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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No lots of gang activity and other criminals.

Like a warzone:’ Witness to Fairfax Co. police shooting on Richmond Hwy. describes scene

The video shows 38-year-old Brandon Lamagne, who was accused of stealing a U-Haul, attack a Fairfax County officer in the front seat of his car. During the struggle, the car reversed through the parking lot, hitting bushes in front of the fast food restaurant, and at least one other car. All the while, the officer was on his radio saying the man was trying to take his gun.

“I ain’t never been in a war zone, but that’s what I felt like that day,” said Pratt.

Pratt, her friend and her five-year-old grandson were sitting in a car in front of the McDonald’s where the shooting occurred.

https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-news/virginia/fairfax-county/like-a-warzone-witness-to-fairfax-co-police-shooting-on-richmond-hwy-describes-scene/

This is just scary. What will it take before the governor does something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in DC, am worried about the crime, and have no hangups about living in the suburbs.

But moving to the suburbs means becoming car dependent, which currently we are not. It's not a small thing, it's huge. Even if you can find a little suburban township where the town is walkable, it is often not connected via public transportation to everywhere else you might go (work, the doctors office and dentist, the movies, your kid's activities, etc.). And even if it's connected to these things (rare) using public transit to get there is time consuming because everything is more spread out.

So even if you can find a suburb with some walkability and public transit (which is, on it's own, actually really hard, especially if you also want good schools), you will pay for it with time as you add a lot of time to all of your transportation.

And many of the suburbs I'm currently describing? Also have seen upticks in crime, including precisely the crime that OP is concerned about (carjackings, muggings, etc.).

Then add in the school issue. Schools in DC can be really hard, but because of the lottery, there are options and people make it work. Outside DC, you HAVE to buy in bound for the schools you want to attend, which is expensive an can cost you in terms of walkability and commute times.

It's not this obvious choice people make it out to be. I actively want to move to the suburbs, and I'm struggling to find one where (1) we can afford a home, (2) the schools are as good or better than what we currently have access to, (3) crime is significantly lower and not trending poorly, and (4) there is a reasonable amount of walkability and not a massive increase in commute time.

If anyone knows of one that fits the bill, tell me! As it stands, we always wind up back on "stay in DC" as the better of two imperfect options.

Glover park

[Anonymous]

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Fairfax County Police Department is asking for help identifying and locating the suspect of a shooting which took place in the Bailey’s Crossroads area of Fairfax County last week.

According to police, at around 1:06 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, officers responded to the 3300 block of Glen Carlyn Drive in the Bailey’s Crossroads area for a report of a person shot.

When they got there, the officers found a man who had been shot. He was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were later determined to be non-life-threatening.

https://www.wric.com/news/northern-virginia/fairfax-police-looking-for-shooting-suspect/

Fairfax is just like Texas with all the shootings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

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

[Anonymous]

Human trafficking prevention bills assist local organizations in crime’s hotbed
By Grant Johnson / Special to the Fairfax County Times Jun 24, 2022

In Fairfax County specifically, human trafficking is prevalent, largely due to its proximity to two international airports and activity in the I-95 corridor and along I-66, said Kim Luckabaugh, executive director of Reset180, a Reston-based non-profit that promotes prevention and disruption against human trafficking and restoration though counseling and other aids for adult women.

Human trafficking has increased exponentially through the pandemic in the region — one of the few crimes that rose during it, Luckabaugh said. According to data from Freedom Signal, an online app for service providers and advocates to reach victims of online sex trafficking, there were 19,873 people advertised online for sexual services in a 50-mile radius from Reset180’s office in 2019. In 2021, there were 121,738.

When you stop and realize that that’s that number of people who are being exploited, services being sold against their wishes, that’s horrifying,” Luckabaugh said. “It’s not that it’s just done in these certain areas of Fairfax County, it’s happening in our own communities.”

https://www.fairfaxtimes.com/articles/fairfax_county/human-trafficking-prevention-bills-assist-local-organizations-in-crime-s-hotbed/article_ce354ce0-f31a-11ec-bdb2-532a4ff85350.html

[Anonymous]

I moved to DC 25 years ago. I rode the metro every single day until the pandemic. I never saw a person hop/vault themselves over the faregate. I would see the station manager open the side gate for people to walk through; and after the kids ride free started, some kids would open the gate themselves and walk through. That was it. Today -- people vaulting over the fare gate is a daily occurrence.

Same with CVS. There was always some amount of shoplifiting going on, but today, people go back and forth multiple times with armfuls of detergent, clearing out the entire aisle. They even take their time doing it, because there is no need to rush.

