Is Abq A War Zone? (Albuquerque, Farmington: crime rate, credit, house)

[macsret]

IS ABQ A WAR ZONE?

Seems that crime and "war zones" keep coming up in many threads.

Is the crime in ABQ really that bad? I have read may times on this forum about crime and it seems that almost all of the quads are considered to be crime ridden. I remember one poster stated he was almost 'carjacked' while in his care and his wife was almost set up for an accident. How often do things like this happen?

We all know there are A$$es around everywhere. However, if you live and work in a "safe area", yet you go out to socialize.... IN A SAFE AREA, is there really that much to worry about. I mean it sounds to me like all of ABQ is a WAR ZONE.

Please, give some opinions or actual incidents where your person or property was actually endangered, home broken in to, car vandalized, you were accosted.

I know that NM is a 'Right to Carry' state, which means, for me at least, that I will have protection at home. Do I need to be worried about my wife or kids driving across town? What if I take my wife to the 'Pit', out dinning, to a movie or any place where people go to enjoy themselves, do I/we have to be armed? Don't get me wrong, I will most likely be armed but my family is a different story.

IS ABQ A WAR ZONE?

jOE

[abqsunport]

Wooh there smokey...calm down. You don't need to be armed to be safe in Albuquerque. Everybody has their own crime story (or the plural for those most unfortunate) and when people start sharing these stories it seems like a lot to handle. But think about the other 364 days in the year and the other 9 years in the decade that nothing at all happened to these people. My stories are that I had a latter stolen from my front porch, and my unlocked car had golf clubs stolen out of it (both my fault for being careless). Needless to say, I have been fortunate thus far. However, you won't find too many people who have delt with a great deal of violent crime. I have noticed most, not all, violent crime to be related to drugs and gangs. Are there drugs and gangs? Ofcourse, they are in every reasonably sized incorporation. But the question to being safe is: are you into drugs or gangs? If the answer is no, or even the "I smoke pot" <disclaimer:abqsunport does not smoke pot>, you will be relatively safe. People need to give the human race a little more credit. Most people don't want to hurt people. The people that are indeed crazy or evil and want to hurt people don't really want to get arrested, so they won't harm you unless you give them a reason to harm you. However, there are always exceptions...everywhere there are these exceptions. Most of Albuquerque is very safe. If Albuquerque and its metro were so dangerous, people wouldn't live here--certainly not close to a million people. There are so many safe alternatives in the U.S. that if Albuquerque was so bad, people wouldn't even have a problem leaving. Will there be horrible incidents to inocent people: yes, but that is the case no matter where in the world you live. You just have to thank God that it wasn't you who was the teller beaten up by a bank robber.

So the answer to your question--and the reassurance you are probably looking forward to-- NO, ALBUQUERQUE IS NOT A WAR ZONE, OR ANYWHERE CLOSE.

[macsret]

abqsunport,

<Mod cut: let's not go there>

overall I do agree with your post.

Yes, I do like the NM gun laws, but, I don't believe that one needs to be armed at all times. Yes, I will have weapons in my house for home protection and for enjoyment as I love to go and send rounds down range.

Reassurance not needed. Still, I would like to hear more about what you/they have heard and whether the 'War Stories' were TRUE or FALSE. What I gather from abqsunport's post is that he disagrees. That is a good thing.

jOE

[WasSoggyInSeattle]

No experience yet with the Abq area Macsret, but while we were there in May we never heard about killings or rapes or anything that violent on the news - however, up here - every morning, there is a news report of someone being killed, or raped or kidnapped. Yesterday I think it was 3 or 4 shot and one where they found a 7 mos old baby in the family fire pit burned to death. Not sure where Mom was but Dad fell asleep while the baby was lying on a bench near the fire. Guess the baby 'fell off'. Crime & sick people are everywhere.

People are waiting in car parking lots for woman to put their purses in the front seat of their cars while they strap in thier babies in the back seat - then they steal them (the purses, not the babies).

Last year I had the back window of my Jeep slit open and a hole cut in it just so they could see nothing was in it worth stealing - too stupid to use the zippers I suppose.

