Violence against GA Tech Students (Atlanta, Jersey: university, tax, live)

[Mattie]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

Mattie, I'm just curious about the above part. I was aware that Fulton County Schools buses some students from southside to northside FCS schools, but since APS is a separate school district I assumed APS students would not have the option of attending an FCS high school.

You are probably correct Rainy. I got my information from an employee after school one day. Either way, it's an admirable commitment on the part of the students and their families.

There were a couple of kids who made sports teams, and had to find a way to get to the North Springs Marta station after practice each day. A lot of people stepped up and made it happen.

[roadtrip75]

Originally Posted by GrowOldGetWise

#1 The education is not "high quality" in Georgia, and it's even worse in Atlanta.

You can't make chicken salad out of chicken scratch.

[muxBuppie]

Originally Posted by RainyRainyDay

My daughter hadn't realized until then that this classmate was a "choice" student, and she was impressed.

Because poor black kids CAN'T be choice students

[DTL3000]

Originally Posted by muxBuppie

Because poor black kids CAN'T be choice students

What does race have ANYTHING to do with the what the poster was saying?

[ATLTJL]

Especially since RainyRainyDay never even said the student even was black!!!!!

[RainyRainyDay]

Uhhhh, regarding the above comments, in Cobb County Schools jargon, a "choice" student is one who exercised their option to attend a district-designated alternative school, when their local school failed to meet the relevant NCLB (that's No Child Left Behind) criteria. So I was just using the local technical jargon. It doesn't have anything to do with the person being what we might consider a "choice" individual in every day English.

As it happens, this particular student is black, and our area of north-east Cobb County, and the school population, is majority white. Even so, you know, majority white doesn't mean all white. The family who has been living right across the street from us for years is black, and their older daughter graduated from my daughter's high school just last year. So, go figure, it had not occurred to my daughter to assume or even speculate that because her classmate happens to be black, she must not be from around here.

As for poor, well, they all wear jeans you know? And I have of no idea of this particular girl's family income level. I don't assume everyone from south-west Cobb County is necessarily poor. The social outing was to Six Flags, where the admission is not exactly cheap.

[gog8rs]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Au contraire. As I mentioned the other day, the kids in APS who are working hard are performing as well or better than their counterparts in the best suburban schools and well above the national average. APS spends more pupil than any system in the state and more than most other urban school systems such as LA or Chicago. Teachers are among the best paid, and at the administrative level no expense whatsoever is spared. The APS physical plant is outstanding, and has benefited from new expenditures of over $1 billion in the last ten years alone. A high percentage of students get free breakfast, lunch and in many cases after school food. You can take golf or tennis lessons, participate in extensive fine arts programs, attend special academies, etc. In short, the sky is the limit!

Spending more per pupil means nothing. As I see it, unnecessary technology has skyrocketed the cost of education without producing tangible results. To give an example, math classrooms these days probably have a class set of graphing calculators ($100 each). How do you think these kids will perform when they matriculate to Tech or State or Emory and find that everything is done with pencil and paper?

I am not an APS employee, but I have been involved in the APS system judging science fairs for many years now. Sometimes, I'll judge in the Fulton or Gwinnett fairs as well. I enjoy giving back but, simply put, APS students are almost uniformly awful at science. At least in the county fairs, a few students do science properly (I'm not judging kids on whether they can make a nuclear reactor, I just want them to be able to devise and execute a sound methodology on anything). Who cares about fine arts or golf and tennis when these kids can't even devise a sound plan that takes a couple of weeks to do?

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by GrowOldGetWise

I'm not gonna sugar coat it, poor hungry neighborhoods surrounding Tech have everything to blame on "most" of the crime that happens there. If you don't know that, you clearly don't know much about that particular neighborhood. A stolen anything equals money and or food in the underground economy. That includes your fancy new Ipad or your new 300 dollar smartphone.

You don't know for certain that any neighborhoods have anything to do with the crime at Tech. If that were the case, why aren't there more stories about crime at the AUC versus Tech in the news. The AUC is much closer to those "poor hungry neighborhoods" than Tech.

