Any other families finally had enough of DC?

[Anonymous]

We grew disenchanted with DC in the mid-90s and had to dump a Mount Pleasant row house for under $250K. There were syringes on the Bancroft ES playground, a man exposed himself to my spouse at the Mt. P. library, neighbors on our block were enforcers in a drug crew and the subject of a morning ATF/MPD raid, and we'd endured the "Shotgun Stalker" killing people, including one of our neighbors in an alley, in Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights.

I see rowhouses there now selling for $1.5M, so it seems things can't be anywhere near that level of dysfunction now.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Almost all homicides in DC are among persons known to each other. In other words, if you don't hang out with criminals and drug dealers, you don't have to worry about being murdered. A typical UMC white woman is at a greater risk of being murdered by the man sleeping in her bed than a stranger on the streets of DC.

What about armed carjackings? This was a rarity in my neighborhood and now I feel like there is one every week if not more.

Don't leave your car running unattended in the middle of the road because you can't be bothered to find a parking space to pick up your food delivery order. That alone would eliminate 90% of the carjackings in the city -- not to mention keep traffic flowing.

Or .... we could respect each other’s personal property I am not goi g to steal your car because it’s running and has the keys in it. But I was raised that way, wait a minute, no forget it.

+1. Right? I have so many family members who live in places where they don’t have to constantly keep track of whether they locked all the doors and did all of the other things to fortify the home for another day.

What gets me and is also simultaneously a good indicator that things are getting bad is that like this PP, people blame the victims of crime like its their fault. Like every should just expect that the entire world outside of our door is just out to get us. It's incredible frankly.

These people are all like, "durr, durr, its your fault that you had your car stolen with your baby in it while you were loading your groceries, it should not have been running to give your baby a/c and a place to rest because you don't have four hands" and "durr, durr, if you don't want someone to pickpocket you then you should have zippers with locks on them like smart people do, get a clue" or "durr, durr, if you don't want to get clipped by stray bullets in your own home then you should always wear a bullet proof vest. otherwise if you get shot its your fault".

How about we blame the criminals and not the crime victims? There are too many people in this city making excuses for criminals.

DC native who left for suburbia a few years ago (though more for school/space reasons than crime). Shortly after we moved, I saw a kid’s bike left for several days on one of our neighborhood trails. My mind was blown that it stayed there for so long.

This my kid leaves his $500+ outside for days at a time. My cousin’s DS got bike jacked while out and about in DC. They live in a “good” neighborhood. The schools are incredibly bad, even the good ones are amongst the worst in the county, serous random acts of violence and property crimes occur in all corners of the city. I understand why young childless people gravitate towards the city I don’t understand why families do or why they stay.

I am born in DC and actually think that in the last 20 years it has become a decent place to raise a family. I credit charter schools + the lottery system with a lot of this. There is just enough ability for people to exert some school choice that they don't feel 'trapped" like in the days of yore. There are a variety of "good' schools, some free, some not--I hope this helps you understand why people would choose to raise a family here. However, the Council + Mayor's current policies are very San Francisco and I agree it is getting less so. The crime this year has been appalling, the school system broke (and why they didn't use this time to seriously refurb both physical plants and some glaring curricular gaps I'll never know), the focus on development above everything else will simply create more boxy condos--not livable infrastructure. I agree, we may see the past 20 years as a time when for some it was a great place to raise a family. For the record, we are moving. We loved the ability to walk this past year so DC compared well to a few other East Coast cities with its broad, canopied streets--but you can find that all over America and its on the developers grind list anyway. Meanwhile, DC is pretty boring and I am starting to sense that some of the stuff we were 'grateful for' is commonplace elsewhere.

I'm sorry, but the bolded is just such lazy thought. If you find it boring (and yes, I've lived in bigger cities), you're not really trying.

