February 9^th 2014, 6:30 P.M. Lilia Naydensky, had just received a distressing phone call-one of her dear friends had passed away. She left work, emotionally wrecked and began walking to her car parked on Brighton Beach. Her head-dazed, heart-broken, vision-blurred from the tears running down her face, legs-struggling to move, with keys in hand and a purse around her wrist, Naydensky trudged through the dark streets. Suddenly she felt a sharp blow to her skull, followed by a tall man attempting to grab her purse. The bag was a precious gift from her daughter so she held on. The stranger repeatedly continued hitting her until she was forced to let go, leaving the man victorious and her defeated on the cold cement.

Five months after filing her report, Naydensky, a middle aged hair dresser, called the 60^th Precinct in hopes of receiving a positive update on her case. Instead she was told some startling information.

“The officer informed me, that between February and July alone, 60 more women had filed robbery reports similar to mine. He said that most of the incidents happened around Brighton Beach.”

Brighton Beach, a predominantly Russian community located in the southern region of Brooklyn New York, is commonly associated with ethnic stores selling Russian trinkets such as Cheburashka cartoons and beautiful gzhel-style ceramics, a genuine boardwalk and crowded beaches. There is indeed one more unmentioned aspect,that is quite often ignored or even unknown. Brighton’s streets are crawling with unforeseen dangers, lurking criminals and a high crime rate, all of which make it difficult for woman of all ages to feel safe.

According to the 60^th Precinct- the police station which oversees Brighton’s affairs, between May 1^st 2014 through November 23, 2014 there have been a total of 2 rapes, 1 murder, 40 robberies, 32 felony assaults, 30 burglaries, 82 grand larcenies, and 5 grand larceny (auto). Of the crimes listed, 70 involved female victims.

Noticeably, the most common trend is grand larceny or theft, which when compared to similar offenses such as burglary, and robbery, is considered the least lethal because the perpetrator uses no force.

One example of an attempted theft happened in July 2013 at 3:00 am to then 19 year old Alena Meyerovich who was returning from a party in the city with a female friend. Meyerovich and company stepped off the train at Brighton Beach and began walking down the stairs leading to the station.

“ We knew someone had followed us off the train.”Meyerovich began. “We made sure to let him leave before us, while we waited inside the station.  But apparently as we were waiting upstairs he was waiting downstairs. After a few minutes we decided it was safe and began walking down the short block that leads to my house. Halfway there, I felt a hand on my bag. At some point my instincts just kicked in, I turned around looked him dead in the eyes and yelled NO! He got intimidated and began moving back, hands, together, saying I’m sorry, I’m sorry. My friend kept an eye on him as he walked away, while I opened the front door. Looking back, as scary as the incident was, I can only imagine how horribly different the whole scenario may have panned out. I consider us lucky.”

According to point2home.com, a website which outlines each neighborhood’s demographics including lifestyle, income and crime, reported that out of the national average risk of 100, Brighton Beach has a 185 risk  of personal crime, 258 risk of robbery, 207 risk of assault, and 111 risk of car theft. All of which are exceedingly higher than the national average.

“This year we definitely had a spike in crime”, declared Officer Darwiche, of the 60^th Precinct. “Last year’s crime rate was unusually below average, so I guess you can say this year made up for it. But whenever we see a specific trend, we immediately send out more policemen to cover the area with the most incidents. This year we’ve had about 80 cops patrolling the beaches. We believe that if someone sees a cop, the idea of doing something bad, won’t even cross their mind.”

Officer Darwiche recommends that if a woman believes something may happen, she should avoid hesitation and call the police.

“Often when we receive calls from people who have a feeling something may go wrong, they usually start by saying: sorry to bother you. But they forget we get paid to do this, it’s not like we’re sleeping and they tell us to jump out of bed.” Officer Darwiche said chuckling.

But not every women feels at ease about contacting the police. At times the police encounter may actually lead to an even more uncomfortable situation.

In the winter of 2012, a young lady, who has asked to remain anonymous, followed her gut instinct and decided to file a complaint with the police regarding a middle aged man who on sight would follow her. At first she figured the man was just deranged but harmless since he never attempted to touch her/talk to her. That was until one night when from the corner of her eye she saw him watching her. She crossed the road, and he followed, but this time he trailed behind all the way to her house. She made it inside without any altercations but was left traumatized and decided to file a report. Due to Sandy temporarily closing down the 60th Precinct, she had to go to the 61st^st Precinct. The officers wickedly smiled as she told her story, and mocked her with sarcastic comments such as “Wow that sounds like a nightmare!” and “ Brighton? Isn’t that the place where we found a head, a couple months back? Hmm hope you don’t end up like that!”

“Such a situation, should have received more sympathy.” Officer Darwiche commented. “But here’s the thing, many cops have seen such horrible crimes, that smaller incidents, such as a possible stalker, disappear into the background. It’s like this-if you live by a train your whole life, after a while do you still hear it?  No. But is the train still there? Yes, it just turns into white noise.”

To avoid any potential risk altogether the 60^th Precinct advises women of all ages to always be on their best guard. They insist on avoiding traveling alone, especially at night and avoid walking with headphones in ears and phone directly in hand. Also it is important to remember to always lock ones doors.

The 60^th precinct has also recently launched their own Twitter page, in hope of raising awareness, by providing safety tips for the general public. With an optimistic tone Officer Darwiche added, “It won’t eliminate crime altogether, but it is a step in the right direction.”