but it doesn't invalidate his experience nor is it difficult to understand his decision. When you no longer feel safe, you have a big problem, no matter what causes it. Sometimes little things can freak you out and you can live in pleasant denial about real dangers. There was some minor vandalism to my house some time ago and I was very spooked by it for a while. But these things can happen everywhere and they do, so I don't think we can make any assumptions about larger picture.
Posted by: anon at January 10, 2007 10:15 AM
I think he lives nears methodist, which apparently attracts some criminal element (just hearsay). Then there is that school within John Jay for suspended kids...
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 10:18 AM
This is a sad story--gentle and talented people get scared and hurt and fold their tents, and we all lose. Take away the literati portentousness, and this reminds me of my close friends, who were mugged at gunpoint in their apt bldg lobby in Queens Village and called the movers the next morning to head to the 'burbs. I can't judge their decision--their baby was with them in her stroller, and until my baby has been in front of a loaded pistol I can't say I've walked in those moccasins. But now in their Safe White Suburb they are culturally and geographically isolated, and every few months it seems a kid gets killed nearby in some manner related to a speeding car...it just seems a sad and ultimately futile attempt at a bargain with fate, one in which they lost as much as they gained. We moved into a "dangerous" neighborhood and with our neighbors worked to make it safer; it's still got problems, we've almost all been victims of some crime or attempted crime over the decades, but we are part of a resurgent urban adventure whose richness and diversity never fails to take my breath away. Or, to quote my personal motto for living in Bklyn: "Never Easy, Never Dull." I wish the Rushkoffs good luck, not good riddance, but I can ruefully predict with a fair degree of accuracy that they will be mighty pissed off when they spend a lot of money, move to someplace Safe, and discover that life is still unpredictable and dangerous.
Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at January 10, 2007 10:19 AM
There are people who live in the projects, many, many, many people, who go to work every single day. Just because you live in the projects does not mean that you are a criminal. That this has to be stated--that being working class or poor doesn't necessarily make you a moral degenerate--is heartbreaking. The Rushkoff's are leaving because they are now afraid of all of those young black and hispanic men they see in PS. He referred to them (those who mug)as the "poor neighborhood" under the "rich white one" again, conflating working class/poorer new yorkers and criminality. In his radio interview he named several other great neighborhoods that he might consider--all of them had one thing in common, and that is a small African-American population. I think he should be really honest and say that he is afraid of black and hispanic young men. That would be honest and would start a real dialogue, as it reflects the feeling of countless (certainly not all)white people in predominantly brown/black Brooklyn. Also, he should know that he is very late to Park Slope's gentrification. There were plenty of white people in PS in the 70s and 80s (some visionary, somejust smart, others truly egalitarian) during a truly more dangerous time. Many of these people were writers like him, but also teachers, actors, social workers, painters etc. I agree w. Rushkoffthat there is class tension in PS and gentrified Brooklyn in general. This is classic Republican era stuff. The wealthy are wealthier than ever and the working class and poor are being left behind (white, brown and black).
Posted by: june at January 10, 2007 10:22 AM
in reading their original blog posts (why did they take them down?) you get the feeling that they've been coasting along for years without a care, when this decidedly small incident (it sure could have been worse) occurs, they suddenly throw their hands up and say "we outta here." obviously, there is a lot more going on below the surface but to those of us who don't know them personally, this casts them as nothing more than sheltered yuppies. i think they were on thin ice with brooklyn for a long time before this happened.
Posted by: Jimmy Legs at January 10, 2007 10:23 AM
i got mugged and punched in front of my appartment once. i have also had someone pull gun on me. this is new york city, what do you expect? considering their silly expectations and scaredy-poo reactions i'd say they belong in kansas.
Posted by: Rider at January 10, 2007 10:26 AM
its true - living in the projects doesn't make you degenerate per se, but you can be rest assured that he wasn't mugged by someone living in a brownstone down the street. get real.
Posted by: right at January 10, 2007 10:30 AM
I'm with anon 9:48. Plenty of people ready to take their empty spot.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 10:31 AM
I completely agree with 'june 10:23'. Also, I've visited Brownstoner many times to see the bashing of Bed-Stuy when it comes to property values and it's relation to its perceived crime and 'elements'. The majority of comments have been borderline racist and it just strikes me funny how passive the comments have been on this topic as it relates to Park Slope.
Wake up folks. Crime is almost everywhere in NYC - pick up any of the local papers and read the Police Blogger section, you're in for a treat.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 10:38 AM
I get it, your mugged and you no longer feel safe - but all this societal, economic, and class based psudo-intellectual babble about a single incident is beyond ridiculous.
If you want to move ok fine, but making sweeping statements about a huge neighborhood, gigantic boro or meg sized city based on your personal experience is the height of narcassism.
and BTW how many people ever heard of this guy before the mugging? - I predict that Rushkoff will make more $ out of this incident (new book, magazine articles, etc...) then he has ever made in his life x2.
Posted by: David at January 10, 2007 10:45 AM
10:38, was just thinking the same thing.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 10:46 AM
Their reaction is based on hysteria. I was mugged years ago and did not leave Brooklyn. Crime can and does happen in the East Village. Besides, I'd rather have tranquil Park Slope streets than the loud, drunken college students who have invaded the East Village.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 10:46 AM
Jeez, if NyQuil and his pals mugged me and I left fab Flushing...nobody would notice.
www.forgotten-ny.com
Posted by: Kevin Walsh at January 10, 2007 10:47 AM
I'm sorry this guy was mugged, but he's one of so many people who've been mugged in Park Slope. So he's leaving. Big deal. It's not the start of a trend, it most certainly will not affect real estate. It's just a guy with a lot of avenues to publicity moving out of Brooklyn. Whatever.
Posted by: Wendy at January 10, 2007 10:50 AM
He is promoting this to get publicity. There are 000's of muggings each year in NYC. This was a publicity opportunity, and apparently, they have taken full advantage.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 10:52 AM
I'm sorry this guy was mugged, but he's one of so many people who've been mugged in Park Slope. So he's leaving. Big deal. It's not the start of a trend, it most certainly will not affect real estate. It's just a guy with a lot of avenues to publicity moving out of Brooklyn. Whatever.
Posted by: Wendy at January 10, 2007 10:53 AM
The Rushkoff's are smoking the crack their drug dealing EV buddies were dealing...they must have forgotten they live in NYC where crime does happen
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 10:53 AM
you guys who think crime is evenly distributed around the city are la-la land morons.
