So I was robbed... (Atlanta: violent crime, houses, purchase)

[Windu]

First, my sympathy for your encounter. Very scary, I'm sure.

There's no one size-fits-all answer regarding carrying a gun for protection. Even if she'd had one, the best thing to have done would have been to keep it stored. No way to know that until the encounter was over though, right?

One can only hope that one is never in the situation to decide whether to pull it out, but arguably, it would be nice to have the luxury of that option when staring down the barrel of the crook's gun.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by Georgia

Seems to be everywhere that folks cannot even walk, mind their business and be safe in the Atlanta metro area anymore. Only issue on the gun comment is, if you stood up and shot the piece of human debris it would be you going to jail and punished under the fullest extent of the law.

Not all areas of the Atlanta metro are unsafe. Some places are simply too far away from the main roads to walk to.

Seriously, we have folks walking on our circle at night all the time, and I've never heard of an incident.

That's why I choose to live somewhere which is not in close proximity to commercial areas or apartment complexes ... those types of areas tend to attract crime in my experience, and not just in Atlanta.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by gt6974a

Well, my robbers kidknapped and assulted me and I didn't even have an MP3 player on me. Instead they took me hostage in my own car, trying to take me to an atm, and pistol whipped me with their guns, all the while saying to each other they needed to get rid of me. They even had me on the phone with my parents at 3a.m. trying to get money transferred to my checking account.

How lucky was I? I got away by diving out of my own car doing 35mph in Buckhead. Just a trip to the hospital for stiches and I was well on my way. Car was found ditched at the Cheese Cake Factory.

Thank God I didn't have a gun, otherwise they might have tried to harm me!?!

I don't recall commenting on your situation. I thought I had responded to the OP.

I never said that guns are always a bad idea...just that in this case, the presence of another guy might have resulted in injury or death rather than simple robbery.

[guardyourselfnow]

So please tell me you had some pepper spray or an alarm. What did you do. We all hear of this but never think it will happen to you. Are you ok, They have pepper spray in a 1 pound hand weights for people who walk you should try that at least you will feel safe.here is the website they are about 20.00
Weights with 10% Mace Pepper Spray -Hotwalkers (http://www.guardyourselfnow.com/hotwalkers.htm - broken link) Please keep us updated I would love to hear they got the bastard.

[BringBackCobain]

Ok im sorry you got robbed but honestly its not like that area has a good reputation. Summerhill and Turner Field is known as a crime-ridden area. You really should not have been walking around there, at any hour. Not to say this couldnt happen in nicer areas, but statistically you are more likely to be the victim when you are walking around in areas like that.

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by DeaconJ

Yeah, great idea. If he had pulled out his own gun and started a shootout he might not be here to tell the story. That kind of situation is definitely not worth protecting your mp3 player with a gun. No gun, no shooting...pretty simple.

the thug was practicing, next time its wont be just an ipod. robbing us of an ipod is not worth getting hurt over however, robbing us of our personal dignity our freedom and safety to go walking our sense of belonging to the community and our sense of being protected in the community, is a great evil.
i see too many suck it up comments on CDF.
not good.
violent criminals should be shot dead.
when the community is given back its right to do so, our jails will become empty.

[SEAandATL]

Originally Posted by Georgia

Seems to be everywhere that folks cannot even walk, mind their business and be safe in the Atlanta metro area anymore. Only issue on the gun comment is, if you stood up and shot the piece of human debris it would be you going to jail and punished under the fullest extent of the law.

Heck, all one needs to do is look at the Gwinnett Daily Post today. Four teenage thugs who robbed a man at gunpoint (this was the second time for each) are being released by as the paper puts it "A Reluctant Judge" should have said another Liberal Moron Legislating from the bench, once again puts them back on the street.

What was the main reason you ask? According the the defense attorney's it is because the little thugs have been in jail for 3 whole weeks which endangers their academic status!

And we wonder why criminals are running the streets. It's a darn shame.

When will enough be enough?

What's unfortunate is that in metro ATL its become too common to be in situations where you need a gun in the first place. If there weren't so many thugs and criminals out there than you don't even have to think about having a gun. That's one advantage San Diego has over Atlanta. It's one of the safest cities in the United States, especially for having a 1 million+ population, so many people don't own guns since they don't have a need for them. That's why S.D. is said to be the most Japan-like city in the United States in terms of safety, among a few other similarities.

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by BringBackCobain

Ok im sorry you got robbed but honestly its not like that area has a good reputation. Summerhill and Turner Field is known as a crime-ridden area. You really should not have been walking around there, at any hour. Not to say this couldnt happen in nicer areas, but statistically you are more likely to be the victim when you are walking around in areas like that.

