Ok, something is not quite right here, I thought lower house prices are going to make it easier to buy houses, thus less crime instead of making things harder and thus more crime. Sooner or later, he is going to slip up and bring the whole country down with him
Not really, gentrification occurs when home prices increase, a process by which the poor and working class people are displaced by more wealthy newcomers. Having more wealthy newcomers in a neighbor would decrease the crime in that particular area. For example, many Caucasians have returned to Manhattan in recent years to enjoy the urban and excitement. In the process, rental prices and home prices increase and forcing poor working class people who can't afford the rent to leave. In the end, there are more white people, more wealthy neighbor, and less crime in NYC.