Takoma park

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the past month there has been 1) murder of a bike messenger; 2) violent mugging of dog walker; 3) one woman physically assaulted walking home from metro) 4) one shooting at metro station one stop away. My road is literally divided between TP, MD and TP, DC. Same crime, better schools.

I live in takoma park, MD. The murder of the bike messenger is nowhere near TKPK. Shooting is not either. Number 2 and 3 I haven’t heard of so I won’t comment but if it is not in the boundaries of TKPK you shouldn’t mention it here.

Look, I understand all of this is very close to you but this is the strange thing about the DMV one block can be safe and then you cross a line, usually a big avenue and the other side is simply not (maybe a whole US thing? I am a foreigner and this whole street by street difference in violence is very strange to me).

Tkpk feels very safe to me and my neighbors in terms physical violence. My kids are 8 and 10 and they walk with their friends to school or to their activities and I believe they are safe also wandering downtown at farmers market or shops etc.. the parks feel very safe.

It has property crime though: cars broken into, periodic waves of houses broken into (police told me it was more frequent for houses at the border with DC and PG as burglars hop back into other parts of DMV and police has a harder time coordinating).

My friends from Capitol Hill, Columbia heights or pet worth tell me it feels much much safer. No comparison. And several have moved to Tkpk as a result.

BUT it is not perfect. It is close to the city. Things happen. If you are looking for perfect safety and no property crime this is not it. You probably need to go further in the suburbs. Some here said Bethesda, a friend in Bethesda was just telling me that contractors can’t leave their trucks unattended because there had been too many car jacks and materials stolen. I am sure Bethesda is safer than Tkpk but not perfect either.

OMG. You are HILARIOUS. You should be in real estate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the past month there has been 1) murder of a bike messenger; 2) violent mugging of dog walker; 3) one woman physically assaulted walking home from metro) 4) one shooting at metro station one stop away. My road is literally divided between TP, MD and TP, DC. Same crime, better schools.

I live in takoma park, MD. The murder of the bike messenger is nowhere near TKPK. Shooting is not either. Number 2 and 3 I haven’t heard of so I won’t comment but if it is not in the boundaries of TKPK you shouldn’t mention it here.

Look, I understand all of this is very close to you but this is the strange thing about the DMV one block can be safe and then you cross a line, usually a big avenue and the other side is simply not (maybe a whole US thing? I am a foreigner and this whole street by street difference in violence is very strange to me).

Tkpk feels very safe to me and my neighbors in terms physical violence. My kids are 8 and 10 and they walk with their friends to school or to their activities and I believe they are safe also wandering downtown at farmers market or shops etc.. the parks feel very safe.

It has property crime though: cars broken into, periodic waves of houses broken into (police told me it was more frequent for houses at the border with DC and PG as burglars hop back into other parts of DMV and police has a harder time coordinating).

My friends from Capitol Hill, Columbia heights or pet worth tell me it feels much much safer. No comparison. And several have moved to Tkpk as a result.

BUT it is not perfect. It is close to the city. Things happen. If you are looking for perfect safety and no property crime this is not it. You probably need to go further in the suburbs. Some here said Bethesda, a friend in Bethesda was just telling me that contractors can’t leave their trucks unattended because there had been too many car jacks and materials stolen. I am sure Bethesda is safer than Tkpk but not perfect either.

The murder and these other attacks have been well covered on the TK listserv, actually. Do you live in Bethesda?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the past month there has been 1) murder of a bike messenger; 2) violent mugging of dog walker; 3) one woman physically assaulted walking home from metro) 4) one shooting at metro station one stop away. My road is literally divided between TP, MD and TP, DC. Same crime, better schools.

I live in takoma park, MD. The murder of the bike messenger is nowhere near TKPK. Shooting is not either. Number 2 and 3 I haven’t heard of so I won’t comment but if it is not in the boundaries of TKPK you shouldn’t mention it here.

Look, I understand all of this is very close to you but this is the strange thing about the DMV one block can be safe and then you cross a line, usually a big avenue and the other side is simply not (maybe a whole US thing? I am a foreigner and this whole street by street difference in violence is very strange to me).

Tkpk feels very safe to me and my neighbors in terms physical violence. My kids are 8 and 10 and they walk with their friends to school or to their activities and I believe they are safe also wandering downtown at farmers market or shops etc.. the parks feel very safe.

It has property crime though: cars broken into, periodic waves of houses broken into (police told me it was more frequent for houses at the border with DC and PG as burglars hop back into other parts of DMV and police has a harder time coordinating).

My friends from Capitol Hill, Columbia heights or pet worth tell me it feels much much safer. No comparison. And several have moved to Tkpk as a result.

BUT it is not perfect. It is close to the city. Things happen. If you are looking for perfect safety and no property crime this is not it. You probably need to go further in the suburbs. Some here said Bethesda, a friend in Bethesda was just telling me that contractors can’t leave their trucks unattended because there had been too many car jacks and materials stolen. I am sure Bethesda is safer than Tkpk but not perfect either.

