I'm not saying Newark is crime free, but you can ask anyone who's lived in Newark for a while and they'll tell you it's changing. The Prudential Center, Nike, Starbucks, Whole Foods, Jimmy Johns, Halal Guys, Qdoba, and other small businesses that are opening/have opened within the past year attest to that. The student that was killed was an NJIT student, who was followed back to their frat house and shot during a robbery at 3 am. Rutgers Dental Students can live at 15 Washington Street or 180 W Market, and there's never been a robbery at either of those places. Walking around at night is a different story, my friends and I never walk around past 12 am. I guess everyone will have their own opinion but walk around Broad Street and I guarantee you'll see a much different Newark than what's on Bergen Street.