If you are not a U street hipster or a super connected politico type, DC has no buzz. Have you ever walked around and looked at people's sour faces? Yikes. Thank god for the streeteries but it took a pandemic to nudge that into being. DC is boring . With development, it's just going to be boring with ever more concrete and people. It's something in the water. - from here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We grew disenchanted with DC in the mid-90s and had to dump a Mount Pleasant row house for under $250K. There were syringes on the Bancroft ES playground, a man exposed himself to my spouse at the Mt. P. library, neighbors on our block were enforcers in a drug crew and the subject of a morning ATF/MPD raid, and we'd endured the "Shotgun Stalker" killing people, including one of our neighbors in an alley, in Mount Pleasant and Columbia Heights.

I see rowhouses there now selling for $1.5M, so it seems things can't be anywhere near that level of dysfunction now.

Yes the past 30 years were kind to DC . Late 90s was beginning of that. See it waning now - city council and Mayor take it for granted that DC is a hot place for people to live without thinking about why that might be .

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Almost all homicides in DC are among persons known to each other. In other words, if you don't hang out with criminals and drug dealers, you don't have to worry about being murdered. A typical UMC white woman is at a greater risk of being murdered by the man sleeping in her bed than a stranger on the streets of DC.

What about armed carjackings? This was a rarity in my neighborhood and now I feel like there is one every week if not more.

Don't leave your car running unattended in the middle of the road because you can't be bothered to find a parking space to pick up your food delivery order. That alone would eliminate 90% of the carjackings in the city -- not to mention keep traffic flowing.

Or .... we could respect each other’s personal property I am not goi g to steal your car because it’s running and has the keys in it. But I was raised that way, wait a minute, no forget it.

+1. Right? I have so many family members who live in places where they don’t have to constantly keep track of whether they locked all the doors and did all of the other things to fortify the home for another day.

What gets me and is also simultaneously a good indicator that things are getting bad is that like this PP, people blame the victims of crime like its their fault. Like every should just expect that the entire world outside of our door is just out to get us. It's incredible frankly.

These people are all like, "durr, durr, its your fault that you had your car stolen with your baby in it while you were loading your groceries, it should not have been running to give your baby a/c and a place to rest because you don't have four hands" and "durr, durr, if you don't want someone to pickpocket you then you should have zippers with locks on them like smart people do, get a clue" or "durr, durr, if you don't want to get clipped by stray bullets in your own home then you should always wear a bullet proof vest. otherwise if you get shot its your fault".

How about we blame the criminals and not the crime victims? There are too many people in this city making excuses for criminals.

DC native who left for suburbia a few years ago (though more for school/space reasons than crime). Shortly after we moved, I saw a kid’s bike left for several days on one of our neighborhood trails. My mind was blown that it stayed there for so long.

This my kid leaves his $500+ outside for days at a time. My cousin’s DS got bike jacked while out and about in DC. They live in a “good” neighborhood. The schools are incredibly bad, even the good ones are amongst the worst in the county, serous random acts of violence and property crimes occur in all corners of the city. I understand why young childless people gravitate towards the city I don’t understand why families do or why they stay.

I am born in DC and actually think that in the last 20 years it has become a decent place to raise a family. I credit charter schools + the lottery system with a lot of this. There is just enough ability for people to exert some school choice that they don't feel 'trapped" like in the days of yore. There are a variety of "good' schools, some free, some not--I hope this helps you understand why people would choose to raise a family here. However, the Council + Mayor's current policies are very San Francisco and I agree it is getting less so. The crime this year has been appalling, the school system broke (and why they didn't use this time to seriously refurb both physical plants and some glaring curricular gaps I'll never know), the focus on development above everything else will simply create more boxy condos--not livable infrastructure. I agree, we may see the past 20 years as a time when for some it was a great place to raise a family. For the record, we are moving. We loved the ability to walk this past year so DC compared well to a few other East Coast cities with its broad, canopied streets--but you can find that all over America and its on the developers grind list anyway. Meanwhile, DC is pretty boring and I am starting to sense that some of the stuff we were 'grateful for' is commonplace elsewhere.

I'm sorry, but the bolded is just such lazy thought. If you find it boring (and yes, I've lived in bigger cities), you're not really trying.

