Crime in Atlanta - Holy cow what have I gotten myself into? (Dallas: crime rates, neighborhoods)

[R1070]

Originally Posted by sonofstarwars74

R1070 - Do you think you might have arrived at a different decision had you lived somewhere else in the city? I'm guessing not, as these problems appear to be very pervasive.

As an outsider, it's taken me about 3 weeks to figure out that something just isn't right here; what appears to be going on here is, at best, something I'm just not accustomed to or, at worst, something that is,as you suggest, being rationalized away by a lot of people ... and might end up driving me out of this city.

I never had any problems there when I lived out in the burbs. I lived in Vinings and Perimeter Center, but I like living in the city. Each time I tried living in the city I had nothing but problems. I finally decided that I wasnt going to flee to the burbs again and decided to pick up and move on. Every big city has crime and issues. The city govt of Atlanta doesnt seem to have any sense in how to deal with any of these issues. The rampant homelessness, crime etc. Its very sad for Atlanta. I think it has a lot of potential to be a great place for everyone to enjoy. Unfortunately the city has in its mind that the crime is caused from the bar/club scene and has done a lot to close a lot of nightlife, which for a single young man like myself thats one reason I moved there was for the nightlife. I had 10 close friends in Atlanta, 3 of them still live there but complain about it. The others packed up and left. There really was no reason for me to stay.

[waronxmas]

Wait, you are surprised by the crime stats in Atlanta and you've lived in Brooklyn and L.A.? Are you from some alternate universe where L.A. and Brooklyn don't have gang, crime, and poverty issues?

[R1070]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

Wait, you are surprised by the crime stats in Atlanta and you've lived in Brooklyn and L.A.? Are you from some alternate universe where L.A. and Brooklyn don't have gang, crime, and poverty issues?

waronxmas im not attacking you, but this is the attitude that is a lot of the problem in Atlanta. People there defend it and say "oh well everywhere has crime, we're fine" instead of recognizing the major social issues and working together as a community to make it a better place. I became a neighborhood watchdog for crime, littering, vandalism etc. When I was told by the people in charge "thats what you get when you live in downtown Atlanta", I gave up at that point. Its seemed like no one cared but me and they just accepted the lower quality of life. Its very frustrating for those who do care. I cared about Atlanta too much and I think thats why I feel bitter now.

[sonofstarwars74]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

Wait, you are surprised by the crime stats in Atlanta and you've lived in Brooklyn and L.A.? Are you from some alternate universe where L.A. and Brooklyn don't have gang, crime, and poverty issues?

My post didn't say anything about whether or not those places had those kinds of issues; clearly they do and I would never deny that. What I'm telling you is that DESPITE my familiarity with those issues in other major cities, what I see here appears to me to be very different: crime permeates a lot of the city's geography and it's a particularly nasty, brazen sort of crime that goes beyond the occassional car break-in and robbery. In LA and NYC, it's a fairly straightforward matter to avoid areas and situations where you might find yourself at risk - that does not seem to be entirely the case here in ATL.

And these anecdotes about the police are very telling; NYC and LA have VERY active and visible police ... not perfect by any stretch. I'm just saying that ATL having police issues that are getting worse makes me very concerned.

[waronxmas]

No, it's just simple statistics. Crime statistics are calculated per capita meaning that the amount of crime reported is divided by per 100000 residents on a city. Since LA has 8 times as many people and NYC has sixteen times as many people the numbers will look outrageous using the same methodogly. Having lived in new York and being familar about la I can tell you crime here is no worse than both places if not better.

[tahitiblue]

Originally Posted by sonofstarwars74

My post didn't say anything about whether or not those places had those kinds of issues; clearly they do and I would never deny that. What I'm telling you is that DESPITE my familiarity with those issues in other major cities, what I see here appears to me to be very different: crime permeates a lot of the city's geography and it's a particularly nasty, brazen sort of crime that goes beyond the occassional car break-in and robbery. In LA and NYC, it's a fairly straightforward matter to avoid areas and situations where you might find yourself at risk - that does not seem to be entirely the case here in ATL.

And these anecdotes about the police are very telling; NYC and LA have VERY active and visible police ... not perfect by any stretch. I'm just saying that ATL having police issues that are getting worse makes me very concerned.

I agree with this.

You cannot spend an afternoon walking around NYC without seeing at least half a dozen police cars or officers on foot patrol. You can spend two days walking around Atlanta without ever seeing a single officer.

NYC has a MUCH lower crime rate than Atlanta. It's not even comparable.

I can't speak for LA in either respect because I've not spent enough time there to have an informed opinion.

I can't speak for LA because I've spent very little time there.

[koko339]

Originally Posted by R1070

waronxmas im not attacking you, but this is the attitude that is a lot of the problem in Atlanta. People there defend it and say "oh well everywhere has crime, we're fine" instead of recognizing the major social issues and working together as a community to make it a better place. I became a neighborhood watchdog for crime, littering, vandalism etc. When I was told by the people in charge "thats what you get when you live in downtown Atlanta", I gave up at that point. Its seemed like no one cared but me and they just accepted the lower quality of life. Its very frustrating for those who do care. I cared about Atlanta too much and I think thats why I feel bitter now.

Exactly!!! Just because Atlanta has been a much less than perfect urban environment in the past (and present) does not mean it's ok! Why do we expect crap? Just goes to show how the powerful people in this town (and state for that matter) are fine with the status quo. We can't expect things to change unless we make change happen, but there are road blocks at the upper level that will make that difficult. Believe me, I love this city and want to see it thrive, but we Atlantans too often try to shield our eyes when it comes to problems that need real solutions. Intown should not = dirty, dangerous, and subpar.

[tahitiblue]

Originally Posted by waronxmas

No, it's just simple statistics. Crime statistics are calculated per capita meaning that the amount of crime reported is divided by per 100000 residents on a city. Since LA has 8 times as many people and NYC has sixteen times as many people the numbers will look outrageous using the same methodogly. Having lived in new York and being familar about la I can tell you crime here is no worse than both places if not better.

That's just not true. A quick look at the numbers will tell you that crime in NYC is far, far lower than crime in Atlanta.

I'm afraid I don't understand your point about the methodology. The fact that crime statistics are calculated per capita is to adjust for the fact that different cities have different population sizes.

If you have 1/16th the number of people but the same amount of crime, then you have a big, big problem.

[R1070]

well in a lot of cities you'll hear " dont go to that neighborhood its rough". In Atlanta it progressively has gotten to the point that everyone is on edge in every area, even a lot of suburban communites. I hope they get their act in gear or there will soon be an exodus in progress. I think more people would have left the area if the real estate market wasnt so bad and they could have just sold and moved on. Luckily I was in a lease.

[tonygeorgia]

Some of you are either backwoods country or you are just trying to scare people from moving to Atlanta. Every city has crime, its actually safer in Atlanta than in LA, DC, Bmore, Philly, New Orleans, Detroit, Dallas, Phoenix, Houston, St Louis, etc. Crime is everywhere is Atlanta just a safe large city