The murder and these other attacks have been well covered on the TK listserv, actually. Do you live in Bethesda?

Not on my list serve, and I live in Takoma Park, MD, on the border with DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the past month there has been 1) murder of a bike messenger; 2) violent mugging of dog walker; 3) one woman physically assaulted walking home from metro) 4) one shooting at metro station one stop away. My road is literally divided between TP, MD and TP, DC. Same crime, better schools.

A murder? Hadn’t heard of that.

https://dailyvoice.com/virginia/arlington/local-bike-legend-dzhoy-zuckerman-27-killed-in-dc/

Yes, that was a horrible and tragic murder, but did not occur in TKPK, MD.

It didn't happen in Takoma Park, DC either.

This is considered Takoma DC - he was visiting Takoma Village. My point is - crime doesn't need a passport. I live on the border between Takoma, DC and TP, MD - and there has been a major uptick in crime in this this area.

That area where he was killed was not Takoma DC. More Brightwood, and quite a ways away.

Yep exactly. Looking at a map, I can see how someone not familiar with the area would think it's really close to Takoma, but this is more in the area of the Walmart, and that area has had a lot of problems. It's pretty far from the desirable areas of Takoma.

That area is called Manor Park and it’s maybe a mile from Main Street Takoma

It's four blocks east of the Walmart, which nobody would think is in Takoma Park either. That's like saying a murder on Logan Circle is relevant to the West End.

[Anonymous]

All of this back and forth about anecdotes of violent crime don't really address the question. Every urban or semi-urban area around DC is near somewhere a violent crime happened.

if you come to Takoma Park, you'll see lots of kids walking around without adults, riding bikes, playing at the park, etc. I have lived here for a long time and have never felt unsafe walking around.

Having said all that, it's true that you could have less crime if you lived in more suburban areas. If minimizing chances of being a victim of crime is your biggest priority, then I would move further out. But there are tradeoffs. It is silly however to treat Takoma Park like it is a dangerous place. You'd have to be delusional to buy that.

[Anonymous]

There's someone in this forum who is always writing that MS-13 is having shoot-outs with other gangs on Carroll Avenue. They deserve to be ignored.

That said, pp is right, if you're close-in, you're never really far from crime. Especially if you're on the border with DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All of this back and forth about anecdotes of violent crime don't really address the question. Every urban or semi-urban area around DC is near somewhere a violent crime happened.

if you come to Takoma Park, you'll see lots of kids walking around without adults, riding bikes, playing at the park, etc. I have lived here for a long time and have never felt unsafe walking around.

Having said all that, it's true that you could have less crime if you lived in more suburban areas. If minimizing chances of being a victim of crime is your biggest priority, then I would move further out. But there are tradeoffs. It is silly however to treat Takoma Park like it is a dangerous place. You'd have to be delusional to buy that.

As someone who lived in Vienna, Bethesda and Takoma Park over the last 20 years, I can vouch for pp’s comments. Takoma Park is a lovely city. But it is closer to a city than a suburb, and deals with the ills that come with cities and being in closer proximity to folks impacted by inequality and poverty. The farther you are away from those elements, the more you will pay in housing, but the “safer” you will be. If the threat of a car break-in *ever* happening in your life is a large concern for you, then like most cities, Takoma Park probably isn’t the place for you. While it’s unlikely to happen relative to DC or PG, the odds are much higher than in wealthy enclaves like Bethesda and McLean.

In Vienna and Bethesda, I could leave my iPad on the backseat in my car for days and not worry about it being stolen. This would be a concern in Takoma Park. However, I left Bethesda 5 years ago to live in Takoma Park despite this risk. Why? B/c I have school aged children and find this city to be more community focused. I actually know most of my neighbors here and they know my kids/family. It’s also more diverse. It’s closer to the way I grew up in suburban Chicago, where kids had independence and folks look out for each other. For me these factors outweighed the slightly increased risk of crime relative to Bethesda (which is also lovely btw, and highly recommend of course).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the past month there has been 1) murder of a bike messenger; 2) violent mugging of dog walker; 3) one woman physically assaulted walking home from metro) 4) one shooting at metro station one stop away. My road is literally divided between TP, MD and TP, DC. Same crime, better schools.

I live in takoma park, MD. The murder of the bike messenger is nowhere near TKPK. Shooting is not either. Number 2 and 3 I haven’t heard of so I won’t comment but if it is not in the boundaries of TKPK you shouldn’t mention it here.

Look, I understand all of this is very close to you but this is the strange thing about the DMV one block can be safe and then you cross a line, usually a big avenue and the other side is simply not (maybe a whole US thing? I am a foreigner and this whole street by street difference in violence is very strange to me).