Posted by: l at January 10, 2007 10:59 AM
I agree completely with June, and thank you for stating the point so well. It really is a shame that someone has to. Oh, and "right at 10:30", don't rest too assuredly. No one thought red blooded white Americans could possibly be responsible for the Oklamhoma City terrorist attack either. Desperate people, for whatever reason, do not just live in the projects, or are only members of minority groups.
More importantly, in terms of the Rushkoff's - does NY Magazine ever write about real issues or about the lives of people who are not over-privileged whiners? From Wall Streeters who can't manage to live in comfort on their million dollar salaries, to thirty-something Upper East Siders who can't find boyfriends, to this? Has Britney Spears not sold her Manhattan loft yet?
I'm sorry to hear that anyone is a crime victim, and I'm sure the experience scared the hell out of them, but as someone else said, they wanted to leave anyway. They just managed to find a public outlet to vent in. Park Slope, and Brooklyn will go on.
Posted by: CrownHeightsProud at January 10, 2007 11:04 AM
"Crime is almost everywhere in NYC" -
True but that doesnt mean that you arent at SIGNIFICANT more risk in certain places then others. Sorry you can look at all the police blotters you want but the likelihood of being the victim of a crime in Brownsville is much, much higher then in Park Slope.
I mean Tornados happen anywhere too but it is (and should be) much more of a concern to someone living in Kansas then in NYC.
Posted by: David at January 10, 2007 11:05 AM
People's normative ideas are more important to them than facts. Are you people seriously arguing that inner city projects do not harbor or forment crime? projects aren't good for the people in them or the people around them.
Why don't you put your "understanding" of the real world to a real world test? Don some nice ostentatious gold bling and go and stand in any bed-stuy project of your choice for half an hour at 11pm. Then do the same in Park Slope.
Over-generalizations aside, there's the world as you'd like it to be and then there's the world as it is.
Posted by: l at January 10, 2007 11:17 AM
Do what I do - and take a look at the crime blotter in the Park Slope newspaper delivered every Saturday. It's AMAZING the amount of muggings, break-ins, and hold-ups that happen in a given week in PARK SLOPE. What's even crazier is that much of it happens in broad daylight, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. What I've learned: beware the area around the park and don't walk alone at night.
Posted by: North Sleeper at January 10, 2007 11:20 AM
What a spoiled, self-important narcissist this guy is. He gets mugged and the whole world has to stop and hear about it. Well boo hoo. I got mugged when I first moved to New York (in Park Slope too!) by a black guy in a hard hat. I didn't leave NYC, I didn't start spouting vaguely racial comments about black folk, and I didn't run away every time I saw a construction worker. Gee, what a survivor I am! Can New York Mag do an article on me? Can I be interviewed on the radio? Where's my book deal?
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 11:21 AM
I completely agree with 'june 10:23'. Also, I've visited Brownstoner many times to see the bashing of Bed-Stuy when it comes to property values and it's relation to its perceived crime and 'elements'. The majority of comments have been borderline racist and it just strikes me funny how passive the comments have been on this topic as it relates to Park Slope.
Wake up folks. Crime is almost everywhere in NYC - pick up any of the local papers and read the Police Blogger section, you're in for a treat.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 11:25 AM
I was mugged in Bushwick in 1994 and moved to the West Village 3 weeks later. Its no fun when a huge percent of your mental energy is spent worrying about personal safety. We all get to make personal choices about where we live.
Posted by: Argyle Road at January 10, 2007 11:30 AM
Let's take the test together 'David' and the other poster - 'nice ostentatious gold bling'-Anon 11:17 and go to Bed-Stuy where I live and also to Brownsville to see what happens. And then let's go hang in PS in the evening perhaps near beautiful Prospect Park. I'll bet we'll have just as much chance of being victims there as well.
Are you ready to put your racist beliefs to a test?
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 11:38 AM
I lived in Park Slope for 12 years. I was mugged once and that was in 2000 in downtown Manhattan on the Broadway Lafayette train platform during rush-hour (where I was dragged across the platform and the guy tried to throw me on the tracks because I wouldn't let go of my bag). Getting mugged is traumatic, but give me a break, you get over it. I got over it. And I'm a five foot tall woman. I still go to that platform and take the train. But now I'm more aware of my surroundings. This is a city, after all. The potential for crime is everywhere. It's this kind of self-obsessed, yuppies-with-blinders that prompted me to jump ship from the Slope.
Posted by: combustiblegirl at January 10, 2007 11:42 AM
yea - your racism you mean. You can do the test in any nice hood in Boston and the WHITE projects of south boston if you like. You'll get the same result. You clowns can't even think straight from your knee-jerking "its racism" all the time. Why don't you admit the truth of it instead of just trying to win the PC argument.
Posted by: l at January 10, 2007 11:43 AM
Think about this for a second. Mr. Rushkoff is going through a slump in his career and decides that he needs to take some action. So he goes out any hires some poor slob to participate in a little project. For a few bucks the guys agrees to "mug" him on the street in front of his house. Mr. R gets a lot of publicity and is instantly famous!!!
Sound strange, but in this YouTube/MySpace me, me, me/ self promotion world, stanger things have happened!!!!!!
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 11:49 AM
hes not going to bed-stuy with bling - he'll get mugged.....
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 11:51 AM
Anon - 11:43 - How is is my racism? And today we're discussing NYC neighborhoods. I'm not trying to win any PC arguments - believe me. It's a simple test and I'm willing to undertake it with anyone if they wish.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 11:53 AM
As we say in certain parts of BK, beat it.
Posted by: wherebrooklynat at January 10, 2007 11:53 AM
i understand the feeling of wanting to flee. after i got beat up in bed stuy, i desperately wanted to move out, but at the same time i knew it wouldn't be the right decision. i own my home and wasn't going to be forced out of the neighborhood i decided to call home. i've been ok since then (knock on wood.)
and here the whole time i was jealous of the safety of park slope. guess i was wrong!
i have no idea who this guy is, but i think if he really wanted to live in brooklyn, he'd stay there. in many respects brooklyn is more urban than manhattan as it becomes more and more a sanitized corporate theme park.
Posted by: pietro at January 10, 2007 11:53 AM
I was sexually abused by a stranger in my apartment building' elevator when I was 10 years old. I remember what I felt for, like, a whole year afterwards: paranoid. Every tall guy with blond hair looked like the perp to me, and the fear that I felt made me sick. Every time I came home from school I was sick with fear when entering my building. And I mean physically ill- ready to throw up. Moving wasn't an option for my family, but you bet - I'd love to move and never ride that elevator again. So I totally understand Rushkoff's emotional state. But time really heals. The fear eventually goes away. The Rushkoffs are currently understandably hysterical and paranoid - they should go to therapy, not to the burbs or to radio shows.
Poor guy sounded like he was about to cry on Brian Lehrer, and wasn't making any sense...
