Relocating to Baltimore and scared as hell!!!! (safe, people)

[neodorian]

I dunno, I've been here a while and I quite like it. I have a nice apartment on a tree-lined street with lots of places I can walk. There is a great music scene and a street festival just about every weekend in the summer. My rent is cheap compared to my income and I have made a lot of friends.

Yes, the city is recovering from a particularly bad 20 years but while there is a lot to fix and nowhere near the money to do it, it's not half a bad place if you know where to look. Things won't get much better until more people move in and the city can build up the revenue needed to address the problems inherent in a poor city in need of rebuilding.

[krakenten]

I used to say the same thing myself.

Maybe it's true.

[herenia]

Originally Posted by TrayyBall

Baltimore has just recorded it's 129th murder of the year, 16 more then last year. i also heard that so far this year it is the 2nd most dangerous city in america behind Philadelphia.

lol, i was afraid of coming to baltimore because i've heard horror stories and was told it's worse than philly. If i live in the most dangerous city in the US, i guess i can live in baltimore. Although i haven't heard of the murders in philly cuz i live downtown where the police do a good job keeping crime out of the city. it's pretty safe downtown with police patrol around. i filed a roll call complaint against those ***** drumming across the street and they've stopped. Well, i had to walk to the 6th district first to file a complaint but at least they took some action.

[neodorian]

Originally Posted by herenia

lol, i was afraid of coming to baltimore because i've heard horror stories and was told it's worse than philly. If i live in the most dangerous city in the US, i guess i can live in baltimore. Although i haven't heard of the murders in philly cuz i live downtown where the police do a good job keeping crime out of the city. it's pretty safe downtown with police patrol around. i filed a roll call complaint against those ***** drumming across the street and they've stopped. Well, i had to walk to the 6th district first to file a complaint but at least they took some action.

Baltimore is a city that a lot of people say reminds them of a small town. I think that is mainly because there is a big divide between the employed and productive areas and the large swaths of blight in the inner city. You only go to so many neighborhoods and hang out so it seems a lot smaller than it really is.

With that said, you can read Murder Ink in the City Paper and see how the vast majority of homicide takes place in the same areas and a lot of it has to do with the drug trade. As long as there is a massive black market for illegal drugs there will be a lot of crime that goes along with it and as long as there is serious poverty and apathy in certain areas of the city, there will be a black market drug trade. I have dealt with some minor property crime (had a car stereo stolen, had a grill stolen off a porch once) but like any city, if you are smart and don't walk by yourself in sketch areas you aren't likely to be mugged and very unlikely to be killed. It's the case with any city.

[herenia]

Originally Posted by neodorian

Baltimore is a city that a lot of people say reminds them of a small town. I think that is mainly because there is a big divide between the employed and productive areas and the large swaths of blight in the inner city. You only go to so many neighborhoods and hang out so it seems a lot smaller than it really is.

With that said, you can read Murder Ink in the City Paper and see how the vast majority of homicide takes place in the same areas and a lot of it has to do with the drug trade. As long as there is a massive black market for illegal drugs there will be a lot of crime that goes along with it and as long as there is serious poverty and apathy in certain areas of the city, there will be a black market drug trade. I have dealt with some minor property crime (had a car stereo stolen, had a grill stolen off a porch once) but like any city, if you are smart and don't walk by yourself in sketch areas you aren't likely to be mugged and very unlikely to be killed. It's the case with any city.

Well, i just graduated from college but i used to walk from the library home downtown between 10pm and 1am and had was never robbed, mugged or whatever - I thank God for that. I used to use the escort service at first but then i stopped. I figured there are enough police cars right around Hahn. hosp. and i'm likely to run across another patrol car before i get to my house.
Baltimore sounds dangerous. Drug deals don't go on this area, i haven't heard of a house being broken into and a friend at work made a comment that's it's because i live downtown in philly which is why i don't hear the bad things but nevertheless, i feel baltimore should have places which are pretty safe. i understand crime is part of every city but i also feel it shouldn't be in ALL parts. When i moved to philly, i was just told to stay clear of certain areas and i did. With Baltimore, everyone seems to mention something negative when i ask about a particular area. Someone suggested federal Hill and then another person sent me the link for two murders. Is there any safe place in baltimore?

