What neighborhood reminds you of Lakeview circa 2006? (Chicago, Addison: home, living)

[Bucktownbabe]

I agree with Andersonville and Lincoln Square. Also, while it isn't straight north of Lakeview, parts of Logan square might fit.

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by Longford

No such place.

Only taking a cab home in that situation would be safe. drunk people need to get a cab home, not expect to walk home drunk and not get attacked.

[ChicagoMeO]

On another note, Lakeview has changed from 2006 to now. I moved back to Lakeview after leaving it in 2005. i then moved back in 2013. i was sorely disappointed that once was pretty safe, so that I myself back then walked home sometimes a little tipsy, but nothing happened. I never drank enough to get really drunk and vulnerable. but when i started reading about the increased crime that was starting to happen, especially around the Belmont El and around Halsted and Aldine, it made me so mad. i think this was like in 2012??? by the way have things improved? I think people were thinking the new Center on Halsted was bringing in troublemakers and riff-raff. but back in 2001 there was not really hardly any of that. apparently people would come to hang out in Boystown and not go for the bars or to shop but chose instead to hang out on the street, maybe go into the 7-11 and get a soda pop and then harass people or at least look menacing by hanging out on the street. i heard people were afraid to leave the bars in the middle of the night because of the hangers-out. so i stopped bar hopping by then, i just grew out of it, but what i heard really made me mad.. that is the most prevalent way that Lakeview and Boystown changed since 2006.

[Link N. Parker]

Lakeview is actually more or less the same place it was in 2006 (I lived there from the late 90's thru 2009) and actually, as far as places to shop etc, it is actually better. It might be more expensive though. The only problem though is, yes, the robbery problem, and if you go back and look at my posts the last couple of years, you will see that I have been very vocal about this. Its not so much that the demographics have been changing, but there have been new "social service" agencies opening up, whose missions include drawing large quantities of teenagers to the area. The teens come from other areas and are often times juvenile delinquents with behavioral problems. In the warmer months, they roam the streets of boystown, causing problems, are noisy, robbing people, and like to target people who have been drinking. For a better idea of what has been happening, check out this blog:

Crime In Wrigleyville + Boystown

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by Link N. Parker

Lakeview is actually more or less the same place it was in 2006 (I lived there from the late 90's thru 2009) and actually, as far as places to shop etc, it is actually better. It might be more expensive though. The only problem though is, yes, the robbery problem, and if you go back and look at my posts the last couple of years, you will see that I have been very vocal about this. Its not so much that the demographics have been changing, but there have been new "social service" agencies opening up, whose missions include drawing large quantities of teenagers to the area. The teens come from other areas and are often times juvenile delinquents with behavioral problems. In the warmer months, they roam the streets of boystown, causing problems, are noisy, robbing people, and like to target people who have been drinking. For a better idea of what has been happening, check out this blog:

Crime In Wrigleyville + Boystown

yes what the hell??!!!?? this was NOT prevalent up to year 2005 when i moved out. it made me so mad. now south of Belmont toward Diversey seemed to be safer. This is just terrible. I used to be able to walk out at any time of the night, 2:00, 3:00, 5:00 from out dancing on Halsted, and now i wouldnt do it anymore, even sober.

[PerseusVeil]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

yes what the hell??!!!?? this was NOT prevalent up to year 2005 when i moved out. it made me so mad. now south of Belmont toward Diversey seemed to be safer. This is just terrible. I used to be able to walk out at any time of the night, 2:00, 3:00, 5:00 from out dancing on Halsted, and now i wouldnt do it anymore, even sober.

Oh for God's sake, it isn't that bad. This is also coming from someone who lives there.

Also, one of the centers that you guys think is the primary cause of the problem is over on Wellington, in the "safe area."

The fact of the matter is that the city has juggled the police force around, and muggers from other neighborhoods know this which makes drunk people not paying any attention on Halsted and Clark opportune targets.

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by PerseusVeil

Oh for God's sake, it isn't that bad. This is also coming from someone who lives there.

Also, one of the centers that you guys think is the primary cause of the problem is over on Wellington, in the "safe area."

The fact of the matter is that the city has juggled the police force around, and muggers from other neighborhoods know this which makes drunk people not paying any attention on Halsted and Clark opportune targets.

It is bad - for someone who lived when live was fabulous and then idiots turned it into a place where now you dont feel safe. That is a huge impact - do not discount how important that is to me and others.

About that place on Wellington, there were a lot of neighbors and residents that did not want a social service organization in that church there. I dont blame them.

and I lived there too and i've seen the change. fortunately i was in a block that for some reason, we didn't have crime like over in the higher crime area. I'm thankful for that.

I dont like to see a nieghborhood change for the bad. period.

[PerseusVeil]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

It is bad - for someone who lived when live was fabulous and then idiots turned it into a place where now you dont feel safe. That is a huge impact - do not discount how important that is to me and others.

About that place on Wellington, there were a lot of neighbors and residents that did not want a social service organization in that church there. I dont blame them.

and I lived there too and i've seen the change. fortunately i was in a block that for some reason, we didn't have crime like over in the higher crime area. I'm thankful for that.

I dont like to see a nieghborhood change for the bad. period.