Since 1996, the Summerhill neighborhood has been the site of rapid development. It is profiled as a case in urban development in Alexander von Hoffman's House by House, Block by Block: The Rebirth of America's Urban Neighborhoods. Summerhill is now viewed as one of the most up and coming areas in downtown Atlanta. Home values have continued to rise and more and more upper middle class families are calling Summerhill home.

I don't know a great deal about Summerhill, but I have seen it close-up while visiting a friend that bought a condo there. I wouldn't recommend a lot of late-night walking in the area because of its proximity to impoverished sections of Atlanta, but Summerhill has seen major revitalization since the Olympics and there is a master plan for the neighborhood that was recently updated by the neighborhood association. It is making a strong comeback and I hate to see people write-off an old Atlanta neighborhood like this when it has made such strides.

A few Summerhill photos:


http://frontdoor.com/ImageProxy.aspx?L=924-FMLSGA-3820094&W=300&H=225&U=http://photos.listhub.net/FMLSGA/3820094/0 (broken link)

http://frontdoor.com/ImageProxy.aspx?L=924-FMLSGA-3821422&W=300&H=225&U=http://photos.listhub.net/FMLSGA/3821422/0 (broken link)

http://frontdoor.com/ImageProxy.aspx?L=924-GAMLS-02466102&W=300&H=225&U=http://photos.listhub.net/GAMLS/02466102/0 (broken link)

http://frontdoor.com/ImageProxy.aspx?L=924-FMLSGA-3646639&W=300&H=225&U=http://photos.listhub.net/FMLSGA/3646639/0 (broken link)

http://frontdoor.com/ImageProxy.aspx?L=882-1811595&W=300&H=225&U=http://media.point2.com/p2a/listing/97bf/3b6d/7999/0bb69cc53e26767efaf4/w475h356wm.jpg (broken link)

http://harrynormanimages.fnistools.com/images/dagg//gamls/images/2528391.jpg (broken link)


Summerhill has some beautiful residential streets, but the old commercial/retail section on georgia avenue - while it has great potential - is pretty desolate. It kind of reminds me of Glenwood Ave/Flat Shoals in East Atlanta in the early 1990s.
http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/imager/reclaiming_lost_atlanta/b/original/57289/98bb/cover1-4.jpg (broken link)

[brownhornet]

I see for the most part everyone seems to be pretty anti-gun. Well I've had my concealed weapons permit for 7 years now. During that time frame I defended myself against a car jacker and stopped a would be home invader with my trusty 9mm glock. When it comes to robberies you have to use common sense whether you have a gun or not. But personally rather than let someone force me into a trunk or come into my window id prefer to take my chances with self defense any day. Robbers don't always think logically and sometimes they will still shoot you even if you cooperate especially if you don't have anything to offer them when they rob you.

And you will not go to jail for a legitimate self defense claim, I know first hand. Some of us come from different aspects of life but when you come up in an area where gettin robbed and your home broken into, random shootings and bullets flying into your house, and basically not being able to trust anyone around you, you get accustomed to having a gun and really don't even like leaving the house without it.

Now for those that are against gun sales in general, for the most part the people you have to worry about with guns are NOT the ones you have to worry about. Stopping gun aaled will do nothing more than allow criminals to be armed and those of us who truly intend to use them for self defense will be even more at risk than we already are. Just like drugs, stopping legal sales doesn't stop the problem, it only makes criminals find other ways to get them. As wide open as our shipping ports and borders are how long do you think that'll last?

Do you REALLY want to live in a country where only criminals can purchase firearms and know you're defenseless against them????????

[DeaconJ]

Originally Posted by brownhornet

I see for the most part everyone seems to be pretty anti-gun. Well I've had my concealed weapons permit for 7 years now. During that time frame I defended myself against a car jacker and stopped a would be home invader with my trusty 9mm glock. When it comes to robberies you have to use common sense whether you have a gun or not. But personally rather than let someone force me into a trunk or come into my window id prefer to take my chances with self defense any day. Robbers don't always think logically and sometimes they will still shoot you even if you cooperate especially if you don't have anything to offer them when they rob you.

And you will not go to jail for a legitimate self defense claim, I know first hand. Some of us come from different aspects of life but when you come up in an area where gettin robbed and your home broken into, random shootings and bullets flying into your house, and basically not being able to trust anyone around you, you get accustomed to having a gun and really don't even like leaving the house without it.

Now for those that are against gun sales in general, for the most part the people you have to worry about with guns are NOT the ones you have to worry about. Stopping gun aaled will do nothing more than allow criminals to be armed and those of us who truly intend to use them for self defense will be even more at risk than we already are. Just like drugs, stopping legal sales doesn't stop the problem, it only makes criminals find other ways to get them. As wide open as our shipping ports and borders are how long do you think that'll last?

Do you REALLY want to live in a country where only criminals can purchase firearms and know you're defenseless against them????????

So when will we be able to buy drugs legally? Who cares about guns!