While the NYPD has begun taming the junkies of Union Square, the West Village, and especially Christopher Street, remains a hotspot for donut riots, drug dealing, and senseless violence. A 69-year-old man who has lived in the neighborhood tells the Daily News, "You take your life into your hands when you come down here, especially after dark." Though the overall crime rate is down in the 6th precinct, "there has been a surge in the numbers of felony assaults," and robberies have also increased. Walking the area, a reporter saw a "stumbling man" approach a police officer. The man "opened his mouth and lunged towards the officer's neck." After being arrested, a cop said of the man, "He was acting like a vampire. I don't think I've seen that before."
Much of the blame for the uptick in crime—the neighborhood has always had its share—has been blamed on the "unruly youths" who exit the Christopher Street pier when it shuts down at 1 a.m., and the NYPD has increased its presence in the area, even bringing in mounted patrols. But residents continue to report frightening incidents of lawlessness. An employee of Rivoli Pizza said that earlier this month "a gang of girls…started trashing the place," and as he tried to hold them in the restaurant until the police arrived, "they burst out and battered him with a plastic juice contained and punches and kicks."
A Duplex bartender reports getting "punched in the face and kicked in the head," suffering a broken nose and other injuries after being jumped by teenagers who had ridden with him to his PATH stop in New Jersey. Between sly nods to customers on the corner, a drug dealer says "We got so much clientele, it's ridiculous." A floodlight and a NYPD mobile command center sits at the corner of Christopher and 7th Ave, but residents aren't taking any chances, and staying vigilant. As one shop owner tells the paper, "When my husband's away, I close at 8. I'm not going to risk my life."
