The Chicago Factor: Are Transplants from Chicago Ruining Our State? (Des Moines: high school, living)
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I heard there was a sign that said something similar to this effect: "Want a better life? Move to Cedar Rapids." just outside of Chicago. Has anyone seen it?
Because 70% of the population of the United States is white. The other 30% is divided into four other racial groups. I would hope that 70% of the population would come up with numerically more welfare cases than 12% of the population.
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but I would hardly call Iowa violent or getting worse.
When/if you're in Des Moines, drop me a line. I will take you on a tour of the SE side of Des Moines and I will show you how things have gotten worse. I'm 100% serious about this.
__________________ "If you live in one place long enough, you are that place" - Rocky Balboa
Because 70% of the population of the United States is white. The other 30% is divided into four other racial groups. I would hope that 70% of the population would come up with numerically more welfare cases than 12% of the population.
When/if you're in Des Moines, drop me a line. I will take you on a tour of the SE side of Des Moines and I will show you how things have gotten worse. I'm 100% serious about this.
I am not trying to downplay the fact that there is crime in Des Moines, but it could not compare to Atlanta,GA. I live near that city. Actually, the apartment complex I live in, there have been quite a few drug busts. I also have relatives in the New Orleans area. I have been there as well. Quite violent down there.
There's a very interesting column by the Des Moines Register's Marc Hansen today. I'll spare you political correctness and be very blunt with its topic: are urban black transplants to our state bringing inner-city problems with them?
The column is a pretty quick read and a good, quick intro to this sensitive issue. I thought I would share it with you guys to get your thoughts and reaction.
Well, I don't know about the inner workings of Iowa or the race or ethnicities or whatever, and I know probably this is probably different from what you're getting at, but looking at it without regards to race, ethnicity, social standing whatever, sounds like Iowa is afraid of being overrun by Chicagoans same way that Oregon and Washington and Idaho don't want to be overrun by Californians or North and South Carolina and Florida don't want to be overrun by New Yorkers and other Northeasterners.
I am not trying to downplay the fact that there is crime in Des Moines, but it could not compare to Atlanta,GA. I live near that city. Actually, the apartment complex I live in, there have been quite a few drug busts. I also have relatives in the New Orleans area. I have been there as well. Quite violent down there.
No, it isn't as bad as Atlanta, Detroit, Gary, East St. Louis, etc. but when there has been several home invasions within a block or two of me (including the people behind me), I can hear gunshots every now and then, I see gang graffiti spring up and then spring up again in the same spots when it's cleaned up and pretty much all of my neighbors have had their vehicles broken into telling myself that "Oh, well, it's not as bad as Atlanta" doesn't make me feel any better and it especially doesn't make our reality here any safer.
Inner-city Atlanta and New Orleans are definitely NOT the standards of what kind of community I want to live in.
__________________ "If you live in one place long enough, you are that place" - Rocky Balboa
Inner-city Atlanta and New Orleans are definitely NOT the standards of what kind of community I want to live in.
The funny thing about Atlanta is that even ritzy white areas have had their fair share of crime. Atlanta is a violent city.
BTW: Is "inner city" a code word for "black"? If so, why can't you just say the damn word? And no, not all "inner cities" are violent - Olympia Fields, IL for instance.
Olympia Fields is an affluent low-crime area but it's very "inner city" if you know what I mean.
The funny thing about Atlanta is that even ritzy white areas have had their fair share of crime. Atlanta is a violent city.
BTW: Is "inner city" a code word for "black"? If so, why can't you just say the damn word? And no, not all "inner cities" are violent - Olympia Fields, IL for instance.
Olympia Fields is an affluent low-crime area but it's very "inner city" if you know what I mean.
Same with Baldwin Hills in Los Angeles. Predominantly Black and very affluent and safe. Cascade Heights(in Atlanta) is predominantly Black and a very safe, affluent place to live, despite being surrounded by some of the most violent neighborhoods in Atlanta. Now there is some crime around Greenbriar Mall(in Cascade Heights), but the same could be said about Lenox Mall(in the Buckhead section of Atlanta, which is wealthy and mostly White).
Last edited by green_mariner; 11-14-2010 at 07:31 PM..
No, it isn't as bad as Atlanta, Detroit, Gary, East St. Louis, etc. but when there has been several home invasions within a block or two of me (including the people behind me), I can hear gunshots every now and then, I see gang graffiti spring up and then spring up again in the same spots when it's cleaned up and pretty much all of my neighbors have had their vehicles broken into telling myself that "Oh, well, it's not as bad as Atlanta" doesn't make me feel any better and it especially doesn't make our reality here any safer.
Inner-city Atlanta and New Orleans are definitely NOT the standards of what kind of community I want to live in.
Maybe not, but at the same time, maybe my perspective is different from yours because I have lived in areas that are more violent. I have been in an area where shootings were taking place. That being said, if my family moved further into Atlanta, the likelihood of shootings taking place would be much worse. Where I currently live now, there have been many drug busts, my bicycle getting stolen, and not to mention years back, I was the victim of a mugging about half a mile up the road from where I live now. I also know that if I moved into any part of Atlanta that my finances could support, I would have a higher chance of getting killed. Yes, there is crime in DM. I know about some gangs that have gone into DM. That being said, gangs have gone into Atlanta and its suburbs. In fact, near my apartment complex, gang graffiti turned up at the bus stop, utility boxes and a wall. All of it was Sur 13. It was cleaned up later. No argument there. Crime does exist in Des Moines and something should be done about it. That being said, I have a hard time believing Des Moines is THAT violent.
Actually, if it were a matter of which city were safer, my father might go to Des Moines or Davenport, rather than Atlanta. However, my father needed a job.
Georgia, in general, is a much more violent state than Iowa, always has been since the old days. South Carolina is even worse(per capita anyway).
New York City is offering there homeless people free one way airfare to any destination they choose. A lot were choosing Atlanta, Georgia. They sometimes sent a few back to New York City. Chicago housing projects have been closing for years now and offering the residents relocation free of charge. I think Chicago though unlike New York give them and homeless people free bus tickets and not airline tickets. Therefore the housing project residents and homeless are ending up in places such as Peoria, Illinois, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Madison, Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Des Moines Iowa, Dubuque, IA, etc. Which are easily within driving distance. Please keep in mind not all in public housing and homeless are bad folks. Although in Iowa it would help if they didn't send people who got caught with weed to jail for 25 years that's just dumb and a waste of taxpayers money as cigarettes have killed more people then weed has.
I don't even want to reply to this, because I reallllly don't want drama/bashing/flaming/whatever. But I'm going to go out on a limb & do it anyway.
We're in a suburb of Des Moines (ok, we're an hour away) and we have the same problem. Our local college is recruiting all the big city high school players for their sports teams, and they bring their inner city mindset with them. Now listen carefully-- I could give a hoot less what color someones skin is. Black, white, brown, purple, green, whatever. But when you skulk around Walmart at 11:45pm, with a hoodie pulled over your face, and your clothes hanging off your rear, cussing up a storm & glaring at people, in small town Iowa, of COURSE you're going to be sterotyped & get dirty looks. Of COURSE people are going to be weary of your intentions. You could be the second coming of Jesus, but if you act like a gangbanger-hoodrat, you will get some unappreciative reactions.
Everyone has a choice on where they live, work, go to college, and recreate. But seriously-- can you stop scaring the locals while you're here for 4 years?
Last edited by IAby7; 11-16-2010 at 07:52 AM..
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