If you are not a U street hipster or a super connected politico type, DC has no buzz. Have you ever walked around and looked at people's sour faces? Yikes. Thank god for the streeteries but it took a pandemic to nudge that into being. DC is boring . With development, it's just going to be boring with ever more concrete and people. It's something in the water. - from here

So if you are from here, and it's boring, and you're still here, why?

That's on you. Not DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Almost all homicides in DC are among persons known to each other. In other words, if you don't hang out with criminals and drug dealers, you don't have to worry about being murdered. A typical UMC white woman is at a greater risk of being murdered by the man sleeping in her bed than a stranger on the streets of DC.

This trope response has started to really bother and puzzle me. I think you misunderstand that concern about crime doesn’t JUST mean fear for ones self. Now we can’t be upset about actual murder- just because we don’t know the perpetrators or victims? I’m very much against violent crime and murder of anyone- not just those I hang out with. Two drug deal related shootings happened outside my house off Georgia Ave years ago. But according to this logic I shouldn’t have been bothered since hey, I didn’t hang out with them.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Fairwell all of you. I will gladly take my city back. I was born in DC in the 70's and am still in the area. Y'all don't know how good you have it here now. Don't know jack. BYE

So you want all the gentifiers to move (that includes UMC blacks you know) so DC can back to how awful, corrupt and bankrupt it was in the 70s-90s? Smart.

That's what it sounds like. I just don't get what turning DC back into a dysfunctional city middle class people have to leave would do for anyone. Everyone loses when the city is broken. And DC was deeply broken. Why would it be any better if you harass middle class people into fleeing again?

If the UMC folks depart the city will financially tank. WFH is here to stay and the district’s already feeling it without commuters. The high earners depart and there goes another huge chunk of the the tax base.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost all homicides in DC are among persons known to each other. In other words, if you don't hang out with criminals and drug dealers, you don't have to worry about being murdered. A typical UMC white woman is at a greater risk of being murdered by the man sleeping in her bed than a stranger on the streets of DC.

This trope response has started to really bother and puzzle me. I think you misunderstand that concern about crime doesn’t JUST mean fear for ones self. Now we can’t be upset about actual murder- just because we don’t know the perpetrators or victims? I’m very much against violent crime and murder of anyone- not just those I hang out with. Two drug deal related shootings happened outside my house off Georgia Ave years ago. But according to this logic I shouldn’t have been bothered since hey, I didn’t hang out with them.

I agree it’s a really bizarre way of thinking. First, there are so many ways that violence affects us all without us directly coming into contact with it or being directly victims. It could be our friends or colleagues who we care about. And even if it is complete strangers, living amidst violence - even if we are not the victims - can have a negative affect on our psyche and emotional wellbeing. Not to mention the potential long-term affects on children who are exposed to violence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost all homicides in DC are among persons known to each other. In other words, if you don't hang out with criminals and drug dealers, you don't have to worry about being murdered. A typical UMC white woman is at a greater risk of being murdered by the man sleeping in her bed than a stranger on the streets of DC.

What about armed carjackings? This was a rarity in my neighborhood and now I feel like there is one every week if not more.

Don't leave your car running unattended in the middle of the road because you can't be bothered to find a parking space to pick up your food delivery order. That alone would eliminate 90% of the carjackings in the city -- not to mention keep traffic flowing.

Or .... we could respect each other’s personal property I am not goi g to steal your car because it’s running and has the keys in it. But I was raised that way, wait a minute, no forget it.

+1. Right? I have so many family members who live in places where they don’t have to constantly keep track of whether they locked all the doors and did all of the other things to fortify the home for another day.

What gets me and is also simultaneously a good indicator that things are getting bad is that like this PP, people blame the victims of crime like its their fault. Like every should just expect that the entire world outside of our door is just out to get us. It's incredible frankly.

These people are all like, "durr, durr, its your fault that you had your car stolen with your baby in it while you were loading your groceries, it should not have been running to give your baby a/c and a place to rest because you don't have four hands" and "durr, durr, if you don't want someone to pickpocket you then you should have zippers with locks on them like smart people do, get a clue" or "durr, durr, if you don't want to get clipped by stray bullets in your own home then you should always wear a bullet proof vest. otherwise if you get shot its your fault".