I will say tho - that most people that are "familiar (and I use that term loosely) with the area (not my parents tho as they are too excited about us moving closer to bring up one negative thing about Abq) all give me lectures about the crime there. Bars on windows, major drug avenue out of Mexico, husband read somewhere the NM is one of the highest for sex crimes... anyway. I cringe, I have second thoughts, I shiver, and I think - well that just sucks, what are we doing?!?!? Then I have just as many say that it isn't any worse than anywhere else.

I think diligence on everyone's part is what is needed. And yes, there will be those that no matter how diligent you are bad things can still happen and it can. Maybe I'm trying to reassure myself that ABQ is safe - but after hearing news stories from up here, and from family in TX - it doesn't sound any worse in Abq. It is good to hear and learn from other people's misfortune (and I have been lucky to not have been victim of anything but a couple car break-ins and I hope that continues) but I sort of view it like the media covering war and other issues - the bad stuff makes WAY better news than: "Sally walked to work today, went to a club afterwards until 2 AM, drank a little much and stumbled her way home and the only thing bad thing that happened was a man with a unibrow tried to pick her up in the bar". OK - maybe the unibrow part is interesting (haha) but you know what I mean. We are only fed the bad stuff usually and those are what makes good stories. "Oh, man... did you hear what happened to me last night..." I milked my Jeep story for a good week. :-)

Protect yourself, your family, make them aware - maybe even have them go to self-defense classes... we'll be fine. (I hope) When I get there, I'll give you my honest impression of it - as a newcomer, a woman, & a naive southern-girl-at-heart opinion.

I don't think anyone is trying to be flippant and I certainly don't want me or anyone else to make light of a bad situation that is happening not only in Abq but all across our country. It's bad everywhere - we don't need terrorists, we are doing a fine job of destroying ourselves I'm sad to say.

Take care Macsret & don't give up on abq just yet!!

[desert sun]

Albq is not a war zone, even the worst areas arent that bad compared to other cities, there is alot of property crime here though, My truck was broken into in Abq. once but I have seen more crime in Farmington in 2 years than I have in Abq so far and I've been here over 3 years now.Every city has crime some more than others but if your were to compare Abq to another city you will see it aint that bad

[DEVELOPNM]

No we are not as bad as other places. I think one of our biggest crimes here is stolen cars which only makes sense since we are only hours from the border. Like any city of this size we do have crime and some areas are worse then others. It is not that bad at all and if you use your head you will be fine.

[ABQSunseeker]

Is Albuquerque's crime rate higher than it should be? Probably. Its violent crime rate has just spiked according to the papers recently, and it's in the list of top ten for auto theft. If you listen to local news every night, you would think you were in a war zone some nights.

But I don't think it's even in the bottom 50 of metro areas in crime rates, and there are plenty plenty of safe neighborhoods where crime is low and never worrisome.

I've never felt threatened in Albuquerque since I've been here. As in all big cities you have to have your antenna out, but the city doesn't strike me as being dangerous in most sections at all.

Now, New York in the 70s and 80s---- that was a violent, dangerous place.....

[jghoo]

google Albuquerque crime stats. do some research and deduce you own conclusion as you will never get an unbiased one here.

[ABQSunseeker]

Unfortunately, Americans kill, rape, steal, and hurt each other at the highest rates in the developed world---by far. And most US cities have unacceptable crime rates. It's where ABQ fits into this perspective that makes this whole question relevant. Most southern and southwestern cities have some of the highest crime rates in the country, and ABQ doesn't escape the stigma.

I would love to see crime a bigger issue here and I think it needs to be lowered drastically. Ha, and Darren White is running for higher office on his record of rising crime rates?

However, much crime is localized and many neighborhoods in the city are relatively safe. The whole city is not a war zone, but some neighborhoods are truly to be avoided.

When the whole city becomes a war zone, you know and feel and fear it. It's a climate of crime and fear. That was what NY felt like in the 70s and 80s. No-go zones, the possibility of crime anytime and anywhere, the feeling of anger and helplessness, the fear you could become a victim even in daylight in good areas.

I don't think ABQ has anywhere levels like that ,but, yes, crime needs to be addressed here.

[funkymonkey]

No, Albuquerque is not a "war zone".

Juarez on the other hand...