Will The Crime Rate Keep Falling?

Maybe, if the good economic times continue. But look out for the baby boomers' grandkids

In the early 1990s, about 15 people were robbed on the streets of Manhattan's Lower East Side every week. Thugs assaulted 200 residents every year. People whose families had immigrated to the neighborhood decades before were moving away in fear.

You know the next part of the story. Crime drops dramatically (murder in the area falls 73%, robbery 66%). New immigrants restore the creaky dwellings of those who fled. Yuppies arrive. Ray's Chirpin' Chicken on once dangerous Clinton Street is replaced by a restaurant that offers seared scallops atop black-olive risotto cakes for $20, about the price of four hits of...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!