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 11:58 AM
i think the point is when anyone comes down on high crime neighborhoods because of the criminal elements who often live there, people start shouting "racist". Its inane. There is no honest discussion because people pull out the "racist" card. No-one wants to live next door to the projects if they have the choice, whether they be "black" or "white" projects. This guy can't even say that he wants to live in a low-crime neighborhood without being a racist apparently. People's anti-white racist "he's a racist" assumptions are just ridiculous.
Posted by: predictable at January 10, 2007 12:01 PM
anonymous 9:56 said: "where's this sort of "element" coming from anyway in Park Slope?...there aren't any projects in prime slope as far as I know..."
THE ELEMENT? Where in the $#(*& is THIS language coming from ? Where are we, Long Island in the late seventies? THE ELEMENT?
Give me a freaking break.
For your elucidation, The Wyckoff Houses are on Third Ave. between Baltic and Wyckoff. UN - OH - THE ELEMENT IS IN YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT. BETTER RUN BACK TO MASSAPEQUA.
Get over it.
I am really sorry Rushkoff was mugged, and I sort of sympathize with their reaction, although I don't think it would be mine.
But insulting members of your community with whitewashed makebelieve "polite" terms instead of just saying "Oh, are there some BLACK PEOPLE IN PARK SLOPE? OMIGOD GRAB YOUR PURSE" is stupid and cowardly.
Face it. You're a racist and you don't belong in Brooklyn with civilized rational people.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 12:09 PM
"element" is usually used with the modifier "criminal" to refer to those who commit crimes. Google it. Why don't you get familiar with the usage of it in the English language it before you hysterically accuse people of being racist for using it.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 12:16 PM
Can everyone stop the whole "moving to the burbs in a deadening and cultureless experience" thing? It's nothing but snobbery to say so.
In many suburbs today, there are more restaurants and services than ever before - I can do all the things there that I do here, you just need to choose the right suburb. And yes, some of them are actually becoming diverse. In fact, the one I grew up in had a nice mix of race and religion.
Also, living anywhere is what you make it. I have friends in the suburbs who visit museums and go to shows in NYC every week. Likewise, I have friends who, when they lived in NYC, never left their apartment save to go to the local bar and pizza joint. Who's having the better experience according to the "urban only" snobs?
I hope the Rushkoffs enjoy their experience in the suburbs (although I would say that while they probably won't get mugged in front of their door, I agree with the poster who said that there is certainly crime - burglaries, etc. - nowhere is completely safe). It's not as bad as you all make it out to be.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 12:17 PM
I'd take the 'test' proposed except for the Brownsville (and many Bed Stuy sections part) mainly b/c I dont want to be a crime victim. I have no problem standing outside at night in PS with Jewelry (although I shun the ostentatious kind).
You are delusional if you think that the 'odds' of being a crime victim in Bed Stuy and Brownsville are the same as in Park Slope. Why is this wrong to say? Why do you resist this inescapable fact so violently - do you think it helps those living in these neighborhoods to deny reality?
Posted by: David at January 10, 2007 12:21 PM
anon 12.09. You might by civilized and rational, but you clearly aren't well read. theres no racist connotation to the word element to refer to criminals (apart from the one you read into it).
Posted by: pick up a book at January 10, 2007 12:21 PM
It's a city, these things happen. Even in "nice" neighborhoods these things sometimes happen. Unpleasant perhaps, but true. An almost random aspect of city life that has, thank goodness, become quite a bit less common in recent years, which is why this sort of otherwise unremarkable story can become big news.
This guy actually sounds like the suburbs would make him equally uncomfortable though. His major objection seems to be the quietness and low traffic of PS streets in comparison to Manhattan, which is precisely what a lot of people like about the Slope. Seems to me he needs to go back to Manhattan, since nowhere else in the country really has a street life like that. And then stop whining already.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 12:30 PM
Pick up a book 12:21, "Element" was a widely used term during the seventies and eighties to refer to african americans. It's just as ugly now as it was then.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 12:31 PM
The Rushkoffs have said repeatedly that they want to stay in the city, or maybe upstate, not the suburbs, as cultural rich as "today's" suburbs may be. They are looking for a section that is cheaper with less poor black men because these men are antagonistic towards them unlike the "drug dealers" on the LES of the 80s. They seem like fine people, but I wish they would unpack some of these assumptions that they are making.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 12:33 PM
"They are looking for a section that is cheaper with less poor black men."
Queens!! But then they would have to live with being unfashionable, and being surrounded by people of yet more different races who are lower middle class immigrants like their grandparents probably were.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 12:37 PM
I fail to see what possible good comes of speculating on whether or not you will get mugged faster in Bed Stuy or Brownsville or Park Slope, if you take some kind of "test" by standing around with "Bling" in the middle of the night. Sounds like an episode of Jackass. How incredibly stupid.
What is it with people who have to constantly inform and remind us all of the "reality" that living in the city can be dangerous, and that street crime exists? No sh*t, Sherlock. But most of us choose to keep living in the neighborhoods of our choice, including Bed Stuy, etc, and we keep our eyes open, our doors locked, and our street sense on. No one is denying any kind of reality. Rather, we are moving on with our lives, getting up and going to work, raising families, going to the corner to get milk, taking walks on sunny days, and trying to improve our neighborhoods as we can, in many different ways. We don't need other people to define our reality, We are living it, and doing all right, thank you very much.
Posted by: CrownHeightsProud at January 10, 2007 12:50 PM
"In many suburbs today, there are more restaurants and services than ever before - "
Applebees, Outback Steakhouse, Fridays, Chochkies...
I was home for the holidays. This is an undeniable fact of the burbs. Anywhere in the country. Yes, there are always a few non-chain restaurants, opened by adventurous folk but by and large it is alllll chain all the time.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 12:55 PM
i haven't read any detailed accounts. did they actually get mugged, or was it one of those incidents where no one shows a weapon or dishes out any beats, and just says gimme your loot. basically a verbal pocket pick?
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 12:57 PM
What a bizarre thing this has turned into. I guess every online post you make is really just a Rorschach Test on the person who reads it. So little of the "replies" you see reference the full discussion. Usually just one point in one post has the replier in a tizzy.
I've also read most/all of the mushrooming online posts on this, and am baffled. What he's saying, if you read the posts and replies, is that Park Slope is experiencing a massive, almost unprecedented run-up in prices, largely because of a belief that this is an idyllic place to live for families. He says that he had bought into this thinking, and was struggling to keep up financially, but the mugging and other incidents has made him realize that this is just fantasy.