Since the idea that is associated with the increased crime problem are the warm summer months and vandals from other neighborhoods, let's look at the "summer" months in Lakeview by the number of violent crimes and by year. (Note: The majority of the violent crimes that occur in Lakeview are robberies, although I don't have an exact breakdown.) Here's a 10 year breakdown from 2002 to 2012:

2002
May - 39
June - 50
July - 53
August - 69
September - 40
Total: 251

2007
May - 35
June - 48
July - 44
August - 30
September - 49
Total: 206

2012
May - 52
June - 64
July - 68
August - 59
September - 35
Total: 278
Lake View -- Crime in Chicagoland -- chicagotribune.com

Is that an increase? Yes. Is the sky falling and should people suddenly feel unsafe in Lakeview? No. The rate is also currently going back down again. Here's 2013:

2013
May - 42
June - 58
July - 58
August - 61
September - 45
Total: 264
Lake View -- Crime in Chicagoland -- chicagotribune.com

It should also be noted that the January through May period (as of the May 18 of this year) currently has the least amount of violent crimes reported than any other year from 2001 on. I can't go farther back because my source starts at February 2001. Here's January - May:

2014
January - 16
February - 18
March - 19
April - 20
May - 16 (so far)
Total: 89

Here are the years you left and when you came back:

2005
January - 21
February - 22
March - 34
April - 36
May - 34
Total: 147

2013
January - 58
February - 27
March - 25
April - 24
May - 42
Total: 176
Lake View -- Crime in Chicagoland -- chicagotribune.com

We will have to wait and see if the trend continues, but it is a positive sign nonetheless.

Also, in the the last 30 days, Lakeview's robbery rate (which falls under violent crime) is at 0.2 per 1,000 people. That ties Lakeview with neighborhoods such as Hyde Park, Beverly, and Rogers Park. Lakeview's rate is lower than neighborhoods such as Near North Side (River North, Gold Coast, Streeterville, Old Town, etc) (0.3) and the Loop (0.6).

For the helluva it, here's Lakeview's theft rate (this is a property crime, but can include pickpocketing when the person isn't robbed using force or through violence): 1.7 per 1,000. This is equal to Logan Square, and lower than Lincoln Park (2.4), the Near North Side (4.2), and the Loop (9.2).
Crime in Chicagoland -- chicagotribune.com

Would I like to see more officers in Boystown and Lakeview East? Yes, I would. Especially since it always seems like there are far more over on Clark, but I firmly maintain that you are blowing the danger level of Lakeview completely out of proportion. If you honestly think that Lakeview has changed for the worse and that you can no longer feel safe here, then I kindly suggest moving.

PS: Boystown is considered to be the primary hub of gay life in Chicago (even if more gays now live elsewhere as well). It makes sense that services for poor and or homeless LGBT youth would be based there, especially since it's estimated that 40% of the homeless youth population in this country are LGBT. Organizations like the Broadway Youth Center and the Center on Halsted can easily coexist with the bars on Halsted. If you really want the crime rate to firmly come back down, then I suggest advocating for more police enforcement. Because Lakeview's violent crime rate (overall) in the last 30 days is 0.3 per 1,000, and it's down 20% from last year. Lincoln Park's is 0.2, and it's up 40% from the same time last year. Lakeview isn't the only neighborhood seeing issues, and I doubt it's people using services in Lakeview committing the crimes in Lincoln Park. Here's Lincoln Park:
Lincoln Park -- Crime in Chicagoland -- chicagotribune.com

[ChicagoMeO]

Thank you for the stats. As a matter of fact, I lived in Lakeview this past year and i lived in one of the safest parts. I am thankful to God for that. In my few blocks surrounding me, crime didn't seem to come over that way. I dont want to say where it is because I dont want to give any criminals any ideas where to hit. I therefore felt safe enough and felt like the bad part was over a ways.

I just wonder WHAT exactly turned the neighborhood into what it once was when i was there thru 2005, compared to last couple years. What? did criminals just decide that they would stop robbing their own neighborhood and they just discovered lakeview? You might minimize it, but there was an uptick - and this comes from others who have lived there continuously thru 2013. so its not just my opinion. Can we blame the centers on hallsted and the other youth thing over on Wellington? or is it just economics? the law of averages? the gays moving out and therefore the neighborhood changing? criminals deciding to move their locations to target? ok you may not think it is a big issue but what did cause these few changes i just mentioned? or has this been happening all along and now its being more vocalized?

[Link N. Parker]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

Thank you for the stats. As a matter of fact, I lived in Lakeview this past year and i lived in one of the safest parts. I am thankful to God for that. In my few blocks surrounding me, crime didn't seem to come over that way. I dont want to say where it is because I dont want to give any criminals any ideas where to hit. I therefore felt safe enough and felt like the bad part was over a ways.

I just wonder WHAT exactly turned the neighborhood into what it once was when i was there thru 2005, compared to last couple years. What? did criminals just decide that they would stop robbing their own neighborhood and they just discovered lakeview? You might minimize it, but there was an uptick - and this comes from others who have lived there continuously thru 2013. so its not just my opinion. Can we blame the centers on hallsted and the other youth thing over on Wellington? or is it just economics? the law of averages? the gays moving out and therefore the neighborhood changing? criminals deciding to move their locations to target? ok you may not think it is a big issue but what did cause these few changes i just mentioned? or has this been happening all along and now its being more vocalized?

I would say all of these are factors that have helped bring the troublemakers to the area.