Drive By Shootings in...Olathe? (Overland Park, Kansas City: fit in, crime, loan)

[Jimmy Burma]

Olathe Drive-By Shakes Up Family - NBC Action News KSHB-TV 41

Over the last couple of years I've seen more than a few news reports pertaining to shootings and stabbing's in Olathe. When in Kansas City I
don't get over to the Kansas side often if at all but recall Olathe as being a pretty laid back, very suburban...almost rural like place. I know it's grown quite a bit over the years but it's still so far (relatively) from the city center of KC that it just seems odd to have this kind of inner city style violence in Olathe, KS. What in the hell is going on in Olathe, KS these days? Jeez, I use to actually live in Los Angeles and this wouldn't suprise me there but in Olathe freakin Kansas?

[northbound74]

Proximity to the city center doesn't seem to matter around here. Some of the closer-in suburbs feel quite a bit safer to me than places like Olathe or Blue Springs, both of which are frequently in the news for something of the sort.

[Jimmy Burma]

Well, proximity to the city center, cbd, whatever doesn't really matter anymore, that is becoming true.
In fact in some cities it's working back towards the center. Anyhow, I just saw that shooting in the news, thought
about more than a few other bits of news I'd seen on violent attacks, etc (seemingly gang/thuggish related) and
thought what the hell?

I remember some years ago when I was a kid visiting a relative from STL
who had moved to Olathe and no it wasn't really that remote or too far out there (far enough) it most definitely
was not the inner city and didn't seem at all like a bad suburb. I remember thinking "wow, it's really
nice out here but boring as hell" keep in mind I was a city kid though and I doubt that many out
there welcome this new type of excitement. I know things change and I have
no stake at all in the area but it's just weird to see news blurbs about drive by shootings and
car jackings in Olathe, KS. Might be time for them to circle the wagons out there and deal with
the riff raff, whomever they are? It just seems so damn odd, like gang violence in Mayberry but
I suppose that's just the America we're dealing with these days? Madness.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Burma

I remember some years ago when I was a kid visiting a relative from STL
who had moved to Olathe and no it wasn't really that remote or too far out there (far enough) it most definitely
was not the inner city and didn't seem at all like a bad suburb. I remember thinking "wow, it's really
nice out here but boring as hell" keep in mind I was a city kid though and I doubt that many out
there welcome this new type of excitement. I know things change and I have
no stake at all in the area but it's just weird to see news blurbs about drive by shootings and
car jackings in Olathe, KS. Might be time for them to circle the wagons out there and deal with
the riff raff, whomever they are? It just seems so damn odd, like gang violence in Mayberry but
I suppose that's just the America we're dealing with these days? Madness.

Olathe is a large suburb of 120,000 people. I would hardly call that "small town" or "mayberry." Olathe is a much more blue collar town with industrial jobs compared to all white collar Overland Park- for the most part. Olathe is much less desirable compared to other closer in suburbs in Johnson County like much of northern Overland Park, Leawood, Prairie Village, Westwood, etc.
Olathe is also much more diverse now compared to 10-20 years ago. All kinds of people have been moving there because of jobs.

[zman0457]

Many of you will find this whacked, but Olathe (a pretty reactionary place in the main) mixed with the resulting xenophobia and a trend toward more "diversity" has a good chance of being a place where you either "fit in" or don't. Bitterness is pretty rife in the country these days, and people lashing out randomly might be exacerbated by these factors.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by zman0457

Many of you will find this whacked, but Olathe (a pretty reactionary place in the main) mixed with the resulting xenophobia and a trend toward more "diversity" has a good chance of being a place where you either "fit in" or don't. Bitterness is pretty rife in the country these days, and people lashing out randomly might be exacerbated by these factors.

Either that or someone at the party has a crazy ex, is a gang member or some moron got the wrong address.

Hey, there have been several murders in the KS suburbs in recent years...including the gal abducted from the Target\Kmart or whatever it was by the Mall at 95th/Quivera.

Lots of people around and also it's a 30minute drive from Olathe to most places in the metro so you can have a lot more mingling.

[OneKC]

Random crime can happen anywhere. Overall, Olathe is very, very safe.

[pioneer88]

"Many of you will find this whacked, but Olathe (a pretty reactionary place in the main) mixed with the resulting xenophobia and a trend toward more "diversity" has a good chance of being a place where you either "fit in" or don't. Bitterness is pretty rife in the country these days, and people lashing out randomly might be exacerbated by these factors."

I don't see this as much of a factor at all to be honest with you. I see it more as like anywhere there are some people who choose to be idiots, case closed. There is a suprising amount of diversity in Olathe and while we might not all hangout together every weekend this is a very friendly place and in my opinion quite accepting as a whole.

[TinaMcG]

Sure, there is diversity, but it would be nicer if diverse groups of people all lived peacefully side by side. We live in an unincorporated area of Olathe, and I have to say I am ashamed of much of the city. Downtown is nothing to write home about. It's all centered around the courthouses, with loads of payday loan places, bail bondsmen, and small, sad looking businesses. Outside of downtown there's an area my husband says looks like "it could do with a good dose of eminent domain". The homes are modest, and horribly maintained. Junk all over, houses in tatters. There are large areas of Olathe that look as though the homeowners take no pride in their surroundings.

[pioneer88]

It is sad but true about downtown. Other than goverment stuff and 1 local jeweler it's pretty much all bail bonds places.

"it would be nicer if diverse groups of people all lived peacefully side by side"

where I live we don't have any problems with people living peacefully side by side and the neighborhood has a solid mix of many different groups.

Not far outside of those modest houses is a decent mix of victorian homes and other mid-century houses that are actually pretty nice. The problem with Olathe is you have old olathe that is a mix of neat old homes and a lot of 'forgotten' smaller homes and you have new olathe with street after street of well kept new homes and developments. There is a definate difference between the two. It would be nice if they could revamp the old downtown area. Maybe they could jump on board with the trend towards "life centers" and try to start over a bit by bringing some more legitamate shopping. For now I'll have to rely on Latino y Punto. Either way I've never felt unsafe here.