AS SUCH, he's saying that he and others like him should seek out other areas with less glowing real estate PR that are just as safe, but exponentially cheaper, and better options for families overall than trying to kill yourself with a giant mortgage.
Why is this so hard to comprehend from what's been written? Man.
Posted by: Geez Louise at January 10, 2007 12:58 PM
I'm telling you -- Queens is the answer. But idyllic it ain't.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 1:06 PM
Actually Geez he said alot more then that - but either way - the reason why people are debating it is b/c they believe is conclusion (about PS and Brooklyn in general) are self-centered.
Most people can understand that after being the victim of a violent crime, you have YOUR sense of security shattered and further understand that you no longer feel safe; HOWEVER just b/c Doug Rushkoff was mugged doesnt mean that thinking Park Slope (or other parts of Brooklyn) are idyllic (or even just nice) places to raise a family is a "fantasy".
Some places have less crime then others ( notice I didnt say NO crime), some places have more (or nicer) parks then others, some places have more successful schools then others, prettier streets, better mass transit, more trees, better shopping etc, etc, etc. It isnt a 'fantasy' and if Mr. Rushkoff finds a simialr neighborhood that has all that PS has to offer in these (and other areas) that is 'exponentially' cheaper - I am sure everyone would love to hear about it - but Rushkoff's sweeping statements about PS and Brooklyn not being 'worth it' is bound to raise the ire of those of us who havent found this 'better place' yet. Not to mention the hypocricy of noting all of his 'problems' with PS and then saying if he had 1m more dollars then sure he'd stay.
Posted by: David at January 10, 2007 1:18 PM
I got mugged in Queens... the neighbohood I grew up in and lived in for over 20 years. The incident has scarred me and I can't wait to get the hell out of here...
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 1:20 PM
"Applebees, Outback Steakhouse, Fridays, Chochkies...
I was home for the holidays. This is an undeniable fact of the burbs. Anywhere in the country. Yes, there are always a few non-chain restaurants, opened by adventurous folk but by and large it is alllll chain all the time."
We have 60 restaurants in my hometown and not one is a chain. Fast food not allowed (suburban zoning has its benefits). All of them are small and independently owned, and there's everything from pubs to Thai and Indian food.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 1:22 PM
I was mugged (with a gun to my head) in Brooklyn Heights in the 90's. There were people up and down the street too at the same time. Crime happens- anytime, anywhere. But it is interesting that the discussion lines on this site always seem to break down along racial lines. I don't see anyone getting overly upset at black-on-black crime- which is happens far more than interracial. Or when a Black woman is raped, which is nearly ignored as opposed to the rape of a white woman. My point is every community and group suffers from crime and every racial and cultural group perpetuates its share. We also tend to ignore the way we all help perpetuate crime- whether it's Wall St. traders who love shoving drugs into their bodies or the hit-and-run/drunk drivers who don't get charged with murder, the white supremacists who blow up buildings or the CEOs ripping of millions of dollars and people. We all contribute, so how about we stop making it a racial issue when it is a social one. None of us should be feeling too smug about our role.As for Mr. Rushkof and his wife- its obvious Brooklyn is not for them. They seem shocked that they found out they are not entitled to safety by virtue of where they live. Newsflash- there is no entitlement with life. Money doesn't buy invulnerability. And terrible things happen in small towns too.
Posted by: Bx2Bklyn at January 10, 2007 1:30 PM
My sister in law's brother was mugged and murdered a month ago in Helena, Montana. It doesn't get any whiter, and it doesn't get any safer. It was Helena's first murder of the year, and it was December 8. It doesn't matter where you live, what color you are, or what color the people around you are. Crime happens everywhere. When you are a victim, it's terrible, no matter where you are. But I take issue with Rushkoff's use of this incident for personal gain/trashing of an entire neighborhood. It's sleazy, and a useless discussion.
Posted by: anon at January 10, 2007 1:30 PM
I lived in Seattle for a few years. One of my best friends, Brooklyn born and bred, came to visit.
She got mugged. In SEATTLE. Not that it's not unheard of, but it's rare (violent crime is far more common, and yes, I was there at the end of the Green River killings).
She said the reason that she got mugged was that she didn't have her NYC defenses activated - she was in Seattle.
Posted by: jukeboxgraduate at January 10, 2007 1:39 PM
anon 12.31 - perhaps you misunderstood is just as much then as you do now. Its a normal part of some people's lexicon and has nothing to do with race. Theres too many race-monomaniacs here who can't see anything other than through those spectacles.
Posted by: l at January 10, 2007 1:41 PM
"I got mugged in Queens"
Yeah, but I'll bet you didn't pay $1M+ for your house...
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 1:42 PM
12:55 and other burb-bashers, you guys need a field trip. In the past few years many of my best friends have left Brooklyn for assorted burbs. I've visited them all and have been quite surprised at the independent cafes and bookstores, good restaurants, art galleries and small museums that many of them live near. Yes, there are big box stores, but there has (evidently) been an explosion of good resturants and other amenities in the burbs in the last few years. I was looking through the Westchester Zagats a few weeks ago and was again surpirsed at the offerings. So feel free to hate the burbs, or the burbs of your birth, but try checking out a few places before making blanket statements.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 1:47 PM
you lot are hilarious with the casual "crime happens anywhere" platitude. It won' t be long before you're knocked on the head like Rushkoff with that blase attitude.
If EVERY group got outraged at crime within it then things might be in a better state here. Thats the point of community. Good for him, he should be outraged. If you've been brutalized to accept it as not worth commenting on -then you live in a screwed up community.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 1:47 PM
"Its a normal part of some people's lexicon and has nothing to do with race. Theres too many race-monomaniacs here who can't see anything other than through those spectacles."
I have never heard a person of color use the term "element" to refer to other people . Ever. It might be "common lexicon" to you but that doesn't dismiss it's racially charged status.
FWIW, I am white. I have always heard the word "element" used with a voice which is lowered a little, like the speaker is telling a secret and I have never heard the word used conversationally in the presence of a person of color.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 1:50 PM
Move! Who gives a f..k!
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 1:54 PM
so when James Watt didn't want to let the Beach Boys play the washington mall in 83 because it would attract "an undesirable element," he was afraid a bunch of black folks would show up? you'd think he would know better, being in DC after all.
Posted by: Jimmy Legs at January 10, 2007 1:58 PM
being white doesn't somehow exclude you from being a race-monomaniac. Although the city doesn't seem to be full of the one-track minds, the internet boards certainly are.
