Bronx-bashing seems to be a sport of many ignorant people who are living with the image of the Bronx of 20+ years ago which, in part, we can thank the media for perpetuating such antiquated stereotypes. First we had the Connecticut attorney who trashed the Bronx in a review of Monet’s Garden at the New York Botanical Garden. Then there was the Australian official who was furious at new security measures at a local gas station and compared it negatively to the Bronx. Now today, just a few minutes ago, we have a journalist responding to a story from Lille in the north of France about a nightclub shooting that left two dead. A witness was quoted as saying, “It’s disgusting, this isn’t the Bronx.” Such statements like this shows that we as a borough have a long road still ahead of us in terms of PR work on public perception of the Bronx.
That being said, it was refreshing to find out about this story by reading a column in the International Business Times by its World Editor, Palash R. Ghosh. In his piece, Actually Monsieur, Crime In The Bronx Has Been Steadily Falling, Mr. Ghosh goes to bat for our borough and sets the record straight on our crime rate and its dramatic decrease from almost 20 years ago.
He says:
“In the global imagination, the very words “the Bronx” conjures up dreary images of burned-out tenements, graffiti-covered subway trains, trash-strewn lots, depressing housing projects and massive poverty.
Part of this image is indeed accurate, but it is a gross exaggeration.”
Read the rest of his column at http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/358666/20120702/bronx-crime-murder-lille-france-perception-new.htm
Oh and a big THANKS goes to Palash R. Ghosh for sticking up for us!
