Longterm dc area residents, have you noticed decline ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Been here since the late 70s. Nature and location of the crimes has changed. 80s crime was more violent and contained in areas where drug turf wars were happening. So really bad if you lived in those areas. No real issues if you didn’t. Now it is becoming increasingly violent again, but can and does happen anywhere anytime.

+1

[Anonymous]

Shootout in Columbia Heights last night at an early hour when kids and families were still out and about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Been here since the late 70s. Nature and location of the crimes has changed. 80s crime was more violent and contained in areas where drug turf wars were happening. So really bad if you lived in those areas. No real issues if you didn’t. Now it is becoming increasingly violent again, but can and does happen anywhere anytime.

+1

What in earth are you talking about? What violent crime? Assaults are down across the region.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe there was more acts of crime in DC in the 80s and 90s. However, the difference between then and now is that many more areas of the city and the suburbs are less safe.

You're joking, right? There is no way you were here in the 80s and 90s if you actually believe that.

Literally the entire city east of Rock Creek Park is significantly safer now. Columbia Heights, Petworth, Brightwood, Fort Totten, Brookland, Hill East, Logan Circle, Shaw, Bloomingdale, Edgewood, Eckington, NoMa, (which absolutely wasn't called NoMa) Trinidad, H St., Michigan Park, Ivy City were all wastelands full of boarded up and burned out houses, open air drug markets, lacking any sort of retail or restaurants that didn't serve you through bulletproof glass. There is literally no comparison between now and then.

Meanwhile none of the neighborhoods that were safe back then are less safe in any meaningful way.

To say that any of the city and suburbs, much less "many more areas" are less safe than the 80s and 90s is patently and laughably absurd. To write that you would have to have absolutely zero knowledge or awareness of what the area was like back then.

Ok. I’ll try to be more specific. Criminals now come to Upper NW to rob and attack. That never used to happen with such regularity. They also now hang out in Arlington and other close-in burbs. This is all new, since 2020, I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Been here since the late 70s. Nature and location of the crimes has changed. 80s crime was more violent and contained in areas where drug turf wars were happening. So really bad if you lived in those areas. No real issues if you didn’t. Now it is becoming increasingly violent again, but can and does happen anywhere anytime.

+1

What in earth are you talking about? What violent crime? Assaults are down across the region.

Violent crime up 39% in DC - https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/district-crime-data-glance

Fairfax County crime statistics - https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/sites/police/files/assets/images/helpfulinfo/crime%20in%20our%20county/crime%20statistics/fcpd%202022%20group%20a%20offenses.pdf

Perhaps in your gated community all is well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Been here since the late 70s. Nature and location of the crimes has changed. 80s crime was more violent and contained in areas where drug turf wars were happening. So really bad if you lived in those areas. No real issues if you didn’t. Now it is becoming increasingly violent again, but can and does happen anywhere anytime.

+1

What in earth are you talking about? What violent crime? Assaults are down across the region.

Violent crime up 39% in DC - https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/district-crime-data-glance

Fairfax County crime statistics - https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/sites/police/files/assets/images/helpfulinfo/crime%20in%20our%20county/crime%20statistics/fcpd%202022%20group%20a%20offenses.pdf

Perhaps in your gated community all is well.

Your DC link is not describing what you think it does. That is preliminary data and measuring YTD rather than year end totals. If you look at the year end total for violent crime in 2022 you will see 3,830 and we are only at 3,585 in 2023 so you are throwing around misleading statistics. Crime is on track for being worse this year compared to last years historic low. Yes there is a problem but you are blowing it way out proportion.

[Anonymous]

It may better than the 90s now, but it is significantly worse than DC WOTP even in 2004.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Been here since the late 70s. Nature and location of the crimes has changed. 80s crime was more violent and contained in areas where drug turf wars were happening. So really bad if you lived in those areas. No real issues if you didn’t. Now it is becoming increasingly violent again, but can and does happen anywhere anytime.

Yeah except those "contained areas" were everything east of the park.

I don't know about you but I'd rather have a 0.01% greater chance of being mugged in Tenleytown and an entire city to enjoy than be slightly safer and not be able to stray more than a few blocks away from Wisconsin Ave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe there was more acts of crime in DC in the 80s and 90s. However, the difference between then and now is that many more areas of the city and the suburbs are less safe.

You're joking, right? There is no way you were here in the 80s and 90s if you actually believe that.

Literally the entire city east of Rock Creek Park is significantly safer now. Columbia Heights, Petworth, Brightwood, Fort Totten, Brookland, Hill East, Logan Circle, Shaw, Bloomingdale, Edgewood, Eckington, NoMa, (which absolutely wasn't called NoMa) Trinidad, H St., Michigan Park, Ivy City were all wastelands full of boarded up and burned out houses, open air drug markets, lacking any sort of retail or restaurants that didn't serve you through bulletproof glass. There is literally no comparison between now and then.

Meanwhile none of the neighborhoods that were safe back then are less safe in any meaningful way.

To say that any of the city and suburbs, much less "many more areas" are less safe than the 80s and 90s is patently and laughably absurd. To write that you would have to have absolutely zero knowledge or awareness of what the area was like back then.