Posted by: l at January 10, 2007 2:03 PM
honestly, get out more. If you can't - then google the phrase "criminal element" using quote marks, seriously, please do it. Really.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 2:05 PM
12:58, it's hard to comprehend because Rushkoff has been so poor in articulating it. Even when he had a chance to vocalize his thoughts on Brian Lehrer, he came off like a whinging bourgie who "can't afford 3 million like those wall street bankers" moving to the Slope. It wasn't about crime in the Slope, it wasn't about the sense of community or the evoluation of the neighborhood in the real estate run-up - it was "wahh, wahhh, I'm working three gigs to live near my wealthier writer-friends and why do I have to be the one mugged??? wahhhh."
Posted by: Aristocrat at January 10, 2007 2:18 PM
3 years ago I was walking in Bed Stuy on a Friday night and got punched in the head by a group of drunk kids outside a bodega.
That same night, a work colleague was jumped on PS, on Park Place by.... a group of kids. I got a headache he got a broken nose.
Posted by: tommy at January 10, 2007 2:20 PM
First it was a gun, then it was a knife, then it was a gun. What's the real story? I'm beginning to believe it's all a publicity stunt. I think he and his wife are incredibly bitter, and that's sad, for both them and their daughter.
Posted by: anonymous at January 10, 2007 2:26 PM
brownstone brooklyn is about race. it is about white flight, race riots & its psychological and physical traces, jewish, italian & irish (once denied "whiteness" by the ruling WASPs) immigration, gentrification, the great migration north, nineteenth century free black communities (and their descendants). why pretend? this is why it always comes back to race on this forum--because in so many ways it is. it is about race and a limited commodity in brooklyn, housing in general and brownstones in particular. the tension that Rushkoff feels is real. he shouldn't be attacked because he is sensitive enough to actually notice it. the tension is what also makes brooklyn so damn electric.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 2:36 PM
I live in Soho and happened to be in Park Slope last night around 8:30pm.
It was dead as a doornail. Very few people were on the streets. It felt like a suburb of Boston.
I feel much safer living in Soho. I've lived here for 10 years and have never been bothered by anyone.
There are always people on the streets, even late at night, which is comforting, especially when my wife comes home late.
There's no difference between living in the burbs and living in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn is a stroller suburb folks, whether you care to admit it or not.
Posted by: Mork at January 10, 2007 2:44 PM
So another pampered couple from the suburbs moves back to the suburbs. Big deal.
Posted by: jerry at January 10, 2007 2:50 PM
I agree Mork,
Brooklyn is a place you move to for low rent or to get a bedroom for your kid.
If you want excitment, you live in below the 30's in Manhattan.
Posted by: Mindy at January 10, 2007 2:50 PM
People are seriously retarded when it comes to 'odds' and statistics.
No one is saying you cant be a victim of crime in PS - what they are saying is that - 'all things being equal' - you are less likely to be the victim in PS then in Bed Stuy, Brownsville etc...
Examples of 'all things' NOT being equal - you are a drug dealer in PS vs a Bodybuilder in Bed Stuy; You only walk around after 1AM in PS vs being a 'shut-in' in Brownsville; etc, etc, etc
I am not suprised so many people have problems understanding odds considering very few people have any real fear of getting struck by lightning (even when walking in the rain) yet so many people play the lottery b/c - "somebody has got to win - why not me".
Posted by: David at January 10, 2007 2:51 PM
yes, he must have been pampered. No-one successful gets there by their own work. Must have been pampered.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 2:57 PM
Mork, all things being equal - You ARE safer from violent in SOHO, but there is plenty of street activity in Washington Heights but you are NOT safer from Crime there.
And yes technically Brooklyn is a Suburb to most of Manhattan, but when most people refer to the 'suburbs' they are talking about a place with subways and busses where you can walk to many great restaurants, bars, parks, museums and retail stores - but I am sure you know that and your just trying to be controversal.
Posted by: David at January 10, 2007 3:21 PM
If you're interested in listening to an absolutely world-class whiner, listen to Rushkoff on WNYC. Okay, that's not a very good advertisement for the segment, but if you are at all curious as to why this guy has caught so much flack, it's extremely easy to understand listening to this. What an ass.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 3:25 PM
"...the biggest mistakes in life are made when you let your emotions make choices instead of REALLY thinking them out..." - 9:09am
Like paying today's prices for most of these brownstones rather than waiting out the upcoming recession.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 3:27 PM
Dear Ms. SmugSoho,
I think it is more that Brooklyn is too city - as inner-city not suburb that is Rushie problem. Soho and many Manhattan nabes are populated by some demographic as the surburbs and that is why you feel more comfie in your sterile hood.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 3:35 PM
Mork,
I think you are only describing small parts of Brooklyn. I'm guessing only the parts of Brooklyn you'd venture to being a fan of Soho.
Posted by: pietro at January 10, 2007 3:37 PM
As someone who was originally born and raised in the LaGuardia projects in LES in the 80's, I can understand why people wouldn't want to live in or near one. Urine and pot smokers in the elevators/stairwells, next-door neighbors getting arrested for drug dealing, graffiti...it's all disconcerting. The project brought the neighborhood down.
However, now that all of the yuppies/artists/punks/tourists/young people/bar hoppers moved in, the neighborhood has made a turn around. Why? Because the people who have moved in care more about each other and the world around them. That sounds harsh, but it's the truth. Those people have turned the neighborhood around in such a way that the "project attitude" has become the unfortunate exception instead of the norm.
Watch each other's backs and really care about your neighborhood. This is the best way to make sure that muggings and break-ins are prevented.
Posted by: Original LES at January 10, 2007 3:48 PM
i just listened to his interview on the brian lehrer show. he's obviously upset and beside himself with what happened and rightfully so. he's trying to digest it.
however, he doesn't really make sense which is also understandable considering what happened. what he thought park slope was it was not and he feels let down. instead of saying he's leaving because he got held up he says he's leaving because of the prices yet he only decides to leave after he gets mugged.
somehow we're supposed to feel sorry for him because he doesn't live off the park?? is he for real?
Posted by: anonymo at January 10, 2007 4:04 PM
If you're paying over a freakin' MILLION dollars to live in a neighborhood it SHOULD BE SAFE. It should also be clean and well patrolled.
But if you're paying over a MILLION dollars to live in a little 'bubble' of a rich neighborhood that is in effect SURROUNDED by poor people and crime then the only thing you're doing is acting like a MAGNET that will attract low-lifes and scum seeking to "steal from the rich to give to the poor".
Namely, themselves.
Posted by: Ben Dover at January 10, 2007 4:17 PM
I love Brooklyn. If I wanted to have kids, act middle aged, and live in NYC my entire life, I'd probably become one of your neighbors.
But I live in NYC mainly for the action (restaurants, bars, shows, etc,) not just because I love brownstones, cement, and tall buildings. When I'm ready for "that stage in life," I'm moving to Southern California.
