Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Oh, a personal anecdote. That really doesn't prove much. If you could show us that large numbers of outsiders are getting harmed by driving through the ghetto, you may have a point.
The only reason I would have for driving someone around the bad neighborhoods would be to warn them that they need to avoid this area. But to drive around and gawk at the poor folks like a trip to the zoo is not cool.
I take my Evansville and Bedford friends through the rough neighborhoods for two reasons:
1) Nothing like that exists where they live. I am talking about the graffiti and dilapadated houses. Like it or not, this is part of the fabric of many big cities.
2) I live in the center of Indianapolis. To get anywhere outside of downtown Indianapolis requires driving through the rough areas anyway.
Not so true. I remember years back in San Diego, a family in a mini van...
Your personal anecdotes and singular examples are extreme incidents. I said "majority", NOT "all." When you hear of a murder or shooting in a ghetto or tough neighborhood, 9 times out of 10 it's non-random. It's usually a gang member gunned down, someone being killed who owed the shooter(s), did something to the shooter(s), or engaged in a sour deal with the shooter(s). It's hardly EVER just a random act of violence. For every one terrible story you can tell me about something random happening in a ghetto, I can tell you 10 good personal experiences in a ghetto.
A plane crashed about 2 months ago in Buffalo. Will you not fly out of fear of planes crashing? How about a fatal car accident... will you not drive because of that? Accidents happen, and many times randomly. If you use common sense, you can MINIMIZE your risk in a tough neighborhood while there. Notice I said "minimize" and not "eliminate"-- everything in life carries an inherent, risk from climbing a mountain to blow-drying your hair.
Because of higher crime rates in a ghetto, your risk of being a bystander increases a little of course, but some people on here have the notion that you're going to automatically be robbed, shot at, or stabbed. This isn't the case. Random acts of violence and accidents happen everywhere, all the time. How many innocent people are killed by drunk drivers (that number is SURE to be much higher than the number of innocent people randomly killed in bad neighborhoods)? Does that mean you shouldn't venture out in your car anymore? How many times is there a disturbing murder that rocks an otherwise quiet, safe town? I can think of two this past year in safe, quiet towns here in Massachusetts. Does that mean that our safe suburbs and rural areas are now dangerous? Crimes happen everywhere. Random crimes have no neighborhood boundaries. In fact, crimes like mugging and robbery are more likely to happen in areas that are more affluent and people aren't always looking over their shoulder.
The bottom line is that you're never going to escape the possibility of random violence or crime happening to you. Never venturing into a tough neighborhood will certainly reduce those chances a little; but not by as much as you think and you'll miss out on some of the nice things that do exist in tougher neighborhoods (which you'd be truly ignorant to believe doesn't exist--namely, great ethnic restaurants, good bars, interesting affordable and unique shops, etc). If it's a choice you want to make to avoid a "tough" neighborhood, then go right ahead... it's your loss. But don't try to disprove people by naming a random incident a few years ago (albeit a horrible one). And yes, the police were likely over-exaggerating unless they were in the middle of a standoff that you happened to be driving right by. However, common sense would tell you to steer clear of an armed standoff no matter what neighborhood it is in. No one here is trying to paint the image of ghetto and tough neighborhoods as pristine. They are certainly not. However, there is value in even the toughest neighborhoods (whether one chooses to believe it or not) and a little common sense can allow just about anyone to enjoy the few valuable things you may find in a neighborhood that's a bit rough.
Oh well heck, guess everything I've heard about gang bangers being monsters is all false. Next time we are in Atl, we'll just head into the jungle and have a road side picnic, right smack dab in the middle of gangland. I'm sure nothing will happen.
Where exactly IS "gangland" in Atlanta? I've lived here for many years and I wouldn't have a clue where to find gangs. About that picnic - I can bring potato salad...
I haven't taken anyone to see the bad parts of Youngstown. I'm not afraid to, but Youngstown already has negative stereotypes, and I'd rather not reinforce them. Also, people have made a very good point in this thread that it's disrespectful to the people who do live in those areas.
ummm...depends where i guess and how competent the police force is. in certain neighborhoods in and around chicago, the police just don't go there and the gangbangers know this. so you could easily have a liquor bottle thrown at your car or worse. you could do it, but seriously who would support the idea unless you are driving around in a bullet proof Brinks truck?
Where exactly IS "gangland" in Atlanta? I've lived here for many years and I wouldn't have a clue where to find gangs. About that picnic - I can bring potato salad...
Seriously?? Atl has no gang areas? Ok fine. You all can travel your safe "bad areas" because I am way loopy for thinking they aren't safe for outsiders..carry on as you were. These are just my own silly little "personal antecdotes"...wow, I'm way outta line. I think I should enroll my kids into the ghetto schools too, woohoo!
When I lived in New Jersey, a cousin from the Tampa area was in Philadelphia on business and visited me. I met him at the airport, and after having lunch in Philly, we drove back to my home. We had discussed Camden NJ. His quote: "I've never actually been to Camden". We talked about how he had been to some bad neighborhoods in Tampa, Orlando, Overton Miami, and South Atlanta, where he attended grad school. However, this was the extent of his exposure to urban blight. We exited off the interstate, turned onto Broadway. About a half a mile later, my cell phone was ringing. My cousin was on the other phone, quivering out the phrase "Get me the f out of here!"
10 years earlier, my cousin's older brother visited and wanted to see Yankee Stadium. Afterwards we went about 5 blocks southeast to get a beer. On the way, we saw in succession: a bar brawl, a fist fight under the 'el' on Park Ave (not THAT Park Ave) and a foot chase with police officers in hot pursuit. Rodney King part II broke out but there was no one with a video camera.
I've since never brought people from out of town to visit places such as these.
Seriously?? Atl has no gang areas? Ok fine. You all can travel your safe "bad areas" because I am way loopy for thinking they aren't safe for outsiders..carry on as you were. These are just my own silly little "personal antecdotes"...wow, I'm way outta line. I think I should enroll my kids into the ghetto schools too, woohoo!
You sure do like to overreact and put words into people's mouths, don't you? I didn't see DeaconJ mention that Atlanta had no gangs... all I saw was someone asking where "gangland" was. A pretty reasonable question in my opinion. I also didn't see anyone call your "personal anecdotes", "silly" (in fact, I noted that your story in San Diego was horrible... just not commonplace or something that happens every day); OR suggest that you should enroll your children into "ghetto schools" (in fact, that would be the first thing I would suggest NOT doing in a tough area).
All we were saying is that outsiders CAN (and do on a daily basis) not only enter these areas, but be safe in them with a little bit of street smarts and common sense. If you choose not to enter a poorly reputed area based on a few random occurrences and lack of understanding of how these areas work, then that's fine. These places are poorly reputed for a reason. However, I'll continue to use common sense and enjoy the hidden gems that do exist in some of those areas that you are likely to never see. Different strokes I guess, but don't take it so personally.
My folks in Columbus, Ohio live on the northeast side (near Northern Lights) and we went down Cleveland Avenue to get to their house. I was told by my cousin that the area we were going through, Linden, was "in the hood."
Because I lived in Detroit, rural black Mississippi, and currently in Jackson, I laughed for a bit when he tried to brag about how hard this place was. I saw a few abandoned houses, but the area had more of a typical urban gritty feel than an area that I would actually be scared of going through.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