Tkpk feels very safe to me and my neighbors in terms physical violence. My kids are 8 and 10 and they walk with their friends to school or to their activities and I believe they are safe also wandering downtown at farmers market or shops etc.. the parks feel very safe.

It has property crime though: cars broken into, periodic waves of houses broken into (police told me it was more frequent for houses at the border with DC and PG as burglars hop back into other parts of DMV and police has a harder time coordinating).

My friends from Capitol Hill, Columbia heights or pet worth tell me it feels much much safer. No comparison. And several have moved to Tkpk as a result.

BUT it is not perfect. It is close to the city. Things happen. If you are looking for perfect safety and no property crime this is not it. You probably need to go further in the suburbs. Some here said Bethesda, a friend in Bethesda was just telling me that contractors can’t leave their trucks unattended because there had been too many car jacks and materials stolen. I am sure Bethesda is safer than Tkpk but not perfect either.

OMG. You are HILARIOUS. You should be in real estate.

The revived thread make me discover the PP mocking my post. Can you elaborate on why my opinion and experience is ridiculous?

[Anonymous]

Because there are either deluded or paid people (like those working in certain Council offices) who make it their mission to mock any citizen talking about crime and that the “new normal” isn’t normal. Ignore, keep raising the issues and vote smarter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the past month there has been 1) murder of a bike messenger; 2) violent mugging of dog walker; 3) one woman physically assaulted walking home from metro) 4) one shooting at metro station one stop away. My road is literally divided between TP, MD and TP, DC. Same crime, better schools.

I live in takoma park, MD. The murder of the bike messenger is nowhere near TKPK. Shooting is not either. Number 2 and 3 I haven’t heard of so I won’t comment but if it is not in the boundaries of TKPK you shouldn’t mention it here.

Look, I understand all of this is very close to you but this is the strange thing about the DMV one block can be safe and then you cross a line, usually a big avenue and the other side is simply not (maybe a whole US thing? I am a foreigner and this whole street by street difference in violence is very strange to me).

Tkpk feels very safe to me and my neighbors in terms physical violence. My kids are 8 and 10 and they walk with their friends to school or to their activities and I believe they are safe also wandering downtown at farmers market or shops etc.. the parks feel very safe.

It has property crime though: cars broken into, periodic waves of houses broken into (police told me it was more frequent for houses at the border with DC and PG as burglars hop back into other parts of DMV and police has a harder time coordinating).

My friends from Capitol Hill, Columbia heights or pet worth tell me it feels much much safer. No comparison. And several have moved to Tkpk as a result.

BUT it is not perfect. It is close to the city. Things happen. If you are looking for perfect safety and no property crime this is not it. You probably need to go further in the suburbs. Some here said Bethesda, a friend in Bethesda was just telling me that contractors can’t leave their trucks unattended because there had been too many car jacks and materials stolen. I am sure Bethesda is safer than Tkpk but not perfect either.

OMG. You are HILARIOUS. You should be in real estate.

The revived thread make me discover the PP mocking my post. Can you elaborate on why my opinion and experience is ridiculous?

I thought your post was very measured and helpful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In the past month there has been 1) murder of a bike messenger; 2) violent mugging of dog walker; 3) one woman physically assaulted walking home from metro) 4) one shooting at metro station one stop away. My road is literally divided between TP, MD and TP, DC. Same crime, better schools.

I live in takoma park, MD. The murder of the bike messenger is nowhere near TKPK. Shooting is not either. Number 2 and 3 I haven’t heard of so I won’t comment but if it is not in the boundaries of TKPK you shouldn’t mention it here.

Look, I understand all of this is very close to you but this is the strange thing about the DMV one block can be safe and then you cross a line, usually a big avenue and the other side is simply not (maybe a whole US thing? I am a foreigner and this whole street by street difference in violence is very strange to me).

Tkpk feels very safe to me and my neighbors in terms physical violence. My kids are 8 and 10 and they walk with their friends to school or to their activities and I believe they are safe also wandering downtown at farmers market or shops etc.. the parks feel very safe.

It has property crime though: cars broken into, periodic waves of houses broken into (police told me it was more frequent for houses at the border with DC and PG as burglars hop back into other parts of DMV and police has a harder time coordinating).

My friends from Capitol Hill, Columbia heights or pet worth tell me it feels much much safer. No comparison. And several have moved to Tkpk as a result.

BUT it is not perfect. It is close to the city. Things happen. If you are looking for perfect safety and no property crime this is not it. You probably need to go further in the suburbs. Some here said Bethesda, a friend in Bethesda was just telling me that contractors can’t leave their trucks unattended because there had been too many car jacks and materials stolen. I am sure Bethesda is safer than Tkpk but not perfect either.

OMG. You are HILARIOUS. You should be in real estate.

The revived thread make me discover the PP mocking my post. Can you elaborate on why my opinion and experience is ridiculous?

I thought your post was very measured and helpful.

Thank you