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The crime thing is overblown. Back in 2005 I spent a lot of time outside of the house, especially at night. Drove around North Charleston and parts of downtown at all hours of the night and never felt in danger. Not too long after I met my girlfriend I showed her the narrow house on America Street at dusk after we ate somewhere. She was nervous and I said what are they going to do, shoot up my truck for no reason? lol
And it always amazes me the amount of college kids who live off Nassau St. and other areas around there because yeah, it can be a crime-ridden area because a lot of poor people live there. But for the most part people aren't targeted unless they do something stupid. Which can be the case anywhere.
I've only felt really unsafe one time in Charleston, and that was in an old neighborhood off Harbor View Rd. when I went to deliver some documents to a client. I had people approach my car, but I just left and he came by the office to get them. Turns out Geico was surveilling his house and he told his neighbors to chase them off or something.
When you refer to "upper king", is this past the Virginia on King restaurant, the bar called Closed for Business and that area? It seems that since I have been here (last spring), that area has really grown. Is that part of King St still considered "dangerous"?
I haven't been there since before you where there last so I really don't know....
Most of the shooting are gang/drug related but there are also roberies and other random acts so be aware.....
It's all relative - depends where you are coming from - as someone else on this board said. If you are coming from Baltimore or Atlanta, yeah, it will be better or par for the course. Shootings, muggings, burglaries, home invasions - same old, same old.
If you come from a small city like I do where there is no crime - yes, these places do exist, you can look it up - Newburyport, MA - then it will be a shock and you will have to decide if the pros - nice weather, great city (otherwise), beaches - outweigh having to carry a gun - really???
I'm not sure why it is, and I will likely get blasted over this but am only stating fact - that there is much more crime in the South and Southeast than other places. Everyone says it's due to poverty, but that is not true. Poverty doesn't make people criminals. There are plenty of "poor" people that don't steal or rob people at gunpoint. Same argument with the economy. It doesn't "make" people do those things, and there are a lot of people out of work that don't resort to crime.
What I find sad is the acceptance of it. If we all keep saying "it's just the way it is - crime is everywhere" we are giving up and accepting it, and it will never change. It's NOT the way it is. And it's NOT the way it should be.
When people go about their business grocery shopping or getting gas, or going to the mall, they shouldn't have to worry about being killed or held up by a robber with a gun. When they go to sleep at night or are away at work, they shouldn't have to worry about someone breaking into their house.
It's one thing to have gang-related violence in pockets of "bad" sections. That's pretty much avoidable. But if you look at the crime maps, you can see burlaries and robberies, car thefts and break-ins and thefts scattered around everywhere - lots of them.
Perhaps you're right. Some of us have lived around major metro areas where shootings are measured by the dozens per weekend, and many hundreds every year. I don't carry a gun (yet). Most of the time, but absolutely not all of the time, you can avoid situations by paying attention.
That being said, you're upset, you decry the violence and it is terrible.
When people go about their business grocery shopping or getting gas, or going to the mall, they shouldn't have to worry about being killed or held up by a robber with a gun. When they go to sleep at night or are away at work, they shouldn't have to worry about someone breaking into their house.
I do not EVER worry about any of that stuff and have never felt threatened in 16 years of living in the southeast (suburbs of ATL and now Mt. Pleasant).
The areas aren't areas you would go to -- there is no reason to be afraid.
That's where I fail. I don't have one. And what I meant to say was VIOLENT crime is not everywhere. My city has it's share of drunk & disorderly, & someone stole my camera out of my car because I left it unlocked on a public street. But shootings & burglaries & robberies & home invasions don't happen here. Nor do they happen in bigger towns right next to Boston.
Except to have people not accept it. That is the first step. If you accept it you do nothing - but buy a gun. Perhaps not a bad thing.
If it is not acceptable, change will happen. People will be willing to pay for more police. People will pay attention to sentencing. It's the people that live here that will change it. Otherwise the people that can't stand as it worsens will eventually leave & that will cause housing prices to fall & e eventually you have another Baltimore which would be such a shame for such a beautiful great city.
It's no different than the schools. You can just say "the schools are bad" & pay for private school or move where they are good. Or you can demand accountability in teachers & performance reviews & things that over time make a difference.
I don't have the answers. I just know acceptance is NOT the answer..
That's my soapbox for the week. Ready for the flame throwing to begin!!
You are comparing the bedroom community of Newburypoint to downtown North Charleston and a small area of Charleston city.
That's like comparing your town to Boston......
Most of us live in bedroom communities of Charleston and North Charleston. Crime rates are low, we make sure our municipal authorities keep it that way.
When you refer to "upper king", is this past the Virginia on King restaurant, the bar called Closed for Business and that area? It seems that since I have been here (last spring), that area has really grown. Is that part of King St still considered "dangerous"?
No way. That far south on King is fine. Things start getting sketchy up past Spring Street. Then up past the 26 overpass it's a little more sketchy. But, like others have said, Upper King is becoming more and more a weird mixture of hipster bars and low-income housing. I go over there once a week during the day. I wouldn't go over there at night unless I had to.
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