Just what is going on??? And is this really not happening elsewhere? Because it sounds like this exact thing may not be happening, but similar lawlessness is happening everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No lots of gang activity and other criminals.

Like a warzone:’ Witness to Fairfax Co. police shooting on Richmond Hwy. describes scene

The video shows 38-year-old Brandon Lamagne, who was accused of stealing a U-Haul, attack a Fairfax County officer in the front seat of his car. During the struggle, the car reversed through the parking lot, hitting bushes in front of the fast food restaurant, and at least one other car. All the while, the officer was on his radio saying the man was trying to take his gun.

“I ain’t never been in a war zone, but that’s what I felt like that day,” said Pratt.

Pratt, her friend and her five-year-old grandson were sitting in a car in front of the McDonald’s where the shooting occurred.

https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-news/virginia/fairfax-county/like-a-warzone-witness-to-fairfax-co-police-shooting-on-richmond-hwy-describes-scene/

This is just scary. What will it take before the governor does something?

Now do this 200+ more times, and add in an absurd amount of car jackings (many involving children in the car), and you'll get what it's like in DC right now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I moved to DC 25 years ago. I rode the metro every single day until the pandemic. I never saw a person hop/vault themselves over the faregate. I would see the station manager open the side gate for people to walk through; and after the kids ride free started, some kids would open the gate themselves and walk through. That was it. Today -- people vaulting over the fare gate is a daily occurrence.

Same with CVS. There was always some amount of shoplifiting going on, but today, people go back and forth multiple times with armfuls of detergent, clearing out the entire aisle. They even take their time doing it, because there is no need to rush.

Just what is going on??? And is this really not happening elsewhere? Because it sounds like this exact thing may not be happening, but similar lawlessness is happening everywhere.

There are no rules anymore. You can thank Charles Allen and the rest of the Council for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I moved to DC 25 years ago. I rode the metro every single day until the pandemic. I never saw a person hop/vault themselves over the faregate. I would see the station manager open the side gate for people to walk through; and after the kids ride free started, some kids would open the gate themselves and walk through. That was it. Today -- people vaulting over the fare gate is a daily occurrence.

Same with CVS. There was always some amount of shoplifiting going on, but today, people go back and forth multiple times with armfuls of detergent, clearing out the entire aisle. They even take their time doing it, because there is no need to rush.

Just what is going on??? And is this really not happening elsewhere? Because it sounds like this exact thing may not be happening, but similar lawlessness is happening everywhere.

It is definitely happening elsewhere, you're just seeing more DC news because you live here. Go on reddit, go to any city local subreddit, and look at all of the complaints about crime. And I'm not trying to be all "but it's not a problem because it's happening everywhere!" It's still a problem, and a societal one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

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

I went to that Walmart nearly everyday before the pandemic, because I used to work in that neighborhood. It was so convenient, and I never felt unsafe going to it. I so was glad it was there, because it was a lot easier to go to it than to go over the bridge and down H Street.

[Anonymous]

Nothing to see here, just another restaurant that will probably soon close due to persistent lawlessness: https://twitter.com/beauthaidc/status/1658429502186299392

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I moved to DC 25 years ago. I rode the metro every single day until the pandemic. I never saw a person hop/vault themselves over the faregate. I would see the station manager open the side gate for people to walk through; and after the kids ride free started, some kids would open the gate themselves and walk through. That was it. Today -- people vaulting over the fare gate is a daily occurrence.

Same with CVS. There was always some amount of shoplifiting going on, but today, people go back and forth multiple times with armfuls of detergent, clearing out the entire aisle. They even take their time doing it, because there is no need to rush.

Just what is going on??? And is this really not happening elsewhere? Because it sounds like this exact thing may not be happening, but similar lawlessness is happening everywhere.

California lead the way with legislation “decriminalizing” many crimes, including decriminalizing theft under $1,000 and decriminalizing possession of stolen property.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — The Fairfax County Police Department is asking for help identifying and locating the suspect of a shooting which took place in the Bailey’s Crossroads area of Fairfax County last week.

According to police, at around 1:06 p.m. on Wednesday, May 10, officers responded to the 3300 block of Glen Carlyn Drive in the Bailey’s Crossroads area for a report of a person shot.

When they got there, the officers found a man who had been shot. He was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were later determined to be non-life-threatening.

https://www.wric.com/news/northern-virginia/fairfax-police-looking-for-shooting-suspect/

Fairfax is just like Texas with all the shootings.

We can talk when you compare gun violence and car jackings numbers in DC and Fairfax.

[Anonymous]

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.