City people... when is enough enough re: crime

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:You leave and don’t look back. DC government has demonstrated it doesn’t care. It would take significant changes for things to change. Maybe in 20 years. There are too many other places to live where you don’t have to worry about this amount of crime.

Not OP but the problem for me is that I don't agree this is true. Everything is a trade off. Sure, I can move somewhere with a lot less crime, but add an hour to my commute daily and lose the same sense of community I have where I am. I like that I can walk/bike most places now -- easy incidental exercise, better for the environment, better for my mental health. Losing that isn't a small thing to me.

There are townships with their own school pyramid and police force. They don’t have this problem at all. Even when in or near urban areas with crime and delinquency in the schools.

Which are extremely segregated, have super high taxes are in boring, insular areas.

I'll take boring and insular over having to fear that my five-year-old son will be hit by a stray bullet. I'll also take boring and insular over living in a city that is ruled by roving bands of teens wearing balaclavas. Nothing else matters if you don't feel safe when you leave your house.

+1. There is nothing cool enough in DC that would entice me to risk the lives of my children. I just don't understand it.

Some of us who live in the city don't feel we're risking the lives of our children by living here. You're welcome not to live here. I personally don't understand the urgency with which so many posters insist that those of us who do live here must also move away.

I agree. I am personally very happy that a critical mass of people willingly live in a cesspool and do not drive up housing prices further in the suburbs. Plus we do not want criminal apologists in Fairfax county (moco may want them though)

It's so weird how people think calling cities "cesspools" and admitting they're terrified of anywhere but the lily-white suburbs makes them look like anything but hysterical dog-whistling cowards. I don't even know what they think they're signaling but all anyone with a brain sees is someone who lives in a sad fantasy fear world, doesn't understand statistics, and is very likely racist. So...good for you on outing yourself I guess?

The criminal apologists have arrived!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You leave and don’t look back. DC government has demonstrated it doesn’t care. It would take significant changes for things to change. Maybe in 20 years. There are too many other places to live where you don’t have to worry about this amount of crime.

Not OP but the problem for me is that I don't agree this is true. Everything is a trade off. Sure, I can move somewhere with a lot less crime, but add an hour to my commute daily and lose the same sense of community I have where I am. I like that I can walk/bike most places now -- easy incidental exercise, better for the environment, better for my mental health. Losing that isn't a small thing to me.

There are townships with their own school pyramid and police force. They don’t have this problem at all. Even when in or near urban areas with crime and delinquency in the schools.

Which are extremely segregated, have super high taxes are in boring, insular areas.

I'll take boring and insular over having to fear that my five-year-old son will be hit by a stray bullet. I'll also take boring and insular over living in a city that is ruled by roving bands of teens wearing balaclavas. Nothing else matters if you don't feel safe when you leave your house.

+1. There is nothing cool enough in DC that would entice me to risk the lives of my children. I just don't understand it.

Some of us who live in the city don't feel we're risking the lives of our children by living here. You're welcome not to live here. I personally don't understand the urgency with which so many posters insist that those of us who do live here must also move away.

I agree. I am personally very happy that a critical mass of people willingly live in a cesspool and do not drive up housing prices further in the suburbs. Plus we do not want criminal apologists in Fairfax county (moco may want them though)

It's so weird how people think calling cities "cesspools" and admitting they're terrified of anywhere but the lily-white suburbs makes them look like anything but hysterical dog-whistling cowards. I don't even know what they think they're signaling but all anyone with a brain sees is someone who lives in a sad fantasy fear world, doesn't understand statistics, and is very likely racist. So...good for you on outing yourself I guess?

Also weird how people think the suburbs are lily white?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You leave and don’t look back. DC government has demonstrated it doesn’t care. It would take significant changes for things to change. Maybe in 20 years. There are too many other places to live where you don’t have to worry about this amount of crime.

Not OP but the problem for me is that I don't agree this is true. Everything is a trade off. Sure, I can move somewhere with a lot less crime, but add an hour to my commute daily and lose the same sense of community I have where I am. I like that I can walk/bike most places now -- easy incidental exercise, better for the environment, better for my mental health. Losing that isn't a small thing to me.

There are townships with their own school pyramid and police force. They don’t have this problem at all. Even when in or near urban areas with crime and delinquency in the schools.

Which are extremely segregated, have super high taxes are in boring, insular areas.

I'll take boring and insular over having to fear that my five-year-old son will be hit by a stray bullet. I'll also take boring and insular over living in a city that is ruled by roving bands of teens wearing balaclavas. Nothing else matters if you don't feel safe when you leave your house.

+1. There is nothing cool enough in DC that would entice me to risk the lives of my children. I just don't understand it.

Some of us who live in the city don't feel we're risking the lives of our children by living here. You're welcome not to live here. I personally don't understand the urgency with which so many posters insist that those of us who do live here must also move away.

