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by niravshah 4174 days ago
There are a number of reasons for the decrease in crime in the 1990s, including a decrease in the use of crack cocaine and, famously, lead removal (http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2013/01/lead-crime-li...). Causation/correlation, etc.
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Crime went down because many criminals couldn't afford rent anymore and left. This is by far the number one reason. Crime in counties in northern pensylvania and parts of NJ went up. The criminals just moved.

The same thing is happening in many "gentrifying" cities. Crime goes down in DC as the rates in neighboring counties in Maryland increase.

You get a fantastic correlation between section 8 housing and crime. Eliminating a ton of crime is not very complicated and doesn't require much police work. You just deport all the poor people. That's effectively what happened under Giuliani.