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  • MONDAY NOVEMBER 21 2005 6:00 PM

Don't Go to Camden. Don't Go to Newton Either, Actually.

Submitted by MissTyrios

Edited by MissTyrios

For the second year in a row, Camden, New Jersey has been named the most dangerous city in the US, and Newton, Massachusetts has been named the safest. Now, my school is located in Newton and, honestly, I'm surprised it's literally the "safest" place in the entire country, especially considering the way really rich people drive around in military assault vehicles. But apparently negligent driving and poorly planned roads and intersections don't come into play in the rankings - the criteria considered include violent crime and motor vehicle theft rates.

In Newton, the median household income was $86,052 in 2000, more than three times that of Camden's $23,421, statistics show. The median value of a Newton house was $438,400, more than 10 times that of Camden.

Camden has a 15.9 percent unemployment rate, compared with 2.9 percent in Newton. More than half of Camden's population is black and 39 percent is Hispanic, compared with 2 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, in Newton. More than two-thirds of Newton residents have a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with 5 percent in Camden.


Camden faced both good and bad prospects after last year's ranking - the federal and state government did pledge to devote more resources to the city, and - as a result - the crime rate this year was down 18%. But the rankings also caused Camden to lose a major hotel development deal, and the Rutgers campus there has faced lower enrollment rates.

Not everyone agrees with the way the rankings are compiled by Morgan Quinto, the company that authors the study.

The method Morgan Quito uses to determine the rankings is attacked regularly by criminologists and sociologists, who criticize the company for not placing the data in context.

John Allen Paulos, author of Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences and a professor of mathematics at Temple, labeled the company's methodology "incomprehensible."

It "calls for a new category of crime: statisticide," Paulos said. "I think they should be sentenced to a course in probability and statistics."

Under its methodology, Morgan Quitno gives equal weight to six basic crime categories reported by the FBI: homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor-vehicle theft.

One city activist said that regardless of the publisher's methods, he was thankful that the ranking had brought resources to the beleaguered city.

"Being focused on the exact methodology obscures the fundamental problems going on in Camden," Jeff Brenner said. "It's a very dangerous city with enormous public safety problems, and we have a long way to go to make it a safe place for families, children and businesses to thrive.

"The only way we'll make change in Camden is by bringing a spotlight to the problem."

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Comments
ZombieStomp

ZombieStomp

Carrboro, NC
July 2005

NOV 21, 2005 11:31 PM

...and what's up with Flint being Fourth?! (I lived in Hell, MI until I was 5. Pretty lame township, VERY fucking glad I didn't grow up there!) And what about the big cities, where's their ranking? (NYC, LA, Etc...)

Ayin

Ayin

Chicago, IL
January 2003

NOV 21, 2005 11:38 PM

Gary? Anyone? Anyone? Gary, Indiana? ...man, Gary is fallin' off... biggrin

[Edited on Nov 22, 2005 by deBreard]

Bastardo

Bastardo

Boston, MA
January 2005

NOV 22, 2005 05:57 AM

For a town as rich as Newton you'd think they'd invest in fixing the potholes which are roughly big enough to swallow a Buick.

PointBlank

PointBlank

New York, NY
November 2004

NOV 22, 2005 06:09 AM

Home of the Fig Newton, the crime-fighting snack!

MistressMissy

mistressmissy

Grand Rapids, MI
March 2003

NOV 22, 2005 06:12 AM

pfft I can't believe Detroit lost out to Camden again.
also...I really don't see Flint as being at all scary and threatening.

also...Troy, MI on the 10 safest list...Troy, MI not too far from Detroit.
YEAH.

PointBlank

PointBlank

New York, NY
November 2004

NOV 22, 2005 07:56 AM



Would you start shit in a town run by "Big Fig?"

[Edited on Nov 22, 2005 by PointBlank]

jebustheimpaler

jebustheimpaler

I'm lost
September 2003

NOV 22, 2005 09:25 AM

thrashmaster74 said:
they forgot richmond ca. and east palo alto ca.



epa is bad, but its nowhere near camden. camden is the city that you stay the fuck away from when you're going to philly. Some of its streets look like a set from Escape from New York.

Damn Newton.
Damn it.
Well atleast I can get my latte on the way back from the gym without fear.*
Also, they have the cheapest, full service gas in the area... what gives? Growing up, rich people towns had expensive rich people gas.



*the sad thing is that I was being serious.

daniofthedead

daniofthedead

Philadelphia, PA
June 2004

NOV 22, 2005 10:19 AM

Virex said:

I go to a community college where I had a class in camden. Now, a 145 pound white guy draped in black wearing make-up carrying an iPod...you'd think I'd get stomped.



if you were a 130 pound white girl, i think you'd have far more problems. they prolly think you are too weird to beat up haha.

regardless, ive had issues and camden fuckin blows. and NJ in general for that matter. i only end up in NJ by accident tongue

pavlovsdog

pavlovsdog

Asheville, NC
May 2004

NOV 22, 2005 12:15 PM

I say we bus all the people in Camden up to Newton, just to even the playing field a little.

Edrok666

Edrok666

United Kingdom
January 2005

NOV 22, 2005 12:38 PM

At first I thoughtt you meant Camden in London. lol

Cash

Cash

USA
OLD SKOOL

NOV 22, 2005 04:45 PM

Virex said:
I actually got lost early one morning on a way to (a pretty lame) Ozzfest and walked through a particularly fucked up part. Perhaps all the bad shit just waits until dark, but either A.) It's not as bad as they say it is, or b.) we really DO live in a pretty safe country.



You most likely were down by the riverfront area...near the Justice Complex. That's a commercial area of town...there aren't a lot of residences there. If there's a "good" part of Camden...that's it. I guarantee you were nowhere near Baird Boulevard or South 4th St...or Mt. Ephraim Ave.

Camden is a shit-stain on the underwear of New Jersey and has zero redeeming qualities.

KMFCM

KMFCM

Peekskill, NY
September 2002

NOV 22, 2005 06:18 PM


it's funny, you NEVER hear about Camden in rap songs
(Newark yes, Camden no)

_Sarah_

_Sarah_

Kalamazoo, MI
January 2003

NOV 22, 2005 06:53 PM

MistressMissy said:
pfft I can't believe Detroit lost out to Camden again.
also...I really don't see Flint as being at all scary and threatening.


You've been to Flint recently, right? Yes? It's like Mad Max. tongue You couldn't PAY me to go to Flint. I'd rather walk around Detroit at night.

also...Troy, MI on the 10 safest list...Troy, MI not too far from Detroit.
YEAH.


Troy being "not too far" from Detroit is like saying Ann Arbor is just as dangerous as Detroit. Both cities are roughly the same distance from the city. Troy is a good half-hour north, at least, and it's very safe. It is NOTHING like Detroit, even though it's considered (just barely) "metro Detroit". It's suburbia at its finest.

gauss

gauss

I'm lost
September 2005

NOV 22, 2005 08:36 PM

KMFCM said:

it's funny, you NEVER hear about Camden in rap songs
(Newark yes, Camden no)


camden's so bad, even rappers can't get out.

commonman

commonman

USA
August 2003

NOV 23, 2005 10:53 AM

Hey, Springfield Massachusetts is number 19. Top 20.

woo-hoo.

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