Why Aren’t People Shot on the Upper East Side?
The New York Times came out with a neat interactive map of homicides in New York City — something which would be really cool if it were not about murder. According to the map, ove the six and a half year period covered (2003 to present), NYC recorded just over 3,400 homicides, of which 15% — or about 500 — were in Manhattan. The Upper East Side section of Manhattan is incredibly safe, apparently. 11 homicides over the period, or about two per year. For an area with a population of 200,000+, that gives roughly a 1 homicide per 100,000 per annum. To put that in perspective, in 2003, Maine had the “best” homicide rate in the nation, at 1.2 per 100,000. There are no formal barriers separating the Upper East Side from the rest of Manhattan — yes, it abutts Central Park on the west but one can easily walk though that, and the east is bound by the East River. North and south, though, the lines are 96th and 59th streets respectively, which is to say, the borders are entirely fluid with the nei
