Society's Rebel's Complaints About Nebraska Thread. (Omaha, McCook: apartments, rent, low crime)

[SoCiEtY's ReBel]

Mod Note: For the time being, I'm going to keep these threads open. All Society's Rebel-related (I refuse to type LiKe ThIs) discussion goes here as to not clutter the forum. I'll be watching to make sure it does not get any further out of hand than it already is. - El Rhino



I'm tired of everyone trying to make Omaha look like this wonderful place to live with great schools and low crime rates-- I am about to tell you about what I witnessed in my 3 years of living east of 72nd--OMG you might say!

This is for all of the ones that glorify Omaha because they need to wake up and realize that Elkhorn isn't everywhere!

The first issue I will address is violence in OPS schools: Northwest and North have gang violence and shootings, a girl had an asthma attack and died after being "jumped" at Omaha South; and what's sad is that this violence isn't confined to just the OPS high schools:

One day after an eighth-grader at King Science and Technology Magnet Center was shot during a soccer game, school officials sought to reassure students by emphasizing that the shooting was random.

Police suspect the bullet that hit 14-year-old Taylor Borgeson came from a gun fired from less than a mile west of the school. Omaha World Herald. 25 Apr 2008. <http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10319580>


sorry if my MLA is a little rusty but go ahead and copy and paste that in ur browser and check my source, its the local newspaper!

I know if I was still living in Omaha by the time my son starts school he would not be attending an OPS school, but thankfully we moved out of Omaha.

The second issue I will address is the silent (and sometimes active) racial intolerance and bigotry; These people from West Omaha try to paint this pretty picture of what Omaha is but I was living in real OMAHA, the inner-city (if you can call it that)! And I am going to let the truth be known, the truth about people who live off of 30th and Ames, Spencer projects, even Bension and Dundee. The truth about that little girl that was killed by a stray bullet while riding down 30th in the family minivan. And the story about Bob's food mart on 16th & Fort:

A north Omaha grocery store destroyed by fire last month has been torn down. Bob's Food Mart at 16th & Fort burned to the ground. Police are investigating the arson as arson and a hate crime. Police found racist grafitti spray painted on the outside of the store and on the owner's house. The owner told Action 3 News two white man came into the store Sunday night, February 18th, robbed him and tied him up. He escaped before the fire. - Action 3 News. 12 Nov 2007. <http://www.action3news.com/Global/story.asp?S=6226707> (that's the local CBS affiliate)

And don't let me forget to mention Amber Harris (You can google her yourself)! She was a twelve year old girl snatched up right off of Pinkney St. in broad daylight immediately after getting dropped off by an OPS school bus! Roy Ellis raped and murdered her on the streets of OMAHA and buried her in a shallow grave in Hummel Park! And while the media wont report this, I will, Amber Harris was just one of many!

What if that was your daughter?

I already know what the ritzy West Omaha-Milliard response to this will be "every city has crime" or "that's just north omaha" but they can't fool me.

See, i'm not like some may think I am, I come from a white middle class family in Santa Rosa, CA (a San Francisco Bay Area suburb) and I moved into "inner-Omaha" and witnessed this stuff firsthand, I also witnessed a lot of Racism too (my wife is black) Blacks will see us and be racist of me being with her and Whenever we did venture out to West Omaha, maybe to enjoy a nice dinner, Whites would stare at us because I was with her!

It can't be denied because I have been a victim of it and they can't say that this is the case everywhere because we have since moved to Reno, NV (a west coast city) and people here cohabitate much better. We have whites, blacks, mexicans, and a larger and more diverse asian community that all get along and are friends not just at work or school but it is voluntary: my wife and I went to a dinner party and I am white, there were about 4 other whites, my wife, her friend Jennifer and another dude there made three blacks, and Jennifer's husband is like Guatemalan.

We all had fun together ate some great fajitas and played board games after dinner-- this could never happen in Omaha!

