is lansing IL going down the tube?

[SJaye]

Jeff who wants to be digged,

I think we understand that crime can be deterred by having good role models, friendly neighbors, good education, and positive influences. We also understand that crime can be avoided through what is often referred to as "street smarts". It is also understood that a typical high school experience involves growing up. Unfortunately, this does not tell me about anything specific to Lansing. The picture I get from your post is that crime has increased, but still isn't as bad as some of the more notoriously problematic south suburbs. However, many are wondering if this trend (increasing crime) will continue, making it no longer "not that bad" sometime in the foreseeable future. Are you saying that you forsee a lot of positive role models developing out of your graduating class/associates that are going to stay in Lansing, which might halt or reverse this trend? What (if anything) have you noticed about people who graduated 5-10 years ago? Are any of them positive influences in your town today? What needs to be done and what happens are sometimes two different things. I think you outlined a good blueprint for how a potentially alarming trend can be reversed in a town or a neighborhood, and I would like to see that happen as Lansing seems like a nice middle of the road town (not too crowded, not too sparse/sprawled). I guess I am just looking for more information about whether or not you see these necessary steps taking palce, or whether you are just issuing a plea for those in your graduating class to being this process.

[Imjeffcanudigit]

Originally Posted by Brisklaw

So, when you say people want to move on to bigger and better things, Lansing is not in the future for you, right? That says it all right there, it's done. Think about the people who pioneered and built Lansing into what it once was, a nice place. No longer and you admit it. You want to leave.

That's not the way anyone should think of their hometown, and it is not the way Lansing families once thought. You seem to be numbed also to the crime issue, which again is not the way America once was. Talk to your grandparents, see what they think. Move to St. John and live in a real place where people don't want to flee.

Well people move on up in life depending on income I acknowledge that. I'd prefer to either live closer to the city if I could afford it or live somewhere warm for now but that's just b/c I would want to move around and travel, it has NOTHING to do with the crime here.

But, if I had a family I would consider a town like this b/c it's integrated and can be a nice place to grow up in, but high crime areas obviously I would avoid. I actually love it here though people for the most part are friendly, haha where else around here will you see like five little black boys playing basketball with little two white girls. but anyways the only real trouble makers I see are younger ingnorant kids who just need school. Yea I'm sure there are actual criminals out there too, but this isn't the city this isn't even a town! Cops can easily get around and catch criminals and have no reason not to. Though the houses may be nicer in St John and the neighbors may be more neighborly, I'd rather live here personally, I could go on for ever listing reasons why.

The only reasons I have defending someone who would want to move is if there was a lot of crime b/c A. there property value would decrease and B. It wouldn't be cool to raise a family there. Thos are perfectly honest and rational reasons to move. But hey even if crime has increased in parts of Lansing, according to a lot of the people who posted the stats on here a lot of it hasn't been reported and therefore as of now I don't see why it would affect property value.

[Imjeffcanudigit]

Originally Posted by SJaye

Jeff who wants to be digged,

I think we understand that crime can be deterred by having good role models, friendly neighbors, good education, and positive influences. We also understand that crime can be avoided through what is often referred to as "street smarts". It is also understood that a typical high school experience involves growing up. Unfortunately, this does not tell me about anything specific to Lansing. The picture I get from your post is that crime has increased, but still isn't as bad as some of the more notoriously problematic south suburbs. However, many are wondering if this trend (increasing crime) will continue, making it no longer "not that bad" sometime in the foreseeable future. Are you saying that you forsee a lot of positive role models developing out of your graduating class/associates that are going to stay in Lansing, which might halt or reverse this trend? What (if anything) have you noticed about people who graduated 5-10 years ago? Are any of them positive influences in your town today? What needs to be done and what happens are sometimes two different things. I think you outlined a good blueprint for how a potentially alarming trend can be reversed in a town or a neighborhood, and I would like to see that happen as Lansing seems like a nice middle of the road town (not too crowded, not too sparse/sprawled). I guess I am just looking for more information about whether or not you see these necessary steps taking palce, or whether you are just issuing a plea for those in your graduating class to being this process.

For the first half of your post I realize that a majority of what I said was common sense, but my main point is that people need to apply it instead of rolling down the streets of calumet city in an armored vehicle LOL. I honestly have no clue of knowing whether these things can or will take place I am not a polititian or a community organizer or anything like that, but after reading through this and getting more involved in this I think I may apply my reasonable thinking to becoming an activist for the community. At the very least I will be a good neighbor/role model to others. But anyways in TFS there are some really good teachers that actually care to make kids both into better students and better people. Idk about the staff as a majority as well as the student body, but I know that teachers play a vital role in this. But as for the "blueprint," thingy my general thinking on this issue as of now is based on productive but subjective ideas such as those to make a community better, as for it actually going into effect I have no way of knowing, idk if anyone will actually care enough and or be aware of what's up.

[SJaye]

Good luck Jeff

[jat54]

Alright guys lest all face it lansing is goin down the tubes. Wait, its far down the tubes. I lived in lansing for 18 years growing up, reavis ele, memorial,tf south. My partents were very involvrd in politics , school board, coaching. So im one to know how lansing used to be. I was on the inside. And when i think of lansing now i say what a s*&@ hole. The schools are horrible. You cant walk down ridge road at night without having to watch ur back. Its pretty bad that you have to go over the border to have a good time ,housing is falling apart. Back in the day it was so much fun, now i just feel sorry for my friends that still live there.

[Careless]

Originally Posted by Chicagoland60426

Olympia Fields, IL- Median income $108,000, 60% black
Flossmoor, IL- Median Income $107,000, 30% black

Both of these communities have a low crime rate and have sizable black populations.
Lansing actually have a low crime rate, Lansing is no way in shape or form the hood. Lansing was over 80% white according to 2000 census, and I'm sure its still is majority white. I know Lansing is not as squicky clean like its use to, but the Lansing is still quit.

Olympia Fields, population 5,000, has, from the very incomplete crime date I was able to find (link) 5 times the crime rate of Glencoe, the same crime rate as Evanston, and (from much better data) a failing high school (despite one or more parents in the majority of families in the district having 4+ year college degrees.). Not a bad place to live, but not a place you want to send your kids to school (although it's clear that almost all of the white families there are sending their kids to private schools)

Hard to call a place with the national average percentage of whites "black utopia" (Flossmoor)

[deechee]

Originally Posted by Careless

Olympia Fields, population 5,000, has, from the very incomplete crime date I was able to find (link) 5 times the crime rate of Glencoe, the same crime rate as Evanston, and (from much better data) a failing high school (despite one or more parents in the majority of families in the district having 4+ year college degrees.). Not a bad place to live, but not a place you want to send your kids to school (although it's clear that almost all of the white families there are sending their kids to private schools)

Hard to call a place with the national average percentage of whites "black utopia" (Flossmoor)

Answered the question when you said "most send their kids to private school."

Everywhere, there is crime. Everywhere there will be traffic. Unless we go back to covered wagon days, it will always exist. But there was crime then too, and shooting was a routine thing.

It is an excellent place to live, and certainly, whether or not there is a public school, I'm definitely sending my children to private school.