Moving to Old Town - safe? (office, Americans, good)

[Grlzrl]

https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/loca...month/2896635/

Two Women Shot in Old Town, Not Far From Where Double Shooting Wounded 14-Year-Old Boy Last Month

[DannFrankenstein]

Again, I’d like to reiterate, after a Summer’s worth of experience, how safe Old Town is. The cowardice amongst some posters is very concerning. If you know the difference between gun shots and fireworks from listening to them, then what is there to be afraid of if you’re not in a friggin street gang?

[Cool Arrow]

Originally Posted by SpartanDawg4

Is it safe generally speaking, but also wondering specifically about the north west side, just south of North Ave around N Larrabee / N Mohawk area. My wife and I are in our mid-20s for reference, no kids. Also wondering if that area is okay to be walking home to from the bars on N Wells St later at night?

It's fine. People who say otherwise are probably people who aren't comfortable in any big city and prefer either suburbs or rural areas, which is fine. Nothing wrong with that.

[Kmanshouse]

Despite what seems to be an increase in crime throughout a lot of the "nicer" neighborhoods....most of the gun violence is either

1) road rage
2) gang related
3) very targeted/people knowing each other

We have had a few break-ins in Lincoln Square recently, that is concerning, but it seems to be kids trying to steal things when people aren't home, rather than violence.

[MarianRavenwood]

That area's very safe, unless you consider gentrification or proliferation of chain stores to be a crime.

"Safe" getting home after the bars...well, choose any news source you want, you'll see just about all of the bad stuff happens after 2 AM. Follow basic safety principles and you should be fine--don't stumble around drunk, don't wear earbuds, let people know where you are and where you are going, leave unnecessary valuables at home. These are the same recommendations for anywhere in the city.

[Hiruko]

Near North Side and Lincoln Park have an abnormal amount of property crime, muggings, carjackings, and robberies. I would not be afraid to live in those communities. But, you will need to be more mindful of your surroundings and use smart urban precautions to make yourself less vulnerable. I have never experienced crime at all, however.

[MillennialUrbanist]

Short answer:
Not anymore.

Long answer:
While no neighborhood in Chicago is safe anymore (thanks, "defund the police"), there's still a safety spectrum. You're safer in Old Town than in, say, West Pullman. You just gotta keep your wits about you, watch your surrundings, stay in well-lit busy areas, and unfortunately, forego late-night outings by yourself.

[quigboto]

Originally Posted by MillennialUrbanist

Short answer:
Not anymore.

Long answer:
While no neighborhood in Chicago is safe anymore (thanks, "defund the police"), there's still a safety spectrum. You're safer in Old Town than in, say, West Pullman. You just gotta keep your wits about you, watch your surrundings, stay in well-lit busy areas, and unfortunately, forego late-night outings by yourself.

There has been no "defund the police" in Chicago.
In fact, police budgets have increased.

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by quigboto

There has been no "defund the police" in Chicago.
In fact, police budgets have increased.

We have to be careful about discussing crime outside of the thread, so I will cross-post...

I don't know about the particular budget of CPD. However, it is not true that the Defund the Police movement hasn't had a documentable impact on police budgets. Read this article from Politifact: Politifact: Some police budgets are increasing, but evidence of national trend falls short.

In addition, if you have interacted with CPD lately, you will know that morale has only gotten worse over the last several years. The haphazard and inconsistent "leadership" from the Lightfoot administration, the increasing influence of northside "progressive" activist movements, the ineptitude of Dart's Sheriff's Office, and the unbelievable malpractice of Kim Foxx's office have combined to create a low-level sense of lawlessness across Cook County, but especially within the City.

In the past two weeks, I have had two stupifying encounters with the City of Chicago and CPD. A abandoned and running vehicle was left in the parking lot of a building of mine and I was told by CPD that they could not run the plates to see if it was stolen. They instructed me to contact 3-1-1. 3-1-1 said it was outside of their purview and routed me to, get this, 9-1-1. 9-1-1 told me that there was nothing that they could do and that I could not have the vehicle towed until a patrol car stopped by the building. No one ever showed, so I took the keys out and had it towed. I haven't heard anything since.

Another incident involved the theft of a student's phone at this same building in Humboldt Park. The student from Puerto Rico had accidentally left the phone in a bathroom and it was stolen by a patient who dumped the phone in Humboldt Park. Despite sharing all of the available information including all of the data from Find My iPhone, the student was told that the allegations were hearsay and that there was nothing CPD could do to help her retrieve the phone. Eventually, members of the staff assisted her in retrieving the phone from Humboldt Park where it had been left unaccompanied by the thief.

CPD is not equipped by the government or supported by the community in a way that makes them valuable assets to public safety. I realize CPD has had a sordid history at times, but look at the current alternative. We haven't seen anything yet.

[Cool Arrow]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

We have to be careful about discussing crime outside of the thread, so I will cross-post...

I don't know about the particular budget of CPD. However, it is not true that the Defund the Police movement hasn't had a documentable impact on police budgets. Read this article from Politifact: Politifact: Some police budgets are increasing, but evidence of national trend falls short.

In addition, if you have interacted with CPD lately, you will know that morale has only gotten worse over the last several years. The haphazard and inconsistent "leadership" from the Lightfoot administration, the increasing influence of northside "progressive" activist movements, the ineptitude of Dart's Sheriff's Office, and the unbelievable malpractice of Kim Foxx's office have combined to create a low-level sense of lawlessness across Cook County, but especially within the City.

In the past two weeks, I have had two stupifying encounters with the City of Chicago and CPD. A abandoned and running vehicle was left in the parking lot of a building of mine and I was told by CPD that they could not run the plates to see if it was stolen. They instructed me to contact 3-1-1. 3-1-1 said it was outside of their purview and routed me to, get this, 9-1-1. 9-1-1 told me that there was nothing that they could do and that I could not have the vehicle towed until a patrol car stopped by the building. No one ever showed, so I took the keys out and had it towed. I haven't heard anything since.

Another incident involved the theft of a student's phone at this same building in Humboldt Park. The student from Puerto Rico had accidentally left the phone in a bathroom and it was stolen by a patient who dumped the phone in Humboldt Park. Despite sharing all of the available information including all of the data from Find My iPhone, the student was told that the allegations were hearsay and that there was nothing CPD could do to help her retrieve the phone. Eventually, members of the staff assisted her in retrieving the phone from Humboldt Park where it had been left unaccompanied by the thief.

CPD is not equipped by the government or supported by the community in a way that makes them valuable assets to public safety. I realize CPD has had a sordid history at times, but look at the current alternative. We haven't seen anything yet.

CPD's budget has gone up every year. This year is no exception with a proposed budget increasing to almost 2 billion dollars.

https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-police-department-budget-increase-mayor-lori-lightfoot-bga/12390890/#:~:text=CHICAGO%20(WLS)%20%2D%2D%20Earlier%20this ,for%20the%20Chicago%20Police%20Department.&text=I f%20passed%2C%20the%20city's%20police,from%20%241. 88%20billion%20this%20year.