In OPS schools, there is no assimilation, there's just de facto segregation-- honestly I had a classmate in a class at metro who had graduated from one of the Millard schools and she said, "in high school we had our groups, the mexicans had a group, and the few black kids had a group, and we had our group" She actually thought that this was normal, I quickly responded "At my high school, in the bay area, california, I had a group, i am white, we had a couple black guys, some mexicans, and even some Laotion and Hmong" Come to think of it, this girl didn't even know what Hmong was, I had to explain to her that it is an Asian ethnicity from the mountains of Laos.

This is all very sad, but its very true and like I said, the W. Omaha people can't fool me because where I was raised we didn't have 35 murders a year, we had 1 murder every two to three years, and we weren't an all white hick-town either, we were a suburb of 200,000 in a metro of 5 - 10 Million.

We had Mexicans, whites, blacks, Asians, all growing up together in school and becoming life-long friends, we didn't do a "culture day" at Metro, everyday was a culture day-- when I was 8 years old I ate sticky rice and Pho noodles out of bamboo plate/bowls while sitting on a beautiful rug on the living room floor with my Laotion friend.

I grew up with culture, virtually no violence, and a good education. In school we read books like Black Boy, Tracks, Grapes of Wrath, so we know about history, we know about your past, but we are Californians, we are way higher on the social scale than some places in the the Midwest.

So the bottom line is this: this violence and poor schools and racism/hate and lack of culture isn't everywhere, it doesn't have to be your life-- your life is what you choose to make it. What happened to Amber Harris could have been avoided simply by choosing to live in a city that is better than Omaha-- we did it; we chose to move out of Omaha!

Mods, please don't delete this post is different than my last one Thanks!

[timechilipot]

Societies Rebel,

I couldn't agree with you more. I live in Millard and I am amazed at what the people out here and in West O think. But then that is why they live out here so they can live in denial, and so there kids don't have to be exposed to diversity.

As for your story about hanging out with your friends and playing card games, it does happen in Omaha. At least at my house. We have a gay couple, and a black lesbian woman,that all come over here and hang out with my family(white) and another (white)couple as well. But on that note I know how you feel, because we feel very isolated as well. In fact my neighbor down the street told me the other day the school my kids goes to is well to make it short is "ghetto". My kids go to Holling Heights Elementary. The only reason she said this is because it is so diverse opposed to the magnet school that her kids go to.

But no doubt that people out west have this Utopian view of Omaha, that drives me crazy as well.

[ShawJ]

This is for all of the ones that glorify Omaha because they need to wake up and realize that Elkhorn isn't everywhere!

About half the people on these boards live in the inner city of Omaha. A lot live downtown as well.

Basically, I've lived in Midtown Omaha my whole life (60th street). I attended Omaha Central High School (Downtown Omaha) when I was in high school.

Through my years of growing up in "Inner-city Omaha" and attending high school downtown, I never felt threatened. I grew up feeling safer than ever, and was so fortunate that I lived in a safe city.

You say that people will respond "violence happens everywhere." Well, what else do you want people to say? I'm not from West Omaha, but I'm here to say that violence happens in every city. What do you expect? And don't sit there and try to claim that violence is non existent in Reno, NV. Every city has it's share of crime and areas that aren't particularly safe. However, I feel that Omaha, for it's size, is MUCH safer than a ton of other cities.

I'm just astonished by your perception of Omaha. I've never felt like my safety is at risk, and I've always been grateful for that. I'm not trying to hide your response and get people to not believe it, because crime does happen. But in my 19 years in Omaha, it's been one of the nicest, safest cities I've encountered.

[mattpoulsen]

Name one other city the size of Omaha that doesn't have problems with violence and racial tensions?

Omaha is no worse (or better) than any other place its size. No one on here thinks its perfect, but don't act like all these problems don't exist in other cities!

Murder and racial tension exist in every city! Please...get off your soap box.

