6 murders in 6 days - Does L'ville have a gang problem? (Louisville: 2009, house)

[Huckleberry3911948]

no, just a bunch of murderers we dont want to execute.
haven't you heard, punishment is unamerican.

[bigg1]

u are going to have crime were ever u live

[cobolt]

Originally Posted by censusdata

TomCox, as a realitor what do you think about bulldozing all abandoned homes in a depressed area - or about the government even buying homes off the market and 'dozing them? The logic is it reduces crime and increases the price of existing homes in the area

Mayor Daley did this in Chicago. He bulldozed housing projects like Cabrini Green and other depressed areas (some of this move is in preparation and hope of winning the Olympic bid) and what you're now seeing is that middle class and above are moving back into the gentrified City while the suburbs are becoming more crime-ridden. You're seeing a demographic shift too of white flight to the City, while blacks and minorities, particularly Hispanics, moving to the West and South suburbs. So the crime hasn't been eliminated, just displaced.

[censusdata]

I was actually talking about razing individual HOUSES as a opposed to housing projects. On the one hand I hate seeing a house that is still fit for human habitation leveled, especially when millions of people around the world live in shacks. I also understand that nothing increases crime like abandoned buildings.

If West Louisville truly is beyond the point of no return depopulating it might be the only way to reduce crime there.

Here are several abandoned buildings in the Portland neighborhood. These buildings are beautiful, but right now they only give a place for illegal activities and decrease the value of surrounding properties

[cobolt]

Originally Posted by censusdata

I was actually talking about razing individual HOUSES as a opposed to housing projects. On the one hand I hate seeing a house that is still fit for human habitation leveled, especially when millions of people around the world live in shacks. I also understand that nothing increases crime like abandoned buildings.

If West Louisville truly is beyond the point of no return depopulating it might be the only way to reduce crime there.

Here are several abandoned buildings in the Portland neighborhood. These buildings are beautiful, but right now they only give a place for illegal activities and decrease the value of surrounding properties

Sorry. I misunderstood. I would be for that as well.

[stx12499]

Originally Posted by cobolt

Sorry. I misunderstood. I would be for that as well.

Are you sure? You guys seem pretty eager to destroy history. face it, the crime in Louisville is much less than the national average for large cities. We could always improve, but I dont think destroying history will really help deter crime. Crime will happen as long as their is prostitution, gangs, and drugs are illegal.

[censusdata]

Originally Posted by stx12499

Are you sure? You guys seem pretty eager to destroy history. face it, the crime in Louisville is much less than the national average for large cities. We could always improve, but I dont think destroying history will really help deter crime. Crime will happen as long as their is prostitution, gangs, and drugs are illegal.

That's why I do feel very conflicted about this issue. If no one will ever repair these buildings in the future then they will at some point get bulldozed anyway. If the buildings pictured were off Frankfort Ave they would be worth $40,000 (for each shotgun, much more for the bigger bldg), but that's not were they are. They're in an area where crime is rising and population has been declining for decades.

[cobolt]

No I'm not sure. I would first pick restoring these buildings/homes. I mean someone has to invest money in them if they're not to be used as crack/meth houses or who knows what. On the other hand, the nature of the buildings and sometimes the area or parts of it discourage that very thing. It seems like a round robin no win thing

[censusdata]

The problem isn't so much destroying older "historic" buildings - the problem is what typically replaces them.

Louisville recently leveled one of the oldest remaining buildings in Downtown, the 1859 Brinly Hardy warehouse. It didn't bother me at all because it was replaced by a 4 story condo (still under construction) which better frames the street and will move 100 high income residents into downtown.

Here's the only article I could find on it
BRICKS OF CONTENTION | Louisville | Find Articles at BNET

Here was the construction site a few months back

[natewood3]

So what would happen if middle-class families started moving into places in the west end instead of everyone moving away from those areas? What would happen if my wife and I, both young and white, moved into a house just off somewhere like Broadway or around Victory or California Park?