Ok. I’ll try to be more specific. Criminals now come to Upper NW to rob and attack. That never used to happen with such regularity. They also now hang out in Arlington and other close-in burbs. This is all new, since 2020, I think.

There have been 93 robberies and 58 assaults in 2D (WOTP) this year to date. There are around 175,000 residents in that same area. Do you not understand how incredibly insignificant that is?

Even if there were 0 robberies and assaults in the 80s and 90s (there definitely weren't) the increase in your actual chances of being robbed would be so miniscule as to not even be worth thinking about.

Stop being hysterical, you're working yourself into a frenzy for absolutely no benefit. You were safe back then, you're safe now.

[Anonymous]

As usual, this is so dumb. I was out cycling last weekend in Hains Point. It was wonderful. So many people out in the city having a wonderful time. All I could think about was BS posts like this. Where are you and what are you doing to think that DC sucks that bad. It's strange. It's like you watch tv and want it to be true.

[Anonymous]

Jeff seems to fully misunderstand the issue with “defund the police.” Obviously no jurisdiction was going to defund the police; it would be incredibly irresponsible. But the movement fully crippled the police and the morale. It had caused devastating effects on recruitment, retention, crime enforcement, and even crime reporting. DC police no longer take reports unless fully forced. Just try to report a crime; it is shameful how little is being done. And it is in fact directly related to the broad anti-police movement.

(In no way am I opposed to monitoring of police and stopping corruption and misbehaving in any way; the issue is that this movement vilified and castrated law enforcement as a whole)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Jeff seems to fully misunderstand the issue with “defund the police.” Obviously no jurisdiction was going to defund the police; it would be incredibly irresponsible. But the movement fully crippled the police and the morale. It had caused devastating effects on recruitment, retention, crime enforcement, and even crime reporting. DC police no longer take reports unless fully forced. Just try to report a crime; it is shameful how little is being done. And it is in fact directly related to the broad anti-police movement.

(In no way am I opposed to monitoring of police and stopping corruption and misbehaving in any way; the issue is that this movement vilified and castrated law enforcement as a whole)

"OK fine, the police were never actually defunded, but people saying 'defund the police' hurt the police's feelings so much they stopped doing their jobs!"

Keep grasping, you'll catch a straw or two eventually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe there was more acts of crime in DC in the 80s and 90s. However, the difference between then and now is that many more areas of the city and the suburbs are less safe.

You're joking, right? There is no way you were here in the 80s and 90s if you actually believe that.

Literally the entire city east of Rock Creek Park is significantly safer now. Columbia Heights, Petworth, Brightwood, Fort Totten, Brookland, Hill East, Logan Circle, Shaw, Bloomingdale, Edgewood, Eckington, NoMa, (which absolutely wasn't called NoMa) Trinidad, H St., Michigan Park, Ivy City were all wastelands full of boarded up and burned out houses, open air drug markets, lacking any sort of retail or restaurants that didn't serve you through bulletproof glass. There is literally no comparison between now and then.

Meanwhile none of the neighborhoods that were safe back then are less safe in any meaningful way.

To say that any of the city and suburbs, much less "many more areas" are less safe than the 80s and 90s is patently and laughably absurd. To write that you would have to have absolutely zero knowledge or awareness of what the area was like back then.

Ok. I’ll try to be more specific. Criminals now come to Upper NW to rob and attack. That never used to happen with such regularity. They also now hang out in Arlington and other close-in burbs. This is all new, since 2020, I think.

There have been 93 robberies and 58 assaults in 2D (WOTP) this year to date. There are around 175,000 residents in that same area. Do you not understand how incredibly insignificant that is?

Even if there were 0 robberies and assaults in the 80s and 90s (there definitely weren't) the increase in your actual chances of being robbed would be so miniscule as to not even be worth thinking about.

Stop being hysterical, you're working yourself into a frenzy for absolutely no benefit. You were safe back then, you're safe now.

Murder rates up and carjacking up by 100+ percent, but their victims take solace knowing it was worse 30 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:45 year resident of Bethesda and NWDC

Yes, I lived in sheltered areas but life is way better now than it was 20, 30, 40+ years ago

DC, while the recent uptick is worrisome, is MILES ahead of where it was in the 80,90s,00s. DC has done a great job modernizing areas - City Center, Mass Ave/Ct Ave corridor, SW waterfront, SE Waterfront -- those areas were dead zones.

Anyone remember the DC snipers in the suburbs? I was pretty scared then..not too concerned about petty theft or a CVS being robbed for lipstick..that's just life in a heavily populated area.

Disagree with your last point...organized retail theft, including using kids as the perps, is part of much bigger networks and activity. The stolen or carjacked cars (often Korean) provide the transport for stolen goods.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/boosters-fencers-and-cleaners-inside-cartels-newest-criminal-enterprise-of-organized-retail-theft/ar-AA1fVy6n

I was PP..very fair point. Thanks

[Anonymous]

DC is never going to lose its significance, people will always want to work/study/live/entertain/business/lobby/intern/network visit here.

Its an urban area with democratic government and poor black inheritance so yes laws are lax and baggage is high.

If you can afford to buy a house in a decent neighborhood, do so. They aren't moving US capitol anywhere and there always will be demand for homes here.