Rising crime in Astoria
Astoria has been my neighborhood since I first moved to this country eight years ago. It is located in the Queens borough, bordering Long Island City, Sunnyside, and Woodside. It is close to Manhattan with a 10 minutes train ride. It has an estimated population of 95, 446.
It is a place where I felt most welcomed from the very beginning and it felt almost like a home for someone who left everything behind searching for better life and opportunities. It was nothing like home, but it felt like a new one that I chose for myself. One thing I liked about Astoria back then and now is the warm, cozy, and welcoming feeling of belonging in a place where so many cultures and races reside. On one side, there are many ethical Greek stores, Mexican taco trucks, and Arab delis, making It one of the most diverse places in New York City. It is a color spectrum of people and small businesses. Residents of Astoria support our small, local businesses and would rather purchase there than at Amazon, which I think it’s amazing and shows the true spirit of my neighborhood. My favorite place is Astoria park, located at East River, with a view of Manhattan’s skyscrapers. Residents can enjoy the pool during the summer, a running track, six tennis courts, and two big playgrounds. Warm summer nights in the park are a picture that I always connect Astoria with and my fondest memories here. Families, couples, and kids enjoy their time after a busy day.
Astoria is yet another New York neighborhood, whose gentrification started in the mid-’90s due to the convenient location it has and lower prices. Being ten minutes train ride away from Manhattan it is reasonable that it’s a perfect spot for urbanization. In the last couple of years, rental prices skyrocketed compared to when I first moved here. Rents are affordable for people who previously lived in Manhattan so, as no surprise, they are moving to Astoria rapidly. Beautiful streets, parks, and convenient grocery stores attract newcomers and help them cut down on their budgets.
However, I believe Astoria has a new, emerging problem that recently started and it affects our community. Increased crime rates in the last couple of years are concerning and discouraging.
What was once a safe neighborhood is now on news more often showing more and more assaults, robberies, and rapes, which is contradictory to the process of gentrification that Astoria has been adopting. Business owners are the main targets of robberies who deal with the recent situation Astoria is dealing with. By the words of Robert Battipaglia, whose family has been owning a liquor store for over 85 years on 31st Street, Astoria has become a new statistic. Shoplifting has been occurring here and there, however, this goes beyond some minor offense. He believes that there is a different vibe out on the street and that Astoria is dealing with more and more homeless and mentally ill people around and we have been seeing a drastic increase in offenses. Many bodegas and bakeries report attacks at gunpoint where oftentimes, someone gets hurt. Robberies have gone up 26 % and felony assaults are up 20%.
One of the recent attacks that stuck with me was the death of an EMS lieutenant on her duty. Alison Russo-Elling ( 61), who served 25 years was stabbed to death while on duty. She was getting food in the local store, when a thirty -four years old man, attacked her and stabbed her numerous times. This incident is very discouraging for my neighborhood where daylight attacks have become so common that we do not feel safe anymore. I do see this as a clash of gentrification vs crime rise which in its own way it’s interesting and not really explainable.
