Society Nearly 5% of Americans live in gated communities and the number is growing

[Maciamo]

Another very interesting video.

What is your opinion of gated communities? I can understand their popularity around Los Angeles where a lot of celebrities live and want to keep away from potential stalkers. But this is a much wider phenomenon. About 15 million Americans now live in gated communities. The highest percentages are in California, Florida and Texas.

Gated communities also exist in Europe but tend to be quite different from American ones. What I learnt from the video is that some American gated communities have managed to privatise their local government so as to avoid being labelled to some government legislation, thus becoming mini autonomous states of their own. They also found loopholes to pay less taxes by deducting the management fees of the gated community (including gardening and security) from their taxes.

 

[Jovialis]

I personally wouldn't prefer to live in one, because there's a lot of regulations and prohibitions on what you can do with your property. But if I was an elderly person, I can see it being a good option. They have communities that are for senior citizen only.

Due to very progressive district attorneys it is much harder to keep repeat offenders, who commit violent crime off the streets. Thus people feel less safe in areas they administer.

 

[Jovialis]

"The survey also found just 37% of New Yorkers felt safe in their neighborhoods, down from 50% in 2017, 24% believe the quality of government services is "good" or "excellent," down from 44% in 2017, and only 11% feel the government is spending tax dollars wisely, compared to 21% six years ago."

New Yorkers say quality of life, safety have declined in recent years, according to new survey

New Yorkers are feeling less positive, not very safe, and unsatisfied with most city services, according to the new survey.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Jovialis]

"The survey also found just 37% of New Yorkers felt safe in their neighborhoods, down from 50% in 2017, 24% believe the quality of government services is "good" or "excellent," down from 44% in 2017, and only 11% feel the government is spending tax dollars wisely, compared to 21% six years ago."

New Yorkers say quality of life, safety have declined in recent years, according to new survey

New Yorkers are feeling less positive, not very safe, and unsatisfied with most city services, according to the new survey.

www.cbsnews.com

According to ChatGPT:

Q: Who were the district attorneys in NYC during these times, and what were their policies, and party ID, and ideology?

A:
During the period covered by the survey (2017 to the present), several district attorneys have served in New York City, each with varying policies, party affiliations, and ideologies. Here's a brief overview of the main district attorneys and their approaches:

Manhattan (New York County)​

Cyrus Vance Jr. (2010-2021)

• Party: Democratic
• Ideology: Moderate to progressive
• Policies: Vance implemented several progressive reforms, including declining to prosecute certain low-level offenses like marijuana possession and fare evasion. He also focused on addressing systemic issues within the criminal justice system, such as wrongful convictions.

Alvin Bragg (2022-present)

• Party: Democratic
• Ideology: Progressive
• Policies: Bragg's platform emphasizes criminal justice reform, including reducing incarceration rates, addressing racial disparities, and focusing on serious violent crime while diverting low-level offenses. He has faced criticism from some for perceived leniency towards repeat offenders.

Brooklyn (Kings County)​

Eric Gonzalez (2017-present)

• Party: Democratic
• Ideology: Progressive
• Policies: Gonzalez has been a proponent of criminal justice reform, advocating for bail reform, alternatives to incarceration, and the expungement of certain convictions. He has also emphasized transparency and community engagement in the DA's office.

Queens (Queens County)​

Richard A. Brown (1991-2019)

• Party: Democratic
• Ideology: Moderate
• Policies: Brown was known for his tough-on-crime stance and maintained more traditional prosecutorial policies, focusing on aggressive prosecution of violent crime and drug offenses.

Melinda Katz (2020-present)

• Party: Democratic
• Ideology: Progressive
• Policies: Katz has pursued a more reform-oriented approach, focusing on reducing mass incarceration, expanding diversion programs, and addressing wrongful convictions. She has also prioritized tackling domestic violence and gun violence.

The Bronx (Bronx County)​

Darcel D. Clark (2016-present)

• Party: Democratic
• Ideology: Progressive
• Policies: Clark has implemented reforms aimed at reducing pretrial detention and enhancing fairness in the justice system. She has also focused on prosecuting violent crime and improving community relations.

Staten Island (Richmond County)​

Michael McMahon (2016-present)

• Party: Democratic
• Ideology: Moderate
• Policies: McMahon has taken a more traditional approach compared to his counterparts, focusing on aggressive prosecution of violent and drug-related crimes while also supporting some reform initiatives like treatment alternatives for certain offenders.

Summary of Policies and Ideologies​

• Progressive Policies: Emphasize reducing incarceration, addressing racial disparities, and diverting low-level offenses (e.g., Alvin Bragg, Eric Gonzalez, Melinda Katz).
• Moderate to Traditional Policies: Focus on aggressive prosecution of violent crimes and maintaining public safety (e.g., Richard A. Brown, Michael McMahon).