[SoCiEtY's ReBel]

I understand that the redneck answer to this question is that the legislature works more efficiently and things don't get tied up, etc. But why does Nebraska try so hard to be different?

There is a valid reason for a Bicameral Legislature: representation...

Sure every district has equal representation, but not all districts are proportionate...

Why should McCook (8,000) have the same amount of representation as Omaha (400,000) ? Sure you might say Omaha has more districts than McCook therefore it has more representation, but there still needs to be a population based system where more populated districts have more representation because issues can come down to be split between districts and the district with more Nebraskans living in it should have a bigger say.

Also having two houses, provides a check so the "Unicam" can't just run the entire law making branch of Government, with a "Bicam" Laws are built by equal representation both in raw numbers and in percentages!

And besides all the other states have a Bicameral Legislature, why does Nebraska insist on being the red-headed b*stard step-child?

[ShawJ]

Originally Posted by mattpoulsen

Name one other city the size of Omaha that doesn't have problems with violence and racial tensions?

Omaha is no worse (or better) than any other place its size. No one on here thinks its perfect, but don't act like all these problems don't exist in other cities!

Murder and racial tension exist in every city! Please...get off your soap box.

Bingo. Omaha is a decent sized city, and with that comes violence/unsafe areas.

[SoCiEtY's ReBel]

OK, so here we go again, Nebraska wants to be different once more... So under Nebraska law you are a minor until you reach the age of 19. This has to be one of the stupidest laws I have even come across.

Basically, most if not all states have the age of majority set at 18 (not 19) so in Nebraska you have to be 19 to legally sign a contract... When I moved to the Omaha area, from California I had to move to Council Bluffs because I was 18 and no one would rent me an apartment in Omaha. So right there it is putting a hardship on young people who want to move to Omaha at age 18 it actually encourages them to live in Council Bluffs!

Also, most people graduate high school at age 18, so for the ones that want to enter the work force directly after high school and get their own apartments, they too are encouraged to move across the river where they can get their own place, get their own credit, etc.

This is promoting an exodus of young workers because they are being alienated by this law and they are treated as if they are still 16!

Furthermore,the law is very inconsistent because, while you are a minor until you reach the age of 19, an 18 year old can still vote, buy cigarrettes, go to an adult jail, etc.

So Nebraskans, tell me why you alienate your young workforce and why do you force them to leave the state?

[timechilipot]

I don't think his point was that there is violence and racism, bigotry in Omaha, but the fact that there is a large part of Omaha that choose not to acknowledge it. Of coarse every city this size has its fare share of these very same problems. I have lived all over the U.S. but besides the crap weather in the winter, this still is a good place to live. I do however get all tied in knots how intolerant or unaccepting people seem to be in West O. It seems the bigger Omaha gets the snobbier people get, I don't know maybe its just me, since I'm not a sheeple.

[SoCiEtY's ReBel]

Originally Posted by mattpoulsen

Name one other city the size of Omaha that doesn't have problems with violence and racial tensions?

Omaha is no worse (or better) than any other place its size. No one on here thinks its perfect, but don't act like all these problems don't exist in other cities!

Murder and racial tension exist in every city! Please...get off your soap box.

You guys are just proving my point. When I said you'll say that violence is in any city, that is bull...

Take San Jose for example, a city of over 900,000 (its more than twice the size of Omaha) and doesn't even have as many murders. in 06 they had only 29 murders, thats 3 murders per 100,000 people (city-data). And no people are not racist everywhere either!

This just goes to show how ignorant some people are. They figure since they've never left Omaha or surrounding Midwest cities and haven't seen anything different then everything must be the same, but it is not.

And my point was how people in W. Omaha paint a different picture, are intollerant, etc., going to school in Millard and going to school in Benson are two very different experiences and it is very segregated other cities don't have this problem!