How about we blame the criminals and not the crime victims? There are too many people in this city making excuses for criminals.

DC native who left for suburbia a few years ago (though more for school/space reasons than crime). Shortly after we moved, I saw a kid’s bike left for several days on one of our neighborhood trails. My mind was blown that it stayed there for so long.

This my kid leaves his $500+ outside for days at a time. My cousin’s DS got bike jacked while out and about in DC. They live in a “good” neighborhood. The schools are incredibly bad, even the good ones are amongst the worst in the county, serous random acts of violence and property crimes occur in all corners of the city. I understand why young childless people gravitate towards the city I don’t understand why families do or why they stay.

I am born in DC and actually think that in the last 20 years it has become a decent place to raise a family. I credit charter schools + the lottery system with a lot of this. There is just enough ability for people to exert some school choice that they don't feel 'trapped" like in the days of yore. There are a variety of "good' schools, some free, some not--I hope this helps you understand why people would choose to raise a family here. However, the Council + Mayor's current policies are very San Francisco and I agree it is getting less so. The crime this year has been appalling, the school system broke (and why they didn't use this time to seriously refurb both physical plants and some glaring curricular gaps I'll never know), the focus on development above everything else will simply create more boxy condos--not livable infrastructure. I agree, we may see the past 20 years as a time when for some it was a great place to raise a family. For the record, we are moving. We loved the ability to walk this past year so DC compared well to a few other East Coast cities with its broad, canopied streets--but you can find that all over America and its on the developers grind list anyway. Meanwhile, DC is pretty boring and I am starting to sense that some of the stuff we were 'grateful for' is commonplace elsewhere.

Where are you moving?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I also left a couple months ago (would have hit 18 years in June). So worth it, OP! DC is not getting better- it's going to get worse. I'm not sure we're going to see good times like those experienced in 2010-2015 for many years to come. The city is intent on driving high earners who care about safety and quality of life issues out of the city. It's dedicated to favoring criminals over victims and hamstringing police and criminal justice. Fine then- it can enjoy its descent back into the 90s. Join me by exiting- it's the only thing governments understand as their tax base evaporates and businesses go elsewhere.

The ‘90s in DC were dope. The ‘80s were a bit scary. When I moved here after grad school, it was known as “the murder capital of the world.” I remember thinking how cheap it was compared to the NE (NY/NJ/CT). I wish I had bought into real estate sooner. Now living in Bethesda, but still miss DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Almost all homicides in DC are among persons known to each other. In other words, if you don't hang out with criminals and drug dealers, you don't have to worry about being murdered. A typical UMC white woman is at a greater risk of being murdered by the man sleeping in her bed than a stranger on the streets of DC.

This trope response has started to really bother and puzzle me. I think you misunderstand that concern about crime doesn’t JUST mean fear for ones self. Now we can’t be upset about actual murder- just because we don’t know the perpetrators or victims? I’m very much against violent crime and murder of anyone- not just those I hang out with. Two drug deal related shootings happened outside my house off Georgia Ave years ago. But according to this logic I shouldn’t have been bothered since hey, I didn’t hang out with them.

+1. Yeah it’s a terribly misguided coping mechanism. Innocent people and even innocent children are being murdered by stray gunfire in DC, but I guess that’s supposed to be not so bad since I don’t know the kids and they don’t live in my neighborhood??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love all the people concerned about “safety” who are moving to suburbs where they spend far more time driving their kids around in cars, an actual risk to health and safety.

Gun violence has surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death in the US so you're at greater risk of getting shot in this country than in a car accident. And relative to the rest of the country - and particularly the DC 'burbs - crime in the district is through the roof. I will never understand why people stay in DC with higher crime, worse public education, more expensive housing, less green space, no representation, more congestion, pollution and trash.

Move, OP. You'll be glad that you did.

