Increased amount of crime? (Norfolk: credit, loans, neighborhoods)

[xGrendelx]

I just wanted to see if anyone else has seen a noticable increase in crime in their area. I work in Norfolk, and in the past few months I have seen a definite increase in crime, and a general downturn in the look and feel of my area. For example, within 1 mile of where I work, 7 businesses have closed down and are sitting vacant (mostly car dealers), the 7-11 next door was robbed and a week later its door window was kicked out, two of our clients have come in with stories of being mugged when walking around at night and both live within walking distance to our store, a murder happened last weekend and another last night, and recently an SUV was left sitting on blocks after being parked for a few days. That's just the last few months. Within the last year or so, every shop in our building (except us, thankfully) has been robbed by gunpoint. There's also many more homeless walking around and drunks/addicts too. I'm sure our economic state has something to do with it all, but this area of Norfolk seems to be getting hit hard. Anyone else noticed anything like this in other areas?

[telemonster]

I'm seeing the businesses close. Slowly and gradually things are thinning out.

The sad part is I know people looking for office space (friends and myself included) but everyone is greedy, looking for top dollar.

Some people listen to the television and news, and think that it's going to bounce back. The truth is though, I don't think the work output of the American people equals the living standard that they've been marketed that they deserve. So the rude awakening might be coming.

I'm all for productive, new technologies, new things. I just wish the gov't would be honest.

I've been (for a long time) harping on the housing bubble. All of those gains have to be given back, as they weren't based on any real productive output. Just credit and debt, much of it extended to people who won't be able to pay it back. This includes both those that never had the means to pay it back (teaser rate loans), and those that for a brief period were making money off of the housing mania, and believed they would forever make that kind of money. Builders, relators, the financers of the mania, middlemen, all that stuff. I know I've looked in a couple of $700K+ neighborhoods and true to the game found a good number of what appeared to be construction work trucks in the driveways. The housing mania self-fed itself. It was a gross misallocation of money and resources. Had that been invested in new transportation methods that are more energy efficient (high speed maglev versus plane trips, for example) or revamping the medical billing systems.... true progress could have been had.

To me none of this is a surprise. It's been 5 years coming. You can't have housing price increases and wage decreases, it's not healthy. Then all of the other factors.

[Randomdude]

Poverty breeds crimes of neccessity. When the economy is bad, you are going to see a spike in crime, especially drug dealing and related crimes, burglarly and theft and their related crimes.

Also, people are generally more on edge, so youd probably see more fights and assaults as well.

[hurley89]

I've noticed the increase too! Someone got stabbed the other night in the neighborhood down the street. I still live my everyday life the same, but I am a little more aware of my surroundings.

You know the crime is getting bad when the news makes an effort to inform you that the 3 homicides on Sunday "NOT related, again the homicides were indeed NOT related"

Gotta love Alveeta on channel 10