[btoverdrive]

Here is a post from SoCiEtY's ReBel that is on the Reno Nevada board. Looks like Omaha wasn't that bad after all but it sounds like he ain't happy anywhere. Even made the moderator mad.

I moved to Reno 6 months ago from Omaha, Ne (big mistake)...

The jobs here do mod cut* and I have an associate's degree currently working on Bachelor's. Most "jobs" (not careers) here are hard to come by and only want to pay you around $9/hr and they are mostly warehouse jobs. Also my rent for a 1 bedroom apartment is $595 a month and that is on Grove street (supposed to be a bad neighborhood according to the locals but nothing compared to a "hood" you might see in chicago or st louis)

When I lived in Omaha I never went a week without work. I was making $12 and rent for a 1 bedroom apartment $350/mo...

Trust me Reno isnt a good place to make money bottom line... We had saved up $5,000 in omaha to move here... now we have less than $50 and are living pretty much paycheck to paycheck...

Also the schools here mod cut*... if u have school age children this is the 3rd worst place in the country to have them enrolled in public school literally... (Nevada k-12 education is ranked 47th out of 50 for the nation) I got that info from another thread in this forum...

Ive also heard that the pre-school here is run like a day-care and there is only half-day kindergarten.

To make matters worse the state government is cutting funding on education among other things because of a budget defecit so expect it to drop lower than 47th!

Here is my list of Cons about Reno:

Too many old people everywhere
People drive like mod cut@ (cut you off, dont check blind spot, drive really slow, etc)
Low wages/hard to even get a job
Unemployment is high (go figure)
Overpriced Rents
Bad schools/ No funding for education
Roads are bad (parts of S. Virginia have so many potholes that it feels like ur in a go-kart)
Bad Intersections ( A lot of intersections dont even have lines to let drivers know what lane they are in so when making a left hand turn if you are in the inner lane someone in the outter lane will cut u off during the turn... be careful driving here)
Gasoline is higher than in most midwest states
High Crime rates (Reno's crime rates are all above nat. average)
There is a serial rapist/murderer on the loose (brianna Dennison's killer)
The local news covers up other rapes/murders of minorities
The local news mod cut*... (I used to have good news reporters misses Jim Flowers)
The streets are hard to learn because there isnt a numbered grid system like in the midwest. (streets just twist and turn [i.e. neil road, keitzke ln.] and they are all name with name except for a small part of downtown.)
If you happen to smoke marijuana then this place mod cut* for u. (weed is like $20-25/gram here. In Omaha i could get 5 grams for $10 and the quality is about the same, also everyone here treats weed like its crack or heroin, in fact Nevada is the only state where possesion of less than an ounce is a misdemeanor with minimum mandatory sentencing... that means you can go to jail... but any other state it is a ticket and a fine)

Here are the Pros about Reno:

Beatiful mountains (not flat like midwest)
Very light winter/Doesnt get cold (the locals wont agree but go spend a winter in Nebraska or S. Dakota and then come back here)
Better variety of Mexican Food
Proximity to California
Awesome New Years Eve party downtown (better than in Vegas if you ask me)
No State Income taxes ( I used to think this is a good thing cause you get to keep more of what you made but maybe thats why the schools and roads suck so bad)
Low property tax (only pay taxes on 35% of assesed value, but again schools, roads?)

We just had our son here and let me tell you, dont go to saint marry's unless you want an episiotomy with no local anestethia to numb it!

This was a nice adventure to try something new but i think Reno Cons outweigh the Pros we will be moving away from here b4 our son starts school.

Washington state also doesnt have a state income tax and they have some of the best school in the country k-12 and post-secondary... I wonder what they are doing different?

I bet Seattle has more/better jobs too

Also, if you are a black woman good luck finding a place in Reno to get your hair done!



loosely translated edits: * = disgustingly disagreeable, @ = insolent

[+] Rate this post positively

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last edited by scirocco22 : 04-05-2008 at 10:46 AM. Reason: edited because of complaints received