gentrification has little to do with "saftey", and more just the racial and social make-up of a neighborhood. As another person from brooklyn, whose lived here my whole life, williamsburg is a sparse area hipsters moved into. Most of it is still barren and dark with empty blocks from old wearhouses with other empty blocks between the luxury condos that can't be filled, it's actually worse than other neighborhoods because it's easier for people to point out potential 'targets', especially when everything even within a small area is developed with deadzones between everything. People literally left manhattan for manhattan priced things 1 stop away from manhattan.

Williamsburg has been gentrified for literally 7-8 years now. because of its history "gentrification" for that neighborhood was "ok instead of a warehouse, theres also a random apartment building and a Manhattan priced bar"

As far as "safest places in brooklyn". So false. You are thinking safety in a way that I really don't feel like typing about because its far more racial and a touchy subject for me then I'd care to get into. Brooklyn heights, fort green, downtown brookyln, clinton hill, park slope, sheepshead bay, (also most of south brooklyn) are areas equally safe/ more consistent than a giant area that screams "hey we're young and only in brooklyn because other people told us its "safe now". and no matter how "safe" a neighborhood is, NY requires a constant sense of awareness no matter where you are in the city.

I'm sorry this happened to you, it's fucked and Im glad you're ok. Just the idea that gentrification leads to superiority or better/ "safer" areas is an idea that erases a lot of what new york city is all about.