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

[Anonymous]

Leave Capitol Hill for NW DC and you’ll be fine. It’s a world’s of difference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in the city and our kids attend solid schools (one DCPS and one charter). We love our neighborhood, our friends and our life here. But we are increasingly uncomfortable with the level of unchecked crime happening in the city and the hopelessness we feel about things getting better.

I know things have been a lot worse in the city in the past. But each year, we seem to be going further backwards. Neighborhood stores are closing because they can't operate with this level of crime. There are shootings and car jackings in our neighborhood, where that was unheard of before. I drive by cars everyday up on blocks because the wheels were stolen. And I have a constant feeling of "wtf" because Bowser and the Council seem to either not care or not have a realistic plan to fix it.

When is it time to call it quits?

Sadly, the high mortgage rates are keeping us here. If they ever get close to our current 4% again we are gone and so are many neighbors. Upper NW is out of reach with rates above 6%. It sucks because we are so done with CH.

[Anonymous]

Woman shot in Columbia Heights last night. It never ends.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Leave Capitol Hill for NW DC and you’ll be fine. It’s a world’s of difference.

We had enough of Capitol Hill in 2006 and moved to Chevy Chase. It was like moving to a different city.

[Anonymous]

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

[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.

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had more guns pointed at me and got in more fights in bars and elsewhere when I lived in rural America than I did since moving to DC.

It's not just city OR rural. There are many many places that are in between.

and they have crime too

Oh, please. Fairfax and the Falls Church have low crime rates. And you're not far out of DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We’re almost there. Our tipping point might just be replacing our old beater car. Our biggest consideration for brand, model and year isn’t comfort, reliability or safety but the likelihood of theft and vandalism. It’s sad.

Seriously? That should always be a calculation - anywhere. Never buy a car that's big in the after-market for parts. Basically never buy a Honda or Acura Integra and you're good. That's has zero to do with DC and everything to do with illegal racing, which is a whole global culture that most people are nor aware of. You could move to Montana and that's going to be an issue

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We also live in Cap Hill. We see crime happening around us all the time. Everything from kids grabbing a bag of chips at 7-11 and running out to a shooting up our block. It feels lawless and we feel less safe than we did when we moved to the neighborhood 10 years ago. I'm afraid to sit in my car waiting for my kids activities to end because of carjackings. DH has had enough and wants to move. I have had enough but just can't imagine where we would go where we wouldn't trade one problem for another. But really we're probably staying because we like our house and have a super low mortgage payment compared to currently available rates. Financially, moving to the suburbs would be a very bad decision.

There are parts of DC with significantly less crime that still have the walkability. But yes, the cost of moving is generally prohibitive.

[Anonymous]

We live in the U Street / Logan area. Moved here 12 years ago as youngish empty nesters. The first week we were here we were victims of a smash and grab. We learned then that you can’t leave anything in your car. Other than that, we haven’t been victims of any crime at all other than the occasional theft of Amazon deliveries. I will say, though, that it used to be that that never happened and has now reached the point where we don’t have packages delivered at all unless we really have to.

I know a new local cop who told me at a local bar the other day that violent crime in our immediate vicinity has absolutely 100 percent gotten worse recently and is even higher than the city lets on. I don’t worry about that personally because, other than the obvious risk of us, being unintended or random victims, we generally don’t lead the kind of lifestyle that is likely to make us victims. However, I am sad and disappointed for the city in general.

No plans to move, but really want to see something done already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

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.

Things didn’t go upscale and stores don’t make a profit when a rise in crime makes people move away.

[Anonymous]

The pendulum always swings back. It would be no surprise that within 5 years DC was a "law and order" town.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The pendulum always swings back. It would be no surprise that within 5 years DC was a "law and order" town.

No chance it happens that fast unless things get a lot worse overnight, something no one should be rooting for.

More likely is the steady drip of decline followed by the knee jerk reaction back in 20 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in the U Street / Logan area. Moved here 12 years ago as youngish empty nesters. The first week we were here we were victims of a smash and grab. We learned then that you can’t leave anything in your car. Other than that, we haven’t been victims of any crime at all other than the occasional theft of Amazon deliveries. I will say, though, that it used to be that that never happened and has now reached the point where we don’t have packages delivered at all unless we really have to.

I know a new local cop who told me at a local bar the other day that violent crime in our immediate vicinity has absolutely 100 percent gotten worse recently and is even higher than the city lets on. I don’t worry about that personally because, other than the obvious risk of us, being unintended or random victims, we generally don’t lead the kind of lifestyle that is likely to make us victims. However, I am sad and disappointed for the city in general.

No plans to move, but really want to see something done already.

Crime is just something hyped by right wingers, according to some. It’s not a problem.

The WaPo conducted a very scientific poll and according to them, 3 out of 4 of the people they asked felt safe in their neighborhood.

You can believe everything in the WaPo right?