Study: Perception of crime, not crime itself problem in Lynn

LYNN – Lynn’s crime rate is no worse than other cities with similar population sizes and industrial backgrounds, say economic development professors who are studying the city’s potential for growth.The real problem facing Lynn is overcoming a longtime perception that it’s a city of sin, said Lorri Krebs, the director of Salem State University’s Center for Economic Development and Sustainability.”It’s not unsafe to live in Lynn, it’s not unsafe to do business in Lynn,” Krebs told members of the Lynn Chamber of Commerce Tuesday.The Lynn Chamber of Commerce commissioned Krebs and her team to study how Lynn’s roughly 4,000 businesses can help the city grow into a thriving destination on the North Shore, said Leslie Gould, the president of the chamber.Krebs and her team presented some preliminary findings of Lynn’s socio-economic and demographics to the chamber Tuesday.Krebs detailed Federal Bureau of Investigations data that shows Lynn, with a population of about 86,000, ranks lower than cities like Brockton (population 92,000) and Fall River (population 89,000) in the FBI’s crime index for violent crimes. Lynn had about 885 violent crimes in 2010, while Brockton had 1,176 and Fall River 1,211, according to the data.”Based on the statistics, you’re no better or worse than any other city with similar demographics,” she said.But Lynn has struggled to shake the stereotype that it’s a safe place to do business; even institutions inside the city unknowingly perpetuate it, she said.Krebs pointed out that next door to City Hall, a Christian sign posted on The Salvation Army’s exterior reads “Lynn, Lynn the city of?Him.””That’s sort of the first thing that needs to be tackled,” she said.City officials say they’ve worked hard to undo the perception. It can sometimes be difficult to attract recurring business, said Jim Cowdell, the director of Lynn’s Economic Development Industrial Corp., a nonprofit that aids the city’s development.”That’s our challenge every day,” he said.Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy said an effective way is to just let people find out the untruth themselves, perhaps by attending concerts and festivals downtown.”They’re having a good time, and they leave and they’re intact and their car’s intact, and they tell their friends,” she said.But City Councilor Peter Capano said in an interview that he believes some of Lynn’s reputation is founded: All it takes is one violent crime to erase years of positive public relations.”I wouldn’t downplay it by saying it’s just all perception,” he said. “If you’re still afraid to leave your house, what good is that?”The chamber expects to hear the study’s full report, with recommendations for overcoming the perception, after the holidays.Amber Parcher can be reached at [email protected].