Should Yesterday's Gang Shooting Worry Me? (Portland: employment, live in, law)

[The Green Bastard]

Originally Posted by chick

This is sheeple thought. Always be aware, it can happen anywhere at anytime... don't fool yourself.

This sounds more like the sheep sentiment to me. Why is it always the friend who lives out in the suburbs that thinks he can't come visit you in the city because he'll get shot?

[pdxscott09]

People miss out on what a city has to offer with the "big bad scary city" mentality. I am currently living in Corvallis which is on many to 10 safest cities in the US list but I had a gun pulled on me a couple years back. Dosent mean its not a safe place to live and raise a family. PM if you want me to go into details on that story. but to stay on topic. The incident at Lloyde center was unfortunate and can happen but the odds or really small. Be smart and know where your at and how to act and you will be fine. I have never had any problem in Portland, even drunk late at night and lost. The incident at the Zone underage club was bad. That club seems to always have problems. A buddy of mine works at Thirsty Lion and tells me stories about that place.

[Mclaurin]

Don't be overly cautious, but don't be naive. I hate to be a naysayer but seriously....

The shooting was tragic bad luck. More happens when there are more people in one spot the variables increase. As the previous poster mentioned this data is available.

The areas in my opinion which had higher frequency of shootings are becoming gentrified to a certain degree...causing a new set of problems for people who are getting displaced. They are still considered sketchy by some and fine by young adults who have moved there. Again, look at the data. The highest statistical crime though has always been right downtown in terms of frequency. It's just numbers. I don't know how that falls out in terms of severity.

Portland was the murder capital per capita for awhile in the late 1980's. People had bars on their windows in many places. Gangs had moved here intact from California and continued their battles. Innocent bystanders were shot in homes in public places. Not only "certain" neighborhoods.
Most of the shootings as I recall were in the neighborhoods where I mentioned. The demographics of youth changed...less youth..and the economy improved. Crime went down.The economy is worsening...so again don't be naive.

[The Green Bastard]

Where are you getting your info. on Portland being the murder capital per capita in the late 80's? I know DC ran close to 500 murders/yr for awhile around that time period, and I'm pretty sure the record for murders/yr in portland is something like 70 (1987 I believe). The population of the two cities during that period of time wasn't enormously different either.

In my experience talking to people and reading forums like this, pretty much everyone thinks their city is dangerous. Basically anyone who believes Portland is dangerous as far as major cities go has never been to a dangerous city, or does not look very closely at statistics.

[subsound]

Originally Posted by The Green Bastard

In my experience talking to people and reading forums like this, pretty much everyone thinks their city is dangerous. Basically anyone who believes Portland is dangerous as far as major cities go has never been to a dangerous city, or does not look very closely at statistics.

It's also dependent on what happens near you more then stats that influence people as well. I know places like Denver are much higher in rates of most crimes, but I know I have been close enough to more crimes, and more serious crimes, committed in Portland then in Denver...even though gross stats are much different (and honestly, I thought my neighborhood in Denver a good deal worse then in Portland). Neither is anything compared to somewhere like Philly, Boston, or Baltimore...but it can be unnerving.

I know I would find a place more dangerous the more things happened to or near me directly then what the stats say.

[The Green Bastard]

Originally Posted by subsound

It's also dependent on what happens near you more then stats that influence people as well. I know places like Denver are much higher in rates of most crimes, but I know I have been close enough to more crimes, and more serious crimes, committed in Portland then in Denver...even though gross stats are much different (and honestly, I thought my neighborhood in Denver a good deal worse then in Portland). Neither is anything compared to somewhere like Philly, Boston, or Baltimore...but it can be unnerving.

I know I would find a place more dangerous the more things happened to or near me directly then what the stats say.

