High Crime in Eureka… what's going on?! (Sacramento, Arcata: 2014, crime rates)

[mateo45]

From the stats and incidents, sounds pretty serious. Is this a fairly new issue, and what are some of the reasons behind the problem (lack of drug and mental health resources, police, lenient courts, over-reaction, whatever…)? And is it infecting neighboring towns?

Crime rates for Eureka, CA (1 in 173 chance of being a crime victim in Eureka, vs 1 in 236 in California)

Questions Remain in California Priest’s Tragic Slaying

Double homicide in Eureka

Eureka one of the most dangerous places to live in the United States. 98% of cities safer!

[Tulemutt]

I'm sure NotMeOfficer will be along soon to elucidate.

[bigdumbgod]

Speed kills. Also makes Eucracka a bit more "exciting", for those who are drawn to that sort of thing.

[eureka1]

Those of us who live AWAY FROM THE FREEWAY are almost never the victims of crime. I've been in this house over 20 years and have seen one arrest.

[DCMann2]

The last link is criminally misleading because it equates all crime for some reason. That is, petty theft gets the same "weight" as a rape or a murder. It was also funded by some security firm or something so the results are dubious at best. The Lost Coast Outpost had a pretty good article about it not too long ago.

That said, yes there's crime in Eureka but it's no worse than anywhere else I've lived. Most of the crimes here are property crimes and drug crimes rather than violent crimes. That's not to say that there isn't violent crime because there obviously is, but your average Joe Blow won't be a victim because the violent crimes tend to be domestic or drug related.

I've said this before and I'll say it again: stay out of sketchy areas and don't hang around sketchy people and you'll be fine.

I love Humboldt and its people and it bugs me when people unfairly rag on it.

[mateo45]

^ ^ No offense, but frankly I thought that one of the advantages of living in a small town, is not having to worry about "sketchy areas" to begin with?!

[Jaybee]

Here's my thoughts on the matter-for what they're worth.

We live about 3.5 hours east in the Sacramento Valley. We visit the Eureka area a couple times a year. But we seldom stay there-preferring to stay in nearby Arcata, McKinleyville or Fortuna.

Eureka leaves the impression that its a much larger City, and frankly there was a time when it played a much more significant regional role. Today the downtown area just doesn't feel safe for couples or families. There seems to be a disproportionate number of homeless for a City of about 30,000. Maybe that's partly due to its geographic isolation, a reliable homeless support system, alcoholism/illicit drugs use, and inactivity in the core commercial area, and even partly due to the loss of its rail connection to the mainline tracks in the Bay Area.

It's too bad. It's really the center of the Redwood Empire. The City has lost population for several decades, probably due to the loss of blue collar jobs. There have been real efforts to beautify the streetscape downtown. But, despite the effort and the money spent, there are many vacant storefronts downtown. Traditional downtown commercial areas have a hard enough time being competitive with shopping centers and big box retailers-let without facing those macro-scale hits to disposable income that have occurred in Eureka.

I suspect much of the crime is attributable to the homeless, and with the decreasing population, artificially inflates the crime stats.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by eureka1

Those of us who live AWAY FROM THE FREEWAY are almost never the victims of crime. I've been in this house over 20 years and have seen one arrest.

Ah, but what do you see when you visit downtown?

Or: Stay overnight in one of the lovely motels! Eye-opening stuff! (Folks in Humboldt and Arcata were right)

[mateo45]

Yeah, that whole attitude of "see no evil-hear no evil" and living in "De Nile" might even be part of the problem. Especially since small communities in particular are never exactly famous for coping with "change".

[eureka1]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Ah, but what do you see when you visit downtown?

Or: Stay overnight in one of the lovely motels! Eye-opening stuff! (Folks in Humboldt and Arcata were right)

I see great restaurants, Victorian Inns and B&B's, harbor Cruises, visitor centers. I don't mind when people who don't know the area trash Eureka. It keeps the congestion down and the property values reasonable..