Less green space than what? DC is one of the greenest and most beautiful cities in the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If my child still needed public school, I would probably leave. That's a HUGE statement for me to make. I'm a militant urbanist. But I do think numerous public safety and quality of life issues, coupled with a just incomprehensible ideological shift in the city government, are becoming problems. If it will not be possible for middle-income families to set their kids up in schools that will help their kids reach their full potential instead of artificially depressing the pace of instruction for them, then that's a serious line crossed. Thank goodness my kids have gotten through DCPS already.

You’ve summed up the state of the schools well, but that is happening nationally. And it is de rigueur all over the DMV. This is why many so many kids in the burbs are now in private schools. Local public school enrollment is falling.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Jeff should change the name of this website to Hysterical DC Urban Moms Who Should Be Clutching Their Pearls in the Suburbs.

DCUM: Where we take pride in our crime rates!

Right? The “if you don’t like crime, then you belong in the suburbs” mentality is so trite and played out.

The premise of this thread is literally "any other families finally had enough of DC?". It's hardly a stretch to infer that some of you would be happier in the suburbs. Was that not OP's point? DP.

Deciding where to live a complex, multifaceted, and interesting topic. Empty “if you don’t like crime, move to the suburbs” comments are just goofy and don’t contribute anything meaningful. I suspect they’re mostly made by naive city dwellers without children and people who just generally have low standards in life.

This, maybe? I was born in DC (not the Upper Caucasia part) and I sometimes wonder if these posters really hear what they’re saying. I get that they’re trying to be cool urbanites showing off their street cred, but taking any issue with crime rates=take to the Beltway?

Alrighty.

And it’s insulting to all the community leaders who worked so hard, particularly through the 60s-90s, to fight for change in DC. Imagine if they had taken on the same attitude.

Seriously, people. Try harder. It’s easy to be like “oh big deal” until it’s your kid shot in a botched robbery, or you’re pistol-whipped for your bag.

Do better, expect better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If my child still needed public school, I would probably leave. That's a HUGE statement for me to make. I'm a militant urbanist. But I do think numerous public safety and quality of life issues, coupled with a just incomprehensible ideological shift in the city government, are becoming problems. If it will not be possible for middle-income families to set their kids up in schools that will help their kids reach their full potential instead of artificially depressing the pace of instruction for them, then that's a serious line crossed. Thank goodness my kids have gotten through DCPS already.

You’ve summed up the state of the schools well, but that is happening nationally. And it is de rigueur all over the DMV. This is why many so many kids in the burbs are now in private schools. Local public school enrollment is falling.

Wait. Could I hear a bit more from the PPs about their thoughts on DC public schools? Are you suggesting that DC public schools were actually better in the past??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeff should change the name of this website to Hysterical DC Urban Moms Who Should Be Clutching Their Pearls in the Suburbs.

DCUM: Where we take pride in our crime rates!

Right? The “if you don’t like crime, then you belong in the suburbs” mentality is so trite and played out.

The premise of this thread is literally "any other families finally had enough of DC?". It's hardly a stretch to infer that some of you would be happier in the suburbs. Was that not OP's point? DP.

Deciding where to live a complex, multifaceted, and interesting topic. Empty “if you don’t like crime, move to the suburbs” comments are just goofy and don’t contribute anything meaningful. I suspect they’re mostly made by naive city dwellers without children and people who just generally have low standards in life.

This, maybe? I was born in DC (not the Upper Caucasia part) and I sometimes wonder if these posters really hear what they’re saying. I get that they’re trying to be cool urbanites showing off their street cred, but taking any issue with crime rates=take to the Beltway?

Alrighty.

And it’s insulting to all the community leaders who worked so hard, particularly through the 60s-90s, to fight for change in DC. Imagine if they had taken on the same attitude.

Seriously, people. Try harder. It’s easy to be like “oh big deal” until it’s your kid shot in a botched robbery, or you’re pistol-whipped for your bag.

Do better, expect better.

+1. Such a good point. I suspect a lot of these commenters actually grew up in and probably still live in safe neighborhoods. And they somehow think they are fighting for social justice by acting like crime in other families’ neighborhoods isn’t a big deal.