murders in Charleston? (crimes, schools, income)

[scjj]

Yeah well that's the problem, don't let the look there fool you. People in Mount Pleasant automatically think they are safe which makes them the perfect victim. Mount Pleasant has been seeing their share, especially with robberies which is up a whopping 300%. It's even starting to creep over to Isle of Palms.

[USCJoe]

I have not seen mention of a 300% increase in robberies in the town of Mt. Pleasant. I would be interested in learning where this statistic comes from, particularly the time frame during which the 300% increase took place. According to crime statistics for the town of Mt. Pleasant found at Mt. Pleasant Profile | Mt. Pleasant SC the number of robberies in the town decreased from 2005 to 2006.

[scjj]

Oh, excuse me, my statistics are incorrect. Robberies there have increased 350%. Mt. Pleasant battles surge in robberies

[Luvsdabeach]

I saw on the local news the other night about all of the homes on IOP and Sullivan's that have been broken into. If I remember correctly it was like 28 on IOP and 5 on Sullivan's. Yikes! I didn't realize they had such a problem there.

[USCJoe]

SCJJ I appreciate the citation of the newspaper article. As a former law enforcement officer, I know how crime statistics can fluctuate from time to time and over different time periods. Often times an unusual increase can be the result of a few offenders committing a large number of offenses in a particular area and not necessarily an indication of a long term trend. A comment in the article mentions "that's the first time that our crime rate has really gone up in seven years." Not a bad record. The article also mentioned that the police arrested four people in their late 20's in connection with business robberies in a local shopping area. Your comment has sparked an interest in finding out how year end crime statistics compared with 2006 and I have a call in to the Mt. Pleasant Police Department. It is certainly important that no matter where one lives that they are cautious and alert in their surroundings so they minimize their chances of being a crime victim. No area in Charleston or in any other city in the US is immune to crime. However, I think that it is important to add that residents of most Charleston area communities feel relatively safe and that can certainly not be said for many other areas of the country. As the survey I linked to indicates, Mt. Pleasant's violent crime level tends to be much lower than South Carolina's average level.

[emilybh]

Originally Posted by scjj

Most of the murders always have one thing in common. Drugs. If it's not drugs then it is usually a domestic dispute. Summerville has had a few bank robberies but not every single day for a month. You'd think the criminals would have figured it out by now that there are cameras everywhere. duh.

Crime can happen anywhere and more and more it is being seen in the suburbs. Just like the man that was murdered in his home in the Charleston National neighborhood in Mount Pleasant. No one ever thought something like that would happen there either but it did. You've got to watch your back everywhere these days.

I was considering living there and when I heard/saw/read that report a few days after I moved down here I was relieved -- needless to say. Was that really a murder? Did they ever find out who did it? Maybe it was a suicide or an assisted suicide. I wonder if the person was sick and dying anyway and just wanted to end everything. Any thoughts?

[scjj]

Yes it was a murder, he was beaten to death, and they supposedly caught the guy although he of course denies doing it. He was an acquaintance from the downtown Charleston area with a lengthy criminal past as usual.

[lovemykidslb]

Originally Posted by meks

most of the murders here are black on black drug crimes, and very often... almost daily anymore

check out our local paper charleston.net and read in the archives for more

If you would research your own newspaper articles, that you referenced, you would learn that most often the crimes are not "drug related", but innocent youth caught in the crossfire. Yes, much of these violence statistics, do indicate one race in particular, but it does not reflect the character and worthiness of their families, the kids, our neighbors. What do the community and city leaders do for the kids and families, in lower income areas, without all the nice and pretty amenities to help foster their growth and well-being? Nothing. The parents (many single-parent homes) are fighting to keep their kids safe, in their homes, the schools, and their neighborhoods. More importantly, what are we all doing to help reach out?

[La'Fayla]

Moving to Charleston South Carolina Isn't a bad thing, I actually think that you would like it. A lot of people only see Charleston's bad points, but I've been on all sides of Charleston. I've been to the hood and I've been to the subs and also the historical downtown areas. It just really depends on the type of person that you are. But I personally think that Charleston is a great place. And yeah the "hood" might sound kind of harsh but over all it's the hood. It's no different than any other hood, ours is just bigger. But you stay away from that "hood" then theres nothing that you have to worry about. Remember: The hood doesn't come to you, you always seem to come to the hood."

[hapscat]

yea , tell that to the pizza delivery guy - gal .