IMO anyone who leaves an Ipad or smartphone in their car is waiting for someone to bust their window and take it if they live in a city environment, even if they don't live in the city. Why would you leave things in your car for thieves to steal. Crime happens everywhere. I personally don't believe there is a crime wave happening at Tech. I think the local media blows it out of proportion, but I also feel that the majority of the crimes that take place near tech are not coming from neighborhoods like Vine City and English Avenue. I feel that it is coming from downtown and especially the Centennial Park more than likely from people living at Centennial Place apartments. And really no one can tell me that crime is worse on or around Tech than it was when Techwood homes were there so the crime situation is not all that horrible.

I went to CAU when University homes was right behind my dorm and we had more crime there than Tech has now. I don't think the crime will effect Tech's enrollment because in general Atlanta is safer than it used to be when it comes to pretty much every crime.

[afonega1]

Originally Posted by residinghere2007

I agree there is a police presence in the touristy neighborhoods, and especially downtown since more crime happens downtown versus any other place in Atlanta (not in English Avenue aka the Bluff where I live. Wanted to note I've lived here for 5 years and have never seen nor been the victim of a crime and I do walk around the neighborhood on a regular basis).

Also since I am a resident of English Avenue I know for a fact that we do not have foot patrols. I have seen one officer in 5 years walking around here one day and that was after a community meeting where many residents were upset that we were promised a foot patrol in 2009 that has never materialized.

We do have a lot more police presence since we are a "Weed and Seed" community. They are not walking around though, they are sitting in their cars instead. I know because I have spoken to a lot of them when they are sitting in their car or standing next to their cars or when two cars are parked next to each other and they are talking. They usually don't want to speak to me either, and they are rather rude. But no, we don't have foot patrols over here. I live on English Avenue right off of Bankhead(Hollowell) and I have never seen an officer walk down my street.

And wanted to mention that I highly doubt we are still #1 in crime in the city. Downtown leads crime in most instances, including rapes and murders, and robberies, and car vandalism. This is the main reason why they have foot patrols downtown, to protect the tourist/conventioner/sports enthusiasts in order to maintain some sort of positive image I guess. Midtown has a lot more residents than other areas of the city with more money which is why they have foot patrols as well. They also have a higher incidence of robberies and car break-ins versus my neighborhood and with the more money and the more residents they have more clout in Atlanta than a poor neighborhood with less residents.

Wow.You live on English Ave?You are even more brave than I thought I was.But Its fairly quite on my end.No drug dealers and Prostitutes walking about.No I dont expect to see them walking down every street,but they do walk on the main streets.
Well maybe you are not out like I am but I see cops walking off Lowery all the way to the English Ave "Sign" in front of that gas station.I live in Vine City closer to I guess as they call it "Historic Westside" near the old Publix.
They are always in pairs.Its usually around after 3 I see them.As late as 9 in the Summer.Not everyday but with some regularity.

I own 3 properties in the area.English Ave is where I draw the line.
I do agree with you about the rest though.I rent to GSU and GaTech Students.My tenants have never been mugged or robbed walking to the Marta station or the house burglarized like their friends who live in Home Park.
Yet they think where Im at is more dangerous.If I were a student,Id pick here before I would Home Park ANYDAY.

[Caleb Longstreet]

Originally Posted by JonSavage

Tech student robbed, punched *| ajc.com

It seems like a weekly occurrence of some kind of violent act against a Tech student/faculty member. I know other nationally recognized schools are based in dangerous neighborhoods (Yale, Penn, Johns Hopkins) but are there as many direct attacks on the students?

Will this began to hurt Tech's standing in the eyes of academic taste-makers?

How can the community help make the area more safe?

Christ, take your tampon out, strap up (with a gun just to be clear here), and start patrolling yourself. Want a defensive shooting done right, you got to do it yourself! Bring plenty of witnesses and for god's sake, practice.....aim true and squeeeeeeze.....get your change back, wait ten or fifteen mins to get a good stream flowing and take your I-phone or android or take the soon to be decedent's sprint phone and call 911. Make sure you put your drama classes to use and act real nervous and scared. If you find a gun on the decedent, pop a few rounds in the direction you were in for good effect. You know how good the guys are with the funny hats...we have seen the shows....just make sure the guy is pretty bled out before the gendarmes arrive....sure....

If not, pull his legs up and squeeze them to his chest. Repeat until there is only a trickle left.....hyperventillate when you see the blue lights so you look all scared when they arrive......with any luck, and the overworked atlanta homicide squad you will be cleared by morning....