I agree. I am personally very happy that a critical mass of people willingly live in a cesspool and do not drive up housing prices further in the suburbs. Plus we do not want criminal apologists in Fairfax county (moco may want them though)

It's so weird how people think calling cities "cesspools" and admitting they're terrified of anywhere but the lily-white suburbs makes them look like anything but hysterical dog-whistling cowards. I don't even know what they think they're signaling but all anyone with a brain sees is someone who lives in a sad fantasy fear world, doesn't understand statistics, and is very likely racist. So...good for you on outing yourself I guess?

Also weird how people think the suburbs are lily white?

The suburbs that these types are dreaming about sure are. They disparage east county MoCo all of the time.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Things like stealing tires would never get me to call it quits. I also wouldn't be so quick to assume that neighborhood stores closing was due to crime (even if they said it was). Most small businesses fail, unfortunately. And shopping/eating patterns have changed so much with the pandemic.

So for me - it would be the shootings and carjackings and other violent crimes. And it'd need to be a lot more than a couple. Might be worth it to also review the actual crime stats for your neighborhood. I do feel as I age that I notice/hear about a lot more crime than I did when I was younger, but that doesn't always mean there actually IS more crime.

I dunno, I love city life. It would take a lot for me to leave.

Walmart closed because it completely misread that H Street corridor and how it would go more upscale. Starbucks closed because they divested of all properties they did not own that did not meet a standard of profit (and I actually know the Starbucks regional real estate person). Not because of crime.




I'm not talking about mom and pop stores. Walmart closed. Starbucks closed. CVS is probably going to close soon because they're getting ransacked multiple times a week.

You're missing many pieces of the puzzle when you say crime is the reason for these closures. We were already living in an age where you can have pretty much everything you need shipped to your house in 1-2 days, so brick-and-mortar stores were struggling to compete. Then covid happened and people didn't want to shop at them. They're likely not losing nearly as much money on theft as they are on societal changes in the way people shop. I can't remember the last time I bought anything at CVS. Walmart said the H street store was closing for poor performance, never mentioned crime/theft. As for Starbucks, fewer people commuting means fewer people popping in for their morning coffee. And they have been in the news recently for closing stores that have tried to unionize.

You are delusional if you think that crime wasn't a big piece of that. People didn't feel safe going to that Walmart.

Plus all the wirker theft and shrinkage.

sac’s rep is in the gutter.

Even when Buddakan opened up its restaurant years ago it couldn’t even hire enough workers who knew which side of the plate to put the knife and fork! Or who were teachable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Woman shot in Columbia Heights last night. It never ends.

I used to live on Fairmont and 14th. Shootings are not rare there. A couple memorial days ago there was a murder across the street from me. It got so bad I’ve of my neighbors decided to move back to South Africa

I used to live at 14th and Fairmont, bought a condo in 2005. The neighborhood is way worse now. CH peaked in 2013 probably. One "the Heights" shut down on the plaza lots of stuff just started to go down hill. No eyes on the streets. Realization that the DC USA site is horribly designed as a shopping mall. So many stores have cycled in and out. I don't see Lidle lasting long if and when they ever open. I moved out of CH in 2011 over to Petworth and it was a world of difference. I am so sad everytime I go through CH, so much loitering, drunks, drugged out people on the plaza etc the vendors on the sidewalk are a mess and most are selling crap that was stolen from CVS. Really CM Nadeau? you want to make it easier for people to sell soal and shampoo on the sidewalk in front of target.
Its a a mess, too many shootings on 14th and in the metro, way too much public housing concentrated in one area.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:It’s de facto legal to shoplift in California now:

https://www.hoover.org/research/why-shoplifting-now-de-facto-legal-california

The law was passed many years ago. D.C. simply copied California.

Making something a misdemeanor does not make it legal. The law is not the problem, the lack of enforcement is.

Enforcement? Are you joking?

You must be joking.

What are you on about? People steal, it's a misdemeanor. They could be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor. But they're not. That's called a lack of enforcement.

+1

Shine a light on the stats DMv, stop hiding them. Last 5 year trend is terrible.
Cars theft, break ins, stolen packages, looting of stores, smash & grabs, serious traffic violations, turning out incarcerated people, gang activity, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have finally had enough and I'm ready to move. I've been here for over 17 years, bought a house 11 years ago. I fell in love with DC when I was a teen and visited my sister who was here for college. I made it back 20 years after that time and was loving it until about a year ago. I've had to change my activities to try and keep from being a victim to some random crime of opportunity. I'm tired of looking at the graffiti everywhere (even over once nice murals), I'm tired of the lawlessness and the inability of the government to seemingly want to enforce basic laws. I'm tired of all the excuses people give for the rampant crime from these young people. I'm sad at the state of this city. I don't know where I will find the conveniences that I love about the city (walkability to everything, neighborhood restaurants that are not national chains, museums, national sports, theater, transit system), but I can't take the crime, the filth, the lack of law and order, etc any longer.

