Violence in Boston

Whilst statistically we are currently living in one of the safest times ever, despite what politicians and the media tell us, when somebody is looking to violently victimize us, whether we are dealing with a predatory individual who was looking for somebody to target or as the result of an everyday social interaction that has taken a wrong turn, the statistics are irrelevant. If you only have to deal with an aggressive/violent individual once in twenty years, you will wish you had been training for twenty years. Humans are one of the few species that are born not knowing how to de-escalate aggressive situations (dogs and other social species have rituals they employ to avoid physical conflicts) and not knowing how to physically defend ourselves when attacked e.g., our default response is to curl up/go fetal in the hope that a physical attack won’t last. There are evolutionary reasons for this, however they are of little comfort when you find yourself threatened and/or engaged in a violent encounter.

However, to be successful in preventing and avoiding violence, and/or being able to physically defend yourself if attacked, simply learning a few self-defense techniques etc., isn’t enough. It is necessary to know and understand how different types of violence occur in order to be able to both predict, identify, avoid and respond to it. Most self-defense classes/programs confine themselves to teaching physical techniques and solutions in a vacuum, without contextualizing them e.g., having to deal with a mugger who remains after you have handed over your wallet/belongings is a very different situation to an abduction or a verbal dispute in a bar etc. It is also necessary to understand the types of violence that occur in your area, and the way incidents develop etc., compared with other cities. Urban crime and violence often look very different to rural crime/violence.

The information contained on this site is specific to Boston, the Greater Boston area and Massachusetts. There is information on gun and knife crime/violence, gang activity, how the Boston drug scene and markets relate to violent offending, along with active shooter incidents that have occurred within Boston and Massachusetts etc. The information contained on the site is drawn from police incident reports, academic research, as well as resources such as the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC). The information on the site has been curated and compiled by Boston criminologist, Gershon Ben Keren, who has been working in the security industry since 1990.

As well as looking at different types of violence in Boston, the site also provides information and resources concerning solutions to violence, such as de-escalation programs, self-defense courses/seminars and Krav Maga programs etc. If you are looking to become safer and avoid being targeted for violence, this site has a number of resources that you can employ to help you do so.