The progressive district attorneys have generally aimed to balance public safety with criminal justice reforms, while those with more traditional approaches have prioritized tougher stances on crime. The perceived impact of these policies on public safety and quality of life varies among residents, contributing to the diverse opinions reflected in the survey results.

 

[Maciamo]

"The survey also found just 37% of New Yorkers felt safe in their neighborhoods, down from 50% in 2017, 24% believe the quality of government services is "good" or "excellent," down from 44% in 2017, and only 11% feel the government is spending tax dollars wisely, compared to 21% six years ago."

New Yorkers say quality of life, safety have declined in recent years, according to new survey

New Yorkers are feeling less positive, not very safe, and unsatisfied with most city services, according to the new survey.

www.cbsnews.com

Feeling of insecurity and actual crime rates do not always match. The truth is that New York city is the safest US city with a population about 300,000. Here is the list of US cities by crime rate. The list only includes cities with a population over 200,000 and only five small cities nationwide (including three in California) have a lower overall crime rate than New York. For example New York has the lowest burglary rate of any cities in the list.

Well actually it's not because New York is one of the safest American cities that it is necessarily safe. If all cities are unsafe then it is just one of the least unsafe. That would explain why only 37% of New Yorkers feel safe in their neighbourhood. Viewed from this perspective that really shows how unsafe American cities are. When Europeans asked why they wouldn't want to move to the US, crime is typically in the top three answers (another one in the top 3 is healthcare).

 

[Jovialis]

It is only anecdotal, but I constantly see police turn a blind eye to drug-addicts, vagrants, and malcontents, who openly harass people in public, such as transportation hubs like Port Authority, in the center of Manhattan. There's also the fact that more than half of felonies have been downgraded to misdemeanors.

This was rated as true by PolitiFact, that over 50% of felonies were downgraded to misdemeanors. Frankly, I am not sure why being a "common practice" is necessarily a good thing. Maybe it is a common practice for Progressive DAs. Also what context is there, we don't know they are the same things in terms of liability being downgraded.

Bragg has downgraded felonies, but it’s a common practice.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined his fellow Republicans in attacking Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who presen

www.politifact.com

Based on these experiences and articles like the one I post, it leads me to speculate that the local government massages the data to make make themselves look better.

Some cities have "failed" to submit complete data on crime statistics.:

From ChatGPT:

Several cities in the United States have faced challenges in reporting crime statistics to the FBI due to a shift in data collection methods. In 2021, the FBI transitioned to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which required more detailed data from police departments. As a result, many agencies were not able to meet the new reporting requirements on time.

Some key points include:

• New York City and Los Angeles: These cities, among the largest in the U.S., did not submit complete data in 2021 due to the transition to NIBRS. As of 2022 and 2023, efforts have been made to comply with the new standards, but full integration has been slow. New York City's NYPD and Los Angeles' LAPD have been working towards NIBRS certification (The Marshall Project) (PolitiFact).
• Florida and Pennsylvania: These states had particularly low participation rates in 2021, with less than 10% of their police agencies submitting data to the FBI. This has gradually improved, but many agencies still lag behind in reporting (The Marshall Project).
• General Trends: In 2021, approximately one-third of the nation’s police agencies did not submit data, affecting the comprehensiveness of the FBI’s crime statistics for that year. By 2022, participation improved to cover about 94% of the U.S. population, similar to pre-transition levels (PolitiFact).

The transition to NIBRS has created gaps in data collection, but efforts are ongoing to bring more agencies into compliance. This modernization aims to provide more detailed and accurate crime data in the long term.

 

[Maciamo]

The US has some serious problem with crime management and reintegrating offenders into society. If anything the American prison system only hardens criminals an exacerbates the problem once they are released. Have you watched the video I posted about the difference between the German and American prison system? There is so much to change in the US judicial and prison system, or society as a whole, and I really don't see how either the Democrats or the Republicans could do it with their current mindset. Even judges are politicised in the US, unlike in Europe.

 

[Jovialis]

I did see the video, but frankly still think prisons should be primarily a place of punishment in my opinion. The best way to describe politics, especially in a pluarlist government system, is the authoritative allocation of the morals of society. Punishment in criminal justice is society's organized retribution against malcontents. I think if you are too lienit against criminals, it will only inspire vigilante justice by the populous; thus fostering disorder. Such as the street riots against police we are now seeing in Britain due to the stabbings of the three young girls. The people do not feel like justice will be exacted.

Nevertheless, I absolutely agree that there's issues with imprisonment of drug offenders. These people should be offered an alternative. Moreover, private prisons create an incentive to mass incarcerate people. Furthermore, a few of my past interactions with police, even as a law abiding citizen, are sometimes disappointing to say the least. Sometimes they do not seem willing to help at all, and can be needlessly surly. Some people are indeed falsely imprisoned, and some face racism by authorities. I don't discount that. However I have also meet very good people who are police, and I greatly appreciate their dedication to the profession