Everyones experience in a certain place is different, and it is understandable for someone to be shaken by an incident and to have that affect their views on the city that incident took place in. Understandable but not rational. I could be violently attacked in a town with a very low crime rate (A), and I could have a wonderful experience in a town with a very high crime rate (B). This does not change the fact that a person is far less likely to be attacked in town A than town B. People mostly visit these forums to gather information on a certain place, often a place they are considering a move to. It does a disservice to these people when someone who has lost their ability to be objective due to an incident spews a bunch of rhetoric that runs contrary to statistics.

[subsound]

I'm not so sure about the stats, included is a comparison by type.

The Note about the data: The crime index is a score created by OnBoard that represents the combined risks of rape, murder, assault, robbery, burgulary, larceny and vehicle theft compared to a national average of 100. For instance, a score of 200 indicates twice the national average.

HomeFair.com: City Profile Details Portland

HomeFair.com: City Profile Details Denver

Say in Denver the crime will be more severe and what happens in Portland is more likely to be larceny, I would not say either is truly safer then the average.

[CFWSchmidt]

Don't judge the "dangerousness" of a city based on a few shootings or a shocking news report. The news loves playing up shootings and violent crime and repeating it over and over and over to keep neurotic soccer moms and other brainwashed knuckleheads glued to their TV, watching everything.

If you follow some simple guidelines, you'll greatly reduce your chances of being the topic of some crazy news report on violent crime. #1 Don't associate with gang members, or people who sell or use hard drugs. #2 Don't mess with people or try and start fights with people, some of them might be that very, very small percentage of the public that commits violent crimes. #3 Be aware of where you are walking, when, and what you are wearing. If there are neighborhoods where a lot of muggings happen, don't go walking through that area at night while dressed like someone whose got a lot of money if you have no reason too. Just avoid situations that don't seem smart. That doesn't mean never go into certain neighborhoods if you need to, that's just obsessive craziness (at least in most cities), but be smart.

If you follow those guidelines you shouldn't have problems getting shot walking down the street or whatever it is people are afraid of. Someone mentioned "ricocheting bullets that miss the other gang banger and bounce and kill you" or something. First of all, consider some statistics, if a shooter fires 10 rounds of 9mm Parrabelum, and each round ricochets once before embedding in a wall or tree or car, those shots will basically trace 20 lines about 9mm wide. That's a pretty small area. Even if you are standing on the sidewalk of the same block, there's even still a good chance you won't get hit (this depends on the shooter, target and your location). People seem to think that ricocheting bullets are as wide as SUV's or something and travel 1/2 mile and bounce off of 20 walls. The point is, it's never good to be around a shooting, but consider the math/stats/physics side of things too. Even if you are in the area you are quite likely to not get hit.

Another note. I used to live in Denver too. I loved that city. It's a pretty safe city and has a lot of character/spirit, a great nightlife and cultural events and an amazing history. I lived in Five Points, and then on Capitol Hill on Colfax and Pearl. In both places I would here gun shots outside my window every once in awhile. It didn't really scare me because I know A: how far the sound of a gunshot can travel, B: how small the path of a bullet is and C: I was in a building with solid walls. This is another place where fear often overcomes people's logic.

If you really want to figure out if a city is "safe" or not, look at the crime stats for the past few years. When looking at some of the violent crime numbers, such as murder, aggravated assault, etc, divide those numbers by 2 or maybe even 4. This reflects the result of following the guidelines I mentioned in the first paragraph. A bunch of those violent crimes happened to people who commit violent crimes, so by avoiding those people, it's like you live in a city with a much lower crime rate. Do that, then make your decision, don't judge a place based off of a few incidents replayed continuously on the newsertainment networks. That would be real "sheep-like" behavior.

[oscottscotto]

There are many other safer cities to live in

Like where? What other major city is safer than Portland? I'm truly interested to know. According to statistics, it seems Portland is one of the safest.

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by oscottscotto

Like where? What other major city is safer than Portland? I'm truly interested to know. According to statistics, it seems Portland is one of the safest.

Seattle. Honolulu. Maybe Denver. Austin. San Diego... San Antonio? That's about it.

Portland is really safe as long as you're not stupid.