Why is crime so high in Memphis (Germantown: crime rate, houses)

[lilhood11]

gang member would be tha main reason for crime drugs, rape , murder, etc. they like big citys so they can escape easily off highways and innerstates.. thats y crime is sooo hi in memphis

[MissCee]

Hello! Excuse me! I'm a native Memphian and yes the crime rate is high just like any other metropolitan area but you cannot blame all crime on BLACK people in Memphis. I grew up in the sububurbs of Memphis around WHITE people and they commit just as much crime, inner city and outer city, as BLACK people, you just don't see it on prime time news! Cordova is an area mixed with BLACKS and WHITES, check out what's going on at Cordova High! How about just taking a visit to some of these areas. Funny how you never hear of any criminal activity in Germantown, you know why, because it's not publicized! It's a predominately WHITE part of town. The media gives you a certain mindset by only telling you what they want you to hear. So before you go blaming things on a particular race of people, please do the proper research and don't be so quick to assume!

[Pearlbob]

I've heard about a ton of criminal activity in germantown lately.
I don't think anyone on hear blamed the crime in Memphis on race. It should be blamed on a lack of education, horrible schools, bad parenting, bad govt, etc. And unfortunately, that just affects blacks more here historically. Maybe in 30 years it will be better.
And in NO WAY do I think the media makes it sound like black people committ all crimes. For christ's sake, most of the reporters and news anchors here are black. If they are only reporting black crimes, then they must have a problem with their own race?

[peanutbutterz]

Lots of very poor self-centered blacks. It's like a vortex of hatred and self loathing there.

[Pearlbob]

This is the same mayor who at age 60+, fathered an illegitamate child with a much younger, random woman? That is not someone that I consider a good role model for people in this community. Get someone respectable in office, and maybe things will change.

[Streetchie]

These threads have become so negative it's unreal. I'm curious as to where all of you live. If you live in Memphis, what kind of pathetic losers stay in a city that they hate so much? Are your options that few? If outside of Memphis, what kind of pathetic losers spend their free-time complaining about a city that they hate so much? Get a hobby!....besides complaining.

[Pearlbob]

I think people either A) like Memphis, B) hate it and complain about it, or C) would rather live elsewhere but for multiple reasons are stuck here and therefore have tried to make the best of things, have a lot of good to say about some aspects of Memphis, but are also smart enough to recognize the reality of the city and express those opinions if asked.

I fall into C)

[Pearlbob]

But I doubt most people move anywhere because they think the city is "fun." Most people move because of family or their jobs. So, they don't really have an option to choose or change their minds if they think the city "sucks." If you move here, yes, know what you are getting into and try to make the best of it. But people must realize that there is very good stuff mixed with the very bad, so they aren't scared to death to come here.

[Pearlbob]

Exactly. I have a job that I could literally only get at maybe 5 other companies in the country, and even then it wouldn't be the same AND it would mean a major pay cut. So, I'm here. Even if I were to find a job that was equal pay elsewhere, the cost of living is so much better in Memphis than in LA, Miami, Chicago, Boston, etc.

I think it was around the time that I realized I was more or less "stuck here" for a while, it was then that I overcame my constant hatred for the city and learned to find things about it that I liked and learned to make the best of it and try to get the bad parts out of my consciousness.

[iluvmem]

I'd like to respond to the person who stated "The city is lackluster due to generations of inbreeding". Well, people who choose to move to the Memphis area could be a new generation. Memphis-bashing on these boards just buys into the same-ole same-ole mindset. While in Memphis, you could be in one of two camps 1) the one trying to make changes or 2) the one who just runs their mouth about the need for change. I'm definitely in the first camp. And because the opportunities for change are so abundant in Memphis, with established volunteer organizations everywhere, some of the excessive negative energy on this board could well be spent in that direction.

One question I'd like to ask....what constitutes "dangerous" and "safe" neighborhoods...are you really saying the WHOLE of Memphis isn't safe, when it's well-documented that there are basically 3 areas of town where the majority of violent crimes occur? I'm no naive, pacifist, flower-child who lives in a vacuum.....I read the paper, internet and read some of the stupid stuff people here do....the not-so random rape in Chickasaw Gardens threw me for a loop, but how many murders/rapes have occurred "all over the city"? They're basically in South Memphis and North Memphis, where anybody making above minimum wage wouldn't want to live. So maybe I don't understand how someone can say "There are safe areas in Shelby County. But there aren't many inside city limits," and then turn around and say "Statistically, areas in Memphis where there is section 8 property make up 90% of the crime in Memphis". Huh??????