This resonates with me. I've been here 30 years, raised my kids here, and this is the worst it's been. But DC could be a great city again. Before you give up, please send this comment to the Mayor, the Council, and even your ANC commissioners. They need to know what a big issue this is for people.

It’s sad. My family goes back generations in DC, and after so much improved in recent decades, things are not great right now.

- all due to policy changes by the D.C. government.

Which party runs D.C. ? They caused this, and now they need to own it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s de facto legal to shoplift in California now:

https://www.hoover.org/research/why-shoplifting-now-de-facto-legal-california

The law was passed many years ago. D.C. simply copied California.

Making something a misdemeanor does not make it legal. The law is not the problem, the lack of enforcement is.

Enforcement? Are you joking?

You must be joking.

What are you on about? People steal, it's a misdemeanor. They could be arrested and charged with a misdemeanor. But they're not. That's called a lack of enforcement.

+1

Shine a light on the stats DMv, stop hiding them. Last 5 year trend is terrible.
Cars theft, break ins, stolen packages, looting of stores, smash & grabs, serious traffic violations, turning out incarcerated people, gang activity, etc

- not to mention: rape. 50% increase in sexual assaults (ie rape).

But DC crime isn’t a problem? Nothing to worry about? This is somehow trumps fault??

WAKE UP TO REALITY!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Shoplifting is just do-it-yourself reparations.

This might be true if they were shoplifting from rich, white business owners descendant from slave owners who only employ rich, white people descendant from slave owners. It destroys communities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Things like stealing tires would never get me to call it quits. I also wouldn't be so quick to assume that neighborhood stores closing was due to crime (even if they said it was). Most small businesses fail, unfortunately. And shopping/eating patterns have changed so much with the pandemic.

So for me - it would be the shootings and carjackings and other violent crimes. And it'd need to be a lot more than a couple. Might be worth it to also review the actual crime stats for your neighborhood. I do feel as I age that I notice/hear about a lot more crime than I did when I was younger, but that doesn't always mean there actually IS more crime.

I dunno, I love city life. It would take a lot for me to leave.

Yes, let's just stick our head in the sand and pretend things aren't getting worse.

[b]

Yeah, i got mugged on the Hill. I left.

[Anonymous]

Crime is so bad in Fairfax that the guy who attacked the people in the congressional office was chasing women around with a baseball before attacking the people in the office. People in Fairfax just thought it was normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Crime is so bad in Fairfax that the guy who attacked the people in the congressional office was chasing women around with a baseball before attacking the people in the office. People in Fairfax just thought it was normal.

With our county prosecutor being Steve “no one goes to jail” Descano, that’s what’s happening in Fairfax.

But Descano is extremely eager to put one group in prison: police officers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Crime is so bad in Fairfax that the guy who attacked the people in the congressional office was chasing women around with a baseball before attacking the people in the office. People in Fairfax just thought it was normal.

With our county prosecutor being Steve “no one goes to jail” Descano, that’s what’s happening in Fairfax.

But Descano is extremely eager to put one group in prison: police officers.

Still, crime in FFX is no where near as bad as SE, Anacostia, PG, etc. it isn’t even comparable.

Look it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have finally had enough and I'm ready to move. I've been here for over 17 years, bought a house 11 years ago. I fell in love with DC when I was a teen and visited my sister who was here for college. I made it back 20 years after that time and was loving it until about a year ago. I've had to change my activities to try and keep from being a victim to some random crime of opportunity. I'm tired of looking at the graffiti everywhere (even over once nice murals), I'm tired of the lawlessness and the inability of the government to seemingly want to enforce basic laws. I'm tired of all the excuses people give for the rampant crime from these young people. I'm sad at the state of this city. I don't know where I will find the conveniences that I love about the city (walkability to everything, neighborhood restaurants that are not national chains, museums, national sports, theater, transit system), but I can't take the crime, the filth, the lack of law and order, etc any longer.

This resonates with me. I've been here 30 years, raised my kids here, and this is the worst it's been. But DC could be a great city again. Before you give up, please send this comment to the Mayor, the Council, and even your ANC commissioners. They need to know what a big issue this is for people.

30 years ago U street looked like an actual war zone. Like Ukraine. Bombed out rubble crumbling to the ground. You are full of sht.

DC was really bad in the 90s, but then it really went on the upswing. If you have been here since the time of Anthony Williams, then yes, things are going on a downward trend since then.

[Anonymous]

A woman was just raped by a guy w a machete on a bike trail in suburban Maryland. Not like DC has a monopoly on crime. I live in the city, don’t feel u safe, no thoughts of leaving anytime soon