Experiences with Philly Crime

[Surfergirl13]

Ilived in Philadelphia from 95 to 2005. In the time I lived there my car windows got smashed 3 times. This was when I was living in the art museum area. Nothing ever stolen but it was a pain in the butt to keep getting fixed. I moved to old city after that and no more windows getting broken. My best friend was mugged in queen village at 9pm at night right near rite aid. I know another guy who got jumped. I always walked around at night and nothing happened (knock-on -wood). In general I think center city is pretty safe.

[Mrs.Bewitched]

Originally Posted by KK1553

I am a surburbanite who certainly possesses "common sense", but who would not be considered city-savvy. While I have visited numerous cities, I have resided in the suburbs/rural areas my entire life. I admit to being naive when it comes to urban living. I am considering moving to various "safe" parts of Philly, but I'm wondering (to those currently residing in Philly):

What are your personal experiences with crime in Philly? Can anyone offer some examples of things that have happened to you or people you know?

I understand that most crime happens between criminals in bad neighborhoods, but what about us regular folk? There is plenty of discussion on the topic of safety, and from what I gather, the general advice is always "use common sense" or "don't walk down dark alleys at night", etc. I understand all that. What I'm more interested in is specific personal experiences with Philly crime against average, non-criminal people like myself, not just general advice on how to avoid it. Maybe this is all very naive, but that's why I'm asking

I had lived in a NE section of Philly...which isn't supposed to be too bad. During the time living there: my mom's house had been broken into along with nearby neighbors' houses (in one of them, an old man or woman was beaten almost to death); another time it was almost robbed but by my dog barking it scared the robber off; my piece of crap car was stolen; my husband's car was broken into and stuff was stolen; and then I and other co-workers, while at a restaurant after working our own waitering shift, were robbed at shotgun-point and shoved into freezers; a couple of months later the restaurant I worked for was robbed at gunpoint with the staff tied up and luckily I was not working at that time.......and this was all in the better part of Philly.

My friend got mugged in Center City.

Then of course it gets worse in the known areas of crime. I had worked briefly in North Philly, as a teacher, and had to be in a lock-down situation because of a shooting right out front of the school.

[captainrm83]

Originally Posted by KK1553

I
I understand that most crime happens between criminals in bad neighborhoods, but what about us regular folk?

Actually, a lot of the people I know don't live in awful neighborhoods and they weren't criminals. That's just my personal experience in the city.

I think poverty plays a big role in crime. Seems like the more poverty there is, lack of education. I guess a persons self esteem isn't as high as it should be when they don't have the right education (my opinion). But crime can be bad anywhere because in a city you can have a really nice block with expensive houses and respectable people; then two blocks later, there are a bunch of rundown houses and crackheads walking around. Criminals living in poverty don't just stay in their neighborhood. They are smart enough to go to the nicer neighborhoods to do their dirt. That way they can go home and show their face without looking over their back.

Education starts in the home. If parents aren't willing to work with their children and keep them off the streets, then a child can surely get lost. I see groups of 12 year olds hanging around corner stores and feel intimidated. Why? They're only 12, right? Maybe because 12 is the new 20. This week a 12 year old in the city got shot over dealing drugs.

Needless to say, I live in a middle class neighborhood but keep a curfew of 10pm. I hate it. As an adult, I'm not used to having restrictions of when I can go outside and when I can't. If I ever hear the helicopter outside, I just stay inside because that means they are looking for somebody; something bad just happened. Again.