I'd much rather raise a family somewhere kids can bike around freely from age five, I can exercise outside comfortably year-round, and the beach and mountains is only a few minutes drive away.
Posted by: Mork at January 10, 2007 4:27 PM
"I'd much rather raise a family somewhere kids can bike around freely from age five, I can exercise outside comfortably year-round, and the beach and mountains is only a few minutes drive away."
Sounds like you're quite ready to move to Southern Cali already!.
:-)
Posted by: Desk Sgt. at January 10, 2007 4:43 PM
Please show Mork the way to airport.
Sounds self-involved hedonistic bore.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 4:48 PM
Someone's already written a book about the incident. Click on http://www.lulu.com/content/622455
Posted by: anon at January 10, 2007 4:52 PM
Ben Dover - "If you're paying over a freakin' MILLION dollars to live in a neighborhood it SHOULD BE SAFE"
Safe from what??? Crime, Terrorism, Accidents
I accept that my kids might not be as safe from street crime in Brooklyn as in the suburbs of LI, Westchester, NJ but I also know that in those suburbs they will be much more unsafe from the dangers of teen driving/DWI.
And your analysis of being rich surrounded by poorer people is just frankly wrong - besides the fact that it describes EVERYWHERE in NYC - poor people EVERYWHERE are far, far, far more likely to be the victim of crime (property, violent or otherwise) then rich people - even rich people living in neighborhoods surrounded by poor people. Unfortunatly for poor people living in many poor neighborhoods, having next to nothing is little security from those among them that are of criminal minded.
Posted by: David at January 10, 2007 4:57 PM
Mork,
Good luck to you in So Cal. You could get hit by a car there and not only will people leave you for dead but they'll happily run over your body for good measure. If you're looking for a real community where neighbors actually look after each other though, I think you'll find Brooklyn particularly inviting.
As for Rushkoff, I am so sick and tired of self-absorbed "writers" who treat everything that befalls them-- good or bad-- as a career move. Sorry you got mugged but quit your whiny navel-gazing and get lost.
Posted by: west at January 10, 2007 4:59 PM
"If you're looking for a real community where neighbors actually look after each other though, I think you'll find Brooklyn particularly inviting.
As for Rushkoff, I am so sick and tired of self-absorbed "writers" who treat everything that befalls them-- good or bad-- as a career move. Sorry you got mugged but quit your whiny navel-gazing and get lost."
Gee, if THAT'S an example of caring "neighbors looking after each other" I think I'll drive ol' Mork to the airport myself.
AND SIT NEXT TO HIM ON THE PLANE TOO!.
Posted by: Ben Dover at January 10, 2007 5:09 PM
"somewhere kids can bike around freely from age five"
A myth. Kids can't do that anywhere anymore. Why? Scary teenage drivers! My family lives in Arizona, and kids there sit at home and watch tv all day.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 5:24 PM
How much of Rushkoff angst is about being a victim? I think he's latched on to the policeman's implicit "its not you, its all of them outside this circle that caused you to be a victim" as a salve for his wound. When in fact, it may just be that he looked like a guy who would give up the goods and the same thing would have happened in LES, the Upper West Side, or the Hamptons if he came upon someone looking for a mark. Its easy to say "I pay too much money to have this happen here" but what happens if he moves to a safer, cheaper neighborhood and the same thing occurs? Where is he going then?
Posted by: Oh Lord! at January 10, 2007 5:30 PM
I've read all of these posts, and the one topic no one seems to have mentioned is that if you're living in a recently gentrified neighborhood (and I don't know nothin' 'bout Brooklyn/PS apart from reading this blog) criminals/muggers are going to start going there. It happened in Tribeca while I lived there. Once it started getting "yupped up", there were a lot more muggings/pickpocketings/car break-ins.
Posted by: exTribeca at January 10, 2007 6:02 PM
All I can say is Wecome to Brooklyn, Ny!!
Posted by: Ananomass at January 10, 2007 6:14 PM
ex-Tribeca your point isnt worth mentioning b/c annecdotal accounts and pop-psycology aside it isnt true.
Every study of crime (and even a perusal of your precinct crime stats) shows that as neighborhoods gentrify crime goes down (including robberies, etc...). People who pay a fortune to move to aneighborhood generally dont turn to violent crime.
Street criminals aren't generally that smart (thank god considering the Cops I know), they dont evaluate where the rich folks are; they generally dont 'travel'; they generally prey on those weaker then them, when an 'opportunity' arises - which results in the fact that most criminals operate in a very small radius around where they live. This is shown in study after study and stat after stat;
If you want to play pop-psycologist try thinking like a criminal. It is scary to rob someone (even if you got the gun) - a miriad of things can go wrong, what if they resist, what if they have a gun too, what if a cop comes by etc, etc.... It is ALOT harder and much more scary to go into a neighborhood you are unfamiliar with, where people may look at you as an outsider, and where the cops have less things to distract them then it is to find some middle-age guy walking home late at night in your 'own' neighborhood.
Posted by: David at January 10, 2007 6:16 PM
Hello, did nobody notice the painful stories a couple people shared on this thread, above? To 11:58 and 1:30, sorry for your personal and/or family tragedies.
As for one mugging being the sign of a new wave of crime, oh please. My husband got mugged on a prime, North Park Slope block about 4 years ago right outside our building. Muggings here are hardly new. Maybe if these Rushkoffs had done the research on crime in the neighborhood before they moved here, they would have been more careful and on guard.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 6:25 PM
Rushkoff said on the show, and in print, that he was leaving Park Slope. He said this months before the "incident," at an event in Gowanus - because he cant' afford it.
Posted by: fan at January 10, 2007 6:34 PM
I just listened to Rushkoff's WNYC interview - this guy is all over the place but essentially he accusses PSers of simply being caught up in some ridiculous housing frenzy that self-perpetuates some false notion of utopia -
Yet the question Ruskoff fails to specifically answer is where in the NY area can someone find a similar urban (i.e. non car -centric) neighborhood that is walkable, mass transit accessible, with nice housing stock, a (relative) low crime rate, has nearby parks, tree-lined streets, good shopping and great restaurants, is reasonably close to Manhattan, with good public schools and costs appreciably less (on a per sq ft basis)????
I dont think that PS is some sort of Nirvana but when I weigh those factors on my scale PS still seems like a good deal FOR ME (compared to other NYC neighborhoods) - now maybe living in an urban enviroment isnt so important to Rushkoff, or maybe great restaurants don't matter to him, or maybe he'd rather live in a 2br in Manhattan then a 3br in PS - thats fine - but to just say we are all in some delussional bubble for choosing to live here is just dumb. The issue isnt just what does it cost to live in PS but what does it cost to live in comparable neighborhoods in NYC.
