Wednesday, December 3, 2014

New York Crime Keeps Falling, Mayor de Blasio Says; Cites Years of ‘Momentum’

Goodman, David. "New York Crime Keeps Falling, Mayor De Blasio Says; Cites Years of ‘Momentum’." New York Times 2 Dec. 2014: n. pag. Print.

ww.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/nyregion/violent-crime-in-new-york-has-dropped-to-historic-low-mayor-de-blasio-says.html?&hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news


          The article that I chose to review for my current events project discussed how the crime rate in New York has been steadily declining under the leadership of Mayor Bill de Blasio and police commissioner William J. Bratton. To name a few things, robbery is down by 14 percent, grand larceny is down by 3 percent, and the number of homicides is 45 less than it was last year. These numbers. This decrease in crime is also helping more cases get solved as detectives can spend more time on each case if there are fewer cases. Therefore, more people are being brought to justice due to this decrease in crime. The cause of these remarkable improvements in the criminal justice system of New York is in dispute, as some believe it is due to the leadership of the Mayor alone, while others claim that this decline in crime is part of a long trend, and it was bound to happen no matter what. Whatever the case, the fact that people in the city can now sleep easier at night is great, and it should be rejoiced as a wonderful achievement.                                                                                                            The article that I read on the decline of criminal activity in New York actually includes information that will have a pretty big effect on me, and the people that live around me. This is because I live very close to New York and I visit it often. In addition, my parents even work there, and I have friends that live there. This new sense of security in New York means that I can be a little less nervous about something bad happening to me or a loved one when in the city. In addition, this decline in criminal activity may have a big effect on other cities because it may inspire other mayors and leaders to crack down on crime. Perhaps New York can serve as a model for other cities as they begin to eradicate crime.                                                                                                                                      In the article that I read, I feel that the author did some things well, and other things not as well. For example, the author did a great job of weaving statistics into his writing. This really helped aid in giving the reader an actual vivid picture on how much crime is declining in New York. Also, I think that the author did a good job of showing both sides of the argument having to do with the cause of the decline in crime. By not taking a side, the author allows the reader to pick their own side which is, in my opinion, a better reading experience. Despite liking these things, I feel that the article strayed from the main topic at times. What seemed to be randomly, the author talked about police brutality right in the middle of the article, and I feel that its presence did nothing to help the author’s claim. Therefore, the article would be improved if this information was completely taken out. It would make the article more straightforward and focused.

3 comments:

  1. Goodman, David. "New York Crime Keeps Falling, Mayor De Blasio Says; Cites Years of ‘Momentum’." New York Times 2 Dec. 2014: n. pag. Print.

    www.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/nyregion/violent-crime-in-new-york-has-dropped-to-historic-low-mayor-de-blasio-says.html?&hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

    After reading Billy’s review I was amazed out how much crime rates in New York have dropped under the leadership of Mayor Bill De Blasio, and all the positive effects this has had on the people of New York. I like how Billy included a very detailed summary, that also included statistics that showed exactly how much the crime rates have dropped, and how each category of crime has dropped differently. I also liked how Billy related this article to himself and the people around him. In fact, this article relates in similar ways to me, because I visit New York often and my parents work there, too, so I can also be more assured that nothing bad will happen to me or my family. I also liked how Billy included two sides to his critique paragraph: one complementing the article, and one criticizing it, which allows the reader to decide whether the article was good, based on the critique paragraph.

    Although this was a great review, there were a few minor errors as well. First, Billy happened to leave out a sentence that could have been important to making the review complete: on the third line of the first paragraph, he said “These numbers.” as one of his sentences, which was an obvious mistake. Secondly, Billy started with a very bland opening sentence, “The article I chose to review…” and this could have turned away potential readers.

    Overall, I really liked Billy’s review. It included interesting information about the decrease of crime in New York City, and it made me feel safer, knowing that if myself or a loved one went to the city, there’s a much lower chance that something bad could happen.

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  2. ww.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/nyregion/violent-crime-in-new-york-has-dropped-to-historic-low-mayor-de-blasio-says.html?&hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

    I read Billy Ramundo's review about the decreasing crime rates in New York City under new Mayor Bill De Blasio. One aspect I enjoyed about Billy's review was how he gave great statistics about the overall crime rate dropping and specifically the decrease of grand larceny by 3%. I also liked how Billy connected this article to his own life, saying that he felt safer and less nervous. One last element that impressed me was his critique of the author, as he complemented the fact that the writer was not bias in support or dislike of Bill De Blasio. A component that could be improved is that he his writing seemed repetitive in saying how much safer he felt at home. In each paragraph he said this. Another aspect which could be improved was that he used "I" much more than necessary, when he could have just gotten to his point in the sentence. Lastly, I really liked the article that Billy chose, as this directly affects me as well because I or my loved ones go into the city a lot as well, and this makes me feel safer.

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  3. Sam Abukhadra 12/15/14
    Current Event Comment 9 Chemistry

    Goodman, David. "New York Crime Keeps Falling, Mayor De Blasio Says; Cites Years of ‘Momentum’." New York Times 2 Dec. 2014: n. pag. Print.
    ww.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/nyregion/violent-crime-in-new-york-has-dropped-to-historic-low-mayor-de-blasio-says.html?&hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

    I read Billy Ramundo’s review of, "New York Crime Keeps Falling, Mayor De Blasio Says; Cites Years of ‘Momentum’.” Billy did a really good job, although there are some areas for improvement. One aspect of Billy’s review that I really liked was how he incorporated quotes, when talking about the level of specific crime rates. This really allows the reader to put into perspective overall crime in New York and how it is changing over time. Another aspect I really liked was how he analyzed some of the statistics. For example, he specifically described the effect on the justice system as a result of a decrease of a certain crime. This allows the reader to further understand and make connections between the cause and effect of growing and decreasing crime rates. The third aspect of Billy’s review that I really liked was how he described how the decrease in crime directly affects him and the people around him. This really adds strength to the article, by allowing us fellow readers, who also live in New York and have many direct and indirect connections to New York City to, relate to him.
    Although there are many strong areas of Billy’s review, there is still room for improvement. For example, Billy’s article had many grammatical mistakes. In one specific incident, He had used a period instead of a comma. This small detail shows the reader that he isn’t be careful and isn’t putting in sufficient effort. This easily have been fixed by paying more attention when checking over work. Another area which could use improvement is when Billy doesn’t use enough specific evidence to prove his point. For example, Billy didn’t give an example of a specific statistic when saying that he really valued the author’s incorporation. This leaves the reader wondering why it is so valuable because they aren’t given an example that shows it’s value. This could easily be fixed by simply adding in a specific statistic that he found valuable.
    This article was really eye opening and allowed me to view this topic completely differently. Not only has my view of crime in New York been completely changed, but also the way in which the changes in overall crime rates affect the people in the area. For example, the way that the justice system, police force, and people I am very close with have been affected is a subject I see completely differently after reading this article.

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