[jonjj]

Originally Posted by herenia

Well, i just graduated from college but i used to walk from the library home downtown between 10pm and 1am and had was never robbed, mugged or whatever - I thank God for that. I used to use the escort service at first but then i stopped. I figured there are enough police cars right around Hahn. hosp. and i'm likely to run across another patrol car before i get to my house.
Baltimore sounds dangerous. Drug deals don't go on this area, i haven't heard of a house being broken into and a friend at work made a comment that's it's because i live downtown in philly which is why i don't hear the bad things but nevertheless, i feel baltimore should have places which are pretty safe. i understand crime is part of every city but i also feel it shouldn't be in ALL parts. When i moved to philly, i was just told to stay clear of certain areas and i did. With Baltimore, everyone seems to mention something negative when i ask about a particular area. Someone suggested federal Hill and then another person sent me the link for two murders. Is there any safe place in baltimore?

Those two murders were very rare occurances for that area. They haven't had a murder over there since 2004. Both of those murders were drug-related and were centered around the park which I am sure is changing as I write because the folks living around there had their meeting and addressed their concerns. Also, it was a crime of location. The victims were not from the area and both were on parole for other violations.
On another note, I have been to Philadelphia many times and you can definitely find neighborhoods in the city equal to Phillys.

[herenia]

Originally Posted by jonjj

On another note, I have been to Philadelphia many times and you can definitely find neighborhoods in the city equal to Phillys.

That's true! The only thing is that in philly, you don't move from a nice block to a bad one in 3 seconds. We do have very bad areas, places i only like to hear about because i would not set my foot there. The thing is center city is pretty large and you can get a house somewhere in the middle safe enough to walk or jog around. Have i driven and gotten lost in some parts of north philly where i was so afraid to ask for directions because the place looked so sketchy even in daylight? yes. But i can tell you places to live in philly. Either stay downtown, south philly is a good community - just don't walk with your phone on at night around a certain street cuz a 15year old kid will point a gun at you and take what you have, west philly can be ok depending on which side of 52nd street you're on and stay clear of the north. I just can't find clear cut answers like this when it comes to living in baltimore. Everyone tells me the nice blocks are near the bad ones. I wouldn't feel safe if i'm just a block away.

[Woodlands]

I was talking with one of my neighbors about the Federal Hill incident. I was not aware that it is part some criminals MO to seek out "safe" neighborhoods to do "in car" drug deals or to turn tricks with prostitutes. They are picked up in other areas and driven into the "safe" neighborhoods because they are in fact a safer place do business as opposed to trying to deal on a street corner or in a car in an area with rival dealers and/or undercover police and risk jail or murder. Highly pedestrian oriented or entertainment oriented communities seem particuliarly vulnerable because it may not be unusal for people to be moving about or sitting in cars at early/late hours in these areas. If you are in that lifestyle being in a "safe" area does not necessarily make the transaction any safer.. which could have been the case in Fed Hill

We are going to have to step up the Neighborhood Watch efforts in our neighborhood to make sure it does not become an attractive place for these types of " in the car" activities since it could lead to rise in burgularies and or violence that often associated with these activities.

[barante]

I don't know what the situation is today around the Western District Police Station on Mount Street. But a few years back, and for several years before that, I noticed that there was lots of drug activity on nearby corners because dealers had bought safety. The same with several fire stations.

[krakenten]

Examine that statement-then keep saying I'm full of doo-doo!

I remember fishing for rats behind that station house after a shift.

You put some meat on a hook, cast it out into the dark with the rod, and waited for a bite-then you reeled in the rodent!

They weren't actually hooked, of course, but they hung on to the last second.

Good clean fun!