Any other families finally had enough of DC?

[Anonymous]

After almost three decades here I’ve reached my limit. My primary concern is crime. I no longer feel safe in my own neighborhood and do not want to raise a family here. Anyone else feel the same?

[Anonymous]

30 years ago was 1991, when there were 482 homicides in DC.

Last year (2020), there were 198 homicides.

[Anonymous]

Yeah I don’t get it OP. DC is so safe relative to its recent history. When did you move here??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:After almost three decades here I’ve reached my limit. My primary concern is crime. I no longer feel safe in my own neighborhood and do not want to raise a family here. Anyone else feel the same?

Where do you live in DC? I think certain places are harder hit than others. I agree that crime has increased and that it's either underreported by MPD or not reported at all to keep the crime stats from going haywire. I'm debating whether or not to stick it out in the city or decamp for the 'burbs, too.

[Anonymous]

Yes. Been here 18 years.

For me it has been:
- The disaster of the vaccine rollout. Really revealing in terms of city government incompetence.
- The failure to fully reopen schools.
- Crime. Gun violence just blocks away from our home in broad daylight.
- Proximity of Jan. 6th events to our home, the fencing off of the Capitol, the militarization of the city related to political unrest.
- The nonsensical pandemic restrictions. Schools closed, but indoor dining open pre-vaccines. Outdoor mask mandate long after it was clear unnecessary. Mayor issuing and taking back new guidance this weekend. No metrics for when restrictions will be dropped. Mayor refusing to answer reporter questions on.

It's all just so exhausting. Add on top of it, how hard it is to buy a home, get into daycare, buy in a good school district.

I love the city and have really put down roots here through early career to building a family, but at some point it's just not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Been here 18 years.

For me it has been:
- The disaster of the vaccine rollout. Really revealing in terms of city government incompetence.
- The failure to fully reopen schools.
- Crime. Gun violence just blocks away from our home in broad daylight.
- Proximity of Jan. 6th events to our home, the fencing off of the Capitol, the militarization of the city related to political unrest.
- The nonsensical pandemic restrictions. Schools closed, but indoor dining open pre-vaccines. Outdoor mask mandate long after it was clear unnecessary. Mayor issuing and taking back new guidance this weekend. No metrics for when restrictions will be dropped. Mayor refusing to answer reporter questions on.

It's all just so exhausting. Add on top of it, how hard it is to buy a home, get into daycare, buy in a good school district.

I love the city and have really put down roots here through early career to building a family, but at some point it's just not worth it.

I've come to expect incompetence from the local DC government and am genuinely surprised if they don't completely mess up something. Bowser has made a mockery of the mayorship. I'm with you on everything that's bold.

[Anonymous]

For years I used to drive to DC to play league tennis at several different locations. Now, I’m honestly too scared to even drive into some of those areas. I cannot imagine living there and raising a family. OP needs to drive out to the suburbs and see the difference in lifestyle. Not perfect, but a completely different world. Your family’s safety should be top priority, IMO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For years I used to drive to DC to play league tennis at several different locations. Now, I’m honestly too scared to even drive into some of those areas. I cannot imagine living there and raising a family. OP needs to drive out to the suburbs and see the difference in lifestyle. Not perfect, but a completely different world. Your family’s safety should be top priority, IMO.

DCUM is just so disappointing these days. Like seriously we have to wade around in this sort of BS all of the time. So tiring. I wish you all would go off to Fairfax Underground or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Been here 18 years.

For me it has been:
- The disaster of the vaccine rollout. Really revealing in terms of city government incompetence.
- The failure to fully reopen schools.
- Crime. Gun violence just blocks away from our home in broad daylight.
- Proximity of Jan. 6th events to our home, the fencing off of the Capitol, the militarization of the city related to political unrest.
- The nonsensical pandemic restrictions. Schools closed, but indoor dining open pre-vaccines. Outdoor mask mandate long after it was clear unnecessary. Mayor issuing and taking back new guidance this weekend. No metrics for when restrictions will be dropped. Mayor refusing to answer reporter questions on.

It's all just so exhausting. Add on top of it, how hard it is to buy a home, get into daycare, buy in a good school district.

I love the city and have really put down roots here through early career to building a family, but at some point it's just not worth it.

I've come to expect incompetence from the local DC government and am genuinely surprised if they don't completely mess up something. Bowser has made a mockery of the mayorship. I'm with you on everything that's bold.

Anthony Williams did yeomans work improving the quality of life. Fenty was actually well intentioned and tried, but ineffective. That was the pinnacle. Gray and Bowser have destroyed all of that hard work, competence and credibility that were so hard won. It's a real shame. I honestly do not believe that there has been a more cynical mayor governing DC than Bowser. DC better enact term limits on the mayor or else...

[Anonymous]

Grey was a very good one term mayor.

This is all on Bowser.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Been here 18 years.