If Rushkoff wants to have a rational discussion, he'd offer some specifics about other neighborhoods, in terms of costs, crime rates and amenities
Posted by: David at January 10, 2007 6:35 PM
I am so sick of how people on this site are constantly stereotyping muggers. I am a longtime mugger who pays his taxes on time, is a member of the PTA and owns a $3m brownstone on Prospect Park West. As you can imagine I have an expensive mortgage; hence my reliance on mugging, which enables me to send my children to Score on 7th Ave (they are currently preparing for their scholastic aptitude tests). Also in my defense, I was sexually molested by my landlord when I was 11, and my enjoyment of hurting and robbing innocent victims is partly a way of expressing my outrage at the loss of my own innocence (granted, I initiated the molestation). Incidentally, I have also have committed arson and usury, but I've found I get my greatest sense of fulfillment from mugging. It may also interest you to learn that I have chosen the accoutrements of my crime to reflect my identity and lifestyle. I use a Native-American crafted cudgel of turquoise, and I wear a ski mask embroidered with Peruvian fabrics.
In any case I urge Mr. Rushkoff to rethink his decision to move to the suburbs. In my opinion, leaving a lively, diverse environment such as the Slope may have an adverse effect on his writing.
Posted by: Rodolpho Durmensurnentun at January 10, 2007 6:47 PM
What I don't like about Brooklyn: you can't walk long distances from here to there without avoiding projects. Steets are dark and depressing at night. It aint Manhattan and BTW I moved here in June and not one single person has invited me over to their house. So much for "community". I'm selling my place and moving back across the river. The stroller moms and pretentious hipster writers arew boring/irritating.
Posted by: anon at January 10, 2007 7:32 PM
who cares, get out. move to iowa. there are enough GOOD authors in brooklyn.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 7:32 PM
ps. we don't need mediocre ones.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 7:33 PM
let's see, he lives in new york city and thinks that he is immune from crime? is he a fiction writer, because if so, he is living in one of his own utopian stories. no place in america is completely safe, if someone can tell him where then you really need to because he's livin' in a dream world.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 8:53 PM
stupid premise, 6:47.
but you're trying hard, i know. we all know.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 9:01 PM
Southern Cal, (including silver lake, hollywood, los feliz, glendale, miracle mile, santa monica, fairfax, west LA, venice, west hollywood, downtown, and all the little shitholes in the san fernando valley like north hollywood, tarzana and studio city) is the creepiest, scariest place on planet Earth. trust me.
comparitively, brooklyn is nirvana...
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 9:10 PM
It's tough, but I gotta agree in large part with anon 7:33pm, Brooklynites don't seem all that friendly to newcomers or outsiders.
I like to run the loop at Prospect Park and folks don't usually say anything to each other when they run by. In California, runners always say hello.
I crashed a New Years Eve party in Brooklyn this year as well, and, though I have to admit folks who live in Brooklyn can certainly drink a lot of booze, the "communal feeling" mentioned by an earlier poster doesn't extend much to outsiders.
Same goes for my experiences at Propect Park barbecues during the summer. Brooklynites like to cluster in small groups, like back in high school, and though they might offer up a chicken wing or a slice of watermelon to a parched stranger, they never welcome you back for a second helping.
There's no way to measure friendliness statistically, but I'd guess Brooklyn is in the bottom quartile.
Posted by: Mork at January 10, 2007 9:10 PM
mort,
LA beckons...
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 9:19 PM
Also, folks in Brooklyn "retreat" to their brownstones when they get home from work and the streets in the evening, except for an occasional speeding stroller, seem an awfull lot like a ghost-town.
Posted by: Mork at January 10, 2007 9:22 PM
I don't particularly need super friendly neighbors, in fact I find them rather aggrivating, but then that's me. Not at all a suburban type.
Incidentally, if this is all about a crime cost/benefit analysis then the statistics bear me out on what I said above about Queens. He really should move there. Crime in Park Slope was at 10 serious felonies per 1,000 population in 2006. In Sunnyside/Woodside Queens it was 11 per 1,000.
Both rates are exceptionally low for American urban areas, but those Queens neighborhoods have cheaper housing, better transit options, are much closer to midtown Manhattan, and are much more ethnically/racially diverse than Park Slope (they also have better food... but, shhhh, that's a secret). What they don't have is a lot of beautiful houses, PS 321, or the gentrified coolness recognition factor of Park Slope. Still, if $$ vs. crime is your criteria...
Posted by: Anonymous at January 10, 2007 9:32 PM
Rushkoffs: Self-serving, self-aggrandizing, self-important attention grabbing whiners. Good riddance.
Who gives a fuck?
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 12:33 AM
ex-tribeca, you virtually indecipherable but clearly anecdotal crime stories are essentially meaningless when discussing the macro issue of criminality in a city of 8million or a metropolitan area of 20million.
But your 11:31PM post does prove that my statement 'criminals are generally stupid' may have been overstated. Clearly levels of intelligence are subjective and I can now see why you might take exception to that theory.
Posted by: David at January 11, 2007 12:34 AM
they're just making lemonade from lemons: took a shitty situation (got mugged) and turned it into something positive (tons o' free press).
Honestly, this is 10x the attention this dude ever got for his books....
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 7:43 AM
there is no substance to this, they're just making lemonade from lemons: took a shitty situation (got mugged) and turned it into something positive (tons o' free press).
Honestly, this is 10x the attention this dude ever got for his books....
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 7:44 AM
You are all completely out of your minds.
Posted by: anon at January 11, 2007 8:10 AM
the rushkoffs blog. bloggers write. they wrote. because the topic struck a chord, people responded in relatively large numbers. that doesn't make them publicity hounds.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 10:33 AM
With respect to Rushkoff's comments concerning being able to afford to live in Park Slope, it should be noted that he and his wife bought their apartment this past summer/fall. According to NYC records, they did purchase their apartment for just approximately $850K. SO, I do not quite understand why they are whining about not being able to afford an apartment....
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 12:16 PM
anon. 12:16 you are SO wrong. let's just say that "i know."
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 12:59 PM
anon. 12:16 you are SO wrong. let's just say that "i know." also, they RENT. it's been cleared posted.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 1:00 PM
does anyone else find offensive the premise of this debate that just because you pay a lot for your house you are entitled to low crime rates?
*everyone* is entitled to low crime rates regardless if they paid a million bucks for their apartment.
Posted by: pietro at January 11, 2007 1:01 PM
anon 12:59. The NYC Govt records show that they purchased an apartment, as both Rushkoffs are noted as buyers and their old address appears as being in the East Village. Perhaps they did not close, but the UCC forms are filed, which would indicate that they did try to purchase an apartment. See the NYC ACRIS platform. If they rent, then they rent. The ACRIS record simply indicates that they do have the resources to afford an apartment in a price range that is not meager.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 1:09 PM
excellent point pietro. excellent. especially during this national holiday highlighting equality.
for person looking into their financial information--way over the top. too intrusive. just wrong.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 1:25 PM
The information is public - no digging. Same source used for finding the prices of apartments/homes. Just adding that their lives are public through their blogs - they might as well let all of the facts out if they are whining about money.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 1:31 PM
they sold their apt. last year. they rent now. i know the couple that bought it!
Posted by: a broker at January 11, 2007 1:48 PM
Oh wow even better - Apartment Flippers going on radio to complain about a the Market Frenzy! Classic
Posted by: David at January 11, 2007 2:15 PM
I think a lot of the backlash has to do with the tone of their writing and the fact that he cancelled his credit cards and cell phone, then they both blogged about the incident without notifying any in the community of a supposedly armed person until the next day. And they wonder why the police were irritated and the neighborhood is not thrilled with his civic follow through. He has evidently "used" his few minutes of fame to prattle on about larger social issues while pulling down both blogs..... Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.
http://gowanuslounge.blogspot.com/2007/01/rushkoff-update-original-deleted-blog.html#comments
Posted by: Another anonymous at January 11, 2007 2:58 PM
Again, not true. He informed the police and parkslopeparents immediately.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 7:13 PM
7:13,
no he didn't inform immediately. but that's ok imho. he was afriad, and felt violated and angry.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 7:41 PM
Someone posted this:
"I moved here in June and not one single person has invited me over to their house. So much for "community"."
I find Park Slope really cliquey. We've received a social invitation from people in our smallish building in Park Slope only once in three years. Pretty lame.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 11, 2007 8:30 PM
I'm a Slope veteran, and last I checked, the Slope isn't some private gated community or even a suburb--it's a NYC neighborhood, so I'm baffled by all this whiny chatter about cliques. When did Park Slope start a country club, and where is it? Neighborhoods are what you make of them. Your neighbors don't invite you to dinner? Have you invited them? Had they invited everyone BUT you? It's not as insular as all that. Slopers have friends in other neighborhoods, jobs in other boroughs, lives outside the listservs, bulletin boards, and the coop.
As for Rushkoff, let him move to the 'burbs, where it's oh-so-safe. Why he feels entitled to safety because he pays so much in rent is laughable--what a weasel. Has he not been living in NYC for years and years, being protected by the neighborhood watch that is the East Village drug dealer squad? Make sure to bring those guys to Maplewood to fend off evil. And don't let the car door hit you on the way out. . . .
Ever notice that in the 'burbs, when people really lose their shit, instead of offing themselves, they take down their families with them in some horrendous bloodbath? Where does everyone get the guns? A friend of mine who lives in a fancy suburb in Central Jersey has had two of these happen within a four-block radius of her home in the past year and a half. I swear, there are at least two reported incidents in the Times of these grisly suburban domestic murders a week. . . Well, hey, at least there, Rushkoff won't get mugged. . . Honestly, I'd rather live in the city, among a strain of insanity I can wrap my mind around.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2007 7:02 AM
i started reading rushkoff's stuff on judaism and social justice (to really really reduce it)after this whole thing and he is very impressive and thoughtful. his writing is so complex amd meaningful and is not at all reflected in his initial response to getting "vicked" as we called getting mugged in the 80s. he must feel just horrible being so wrongfully perceived. or perhaps he is like the rest of us, a walking contradiction?
Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2007 1:08 PM
I totally agree with you, 7:02 about weird crazy crimes in the suburbs, but to answer your question yes we extend invitations to our neighbors, whenever we have a party. And in case you're wondering, we're nice, presentable people with lots of friends. No apparent reason we'd be snubbed.
Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2007 1:36 PM
1:36, I don't doubt that you and yours are lovely people. Sometimes we wind up in buildings filled with sucky neighbors. I myself have been subjected to crap luck for the first time in my long Slope life, because our neighbors and specifically our coop prez is a nasty bastard, and we live in a four-unit building. The whole point of buying was to secure our future in the Slope because we love its neighborliness. Go figure. So we're stuck with 'em for awhile. And they, too, are Slope lifers. Anyway, sorry to hear you have snubby snobby neighbors--I don't doubt it. My point was simply that I find they're the exception, not the rule here in the Slope, from what I can tell, and you've got your friends. When you hang out with them, you can marvel over how self-important and ridiculous your neighbors appear to be, and, well, make fun of them.
Posted by: anonymous at January 12, 2007 1:51 PM
At least he was not leaving his bachelor party, and got shot at 51 times by the cops!!!
Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2007 7:10 PM
oh my god anon 7:10,
you nailed it. this brings this incident into relief. rushkoff really needs to put his experience into context. what if the muggers AND the cops saw you as an enemy? (although this does not minimize his experience)
Posted by: Anonymous at January 12, 2007 8:03 PM
when i got mugged in front of my own house ten years ago for a measly $20, all i have to say is, i thanked my lucky stars that i wasn't hurt, let alone killed. but it wasn't personal -- the perp was on a mission for money, and maybe the thrill of riling a yuppie chick. rushkoff should realize his good fortune, too. he's freaked, yes, but he's alive, unhurt, and well, and lucky he can blog about it and have a bunch of friends and strangers and ny magazine opine about it, and weigh in about his decision whether or not to move to the 'burbs. if he wants to go, go, i say. city living is not for everyone. shit happens everywhere. best of luck, mr rushkoff. me, i love brooklyn and i'm not going to throw away years of contentment for an anomalous encounter with some dumbass gun- or knife-toting kids looking for meth money or some kind of rush. i understand if a person was being stalked, robbed, violated and/or terrorized inside their home--nothing is more terrifying--but a one-off mugging on the street like that shouldn't chase anyone out of their home and beloved neighborhood. but that's just one person's opinion. . .
Posted by: anonymous at January 13, 2007 9:49 AM
I used to have a lot of respect for rushkoff, but this entire thing is really, really stupid. They're both wussies and don't deserve to live in NYC. If I moved every time I felt unsafe, I'd have nowhere to live. I was jumped 3 times in spanish harlem before I began to feel "safe" early last year. lol. Yeah, move to the burbs I guess Rushkoff. The livin is easy there and you only have to deal w/ the meth labs. Oh I forgot, you're cool w/ the meth dealers, so it's all good.
Perhaps more crack intake would endear you to the local park slope dealers.
Posted by: guest at January 10, 2008 4:18 PM
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