For me it has been:
- The disaster of the vaccine rollout. Really revealing in terms of city government incompetence.
- The failure to fully reopen schools.
- Crime. Gun violence just blocks away from our home in broad daylight.
- Proximity of Jan. 6th events to our home, the fencing off of the Capitol, the militarization of the city related to political unrest.
- The nonsensical pandemic restrictions. Schools closed, but indoor dining open pre-vaccines. Outdoor mask mandate long after it was clear unnecessary. Mayor issuing and taking back new guidance this weekend. No metrics for when restrictions will be dropped. Mayor refusing to answer reporter questions on.

It's all just so exhausting. Add on top of it, how hard it is to buy a home, get into daycare, buy in a good school district.

I love the city and have really put down roots here through early career to building a family, but at some point it's just not worth it.

I've come to expect incompetence from the local DC government and am genuinely surprised if they don't completely mess up something. Bowser has made a mockery of the mayorship. I'm with you on everything that's bold.

Anthony Williams did yeomans work improving the quality of life. Fenty was actually well intentioned and tried, but ineffective. That was the pinnacle. Gray and Bowser have destroyed all of that hard work, competence and credibility that were so hard won. It's a real shame. I honestly do not believe that there has been a more cynical mayor governing DC than Bowser. DC better enact term limits on the mayor or else...

100% agree with what you and 23:21 said. Gray was the beginning of things worsening, but Bowser really took it to the next level. I find the lack of opposition to her shocking (and it's certainly not because she's doing a good job)!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For years I used to drive to DC to play league tennis at several different locations. Now, I’m honestly too scared to even drive into some of those areas. I cannot imagine living there and raising a family. OP needs to drive out to the suburbs and see the difference in lifestyle. Not perfect, but a completely different world. Your family’s safety should be top priority, IMO.

DCUM is just so disappointing these days. Like seriously we have to wade around in this sort of BS all of the time. So tiring. I wish you all would go off to Fairfax Underground or something.

The truth hurts: “At least 11 people were shot and another person was stabbed during a violent weekend in the District, according to D.C. police,” confirmed the Washington Post on Twitter.

“Three of the victims died, contributing to a homicide count that is rising for the fourth consecutive year. Police said one of the killings has been ruled as justified self-defense,” adds the newspaper.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For years I used to drive to DC to play league tennis at several different locations. Now, I’m honestly too scared to even drive into some of those areas. I cannot imagine living there and raising a family. OP needs to drive out to the suburbs and see the difference in lifestyle. Not perfect, but a completely different world. Your family’s safety should be top priority, IMO.

DCUM is just so disappointing these days. Like seriously we have to wade around in this sort of BS all of the time. So tiring. I wish you all would go off to Fairfax Underground or something.

The truth hurts: “At least 11 people were shot and another person was stabbed during a violent weekend in the District, according to D.C. police,” confirmed the Washington Post on Twitter.

“Three of the victims died, contributing to a homicide count that is rising for the fourth consecutive year. Police said one of the killings has been ruled as justified self-defense,” adds the newspaper.

The police know where the guns are. Or some of them at least - the registered ones. They need to tell those people to turn them. They have to start somewhere. Might as well be with the ones they actually know about.

[Anonymous]

Registered guns aren't the problem. It is the illegal/unregistered guns that are being used to commit crimes.

That said, a pandemic yields more economic anxiety and thus crime. Even with the federal and DC funds for rent and unemployment, people are feeling more desperate. It will take time to get back to levels of a couple pf years ago. I don't know of Bowser has the temperment deal with this effectively, but it will take leadership.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Registered guns aren't the problem. It is the illegal/unregistered guns that are being used to commit crimes.

That said, a pandemic yields more economic anxiety and thus crime. Even with the federal and DC funds for rent and unemployment, people are feeling more desperate. It will take time to get back to levels of a couple pf years ago. I don't know of Bowser has the temperment deal with this effectively, but it will take leadership.

Considering that the government has been very generous with fiscal support and that there is a shortage of even unqualified workers right now, this supposition is not true for the present circumstance. There are entry level jobs right now for anyone looking for a job and DC has a law that prevent employers from asking about past convictions so there is literally no excuse, none at all for being out on the streets committing crimes instead of working. Excusing this behavior actually makes a mockery of the people who are not criminals.

In addition, violent crime has been on the upswing for the last 4 years. So this is a continuation of pre-pandemic behavior.

The issue right now is just about bad people feeling bored and emboldened to do bad things. You don't need to make excuses for them.

A moment of national crisis really shows us all who people truly are. We have seen the stingy billionaires. We have seen the rip off artists and fraudsters. And here we have the murders, who just cannot seem to stop murdering while there is a pandemic ongoing.

I might, just might be sympathetic to this economic anxiety view if they were out trying to rob banks or something. But they are not doing that. They are mostly just murdering each other over "beef", showing off their guns and overall making everyone else less safe.