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This is a question I definitely think about quite a bit. My hypothesis is that its an outgrowth of the culture here as well as a function of how the city is designed, primarily. Houston, is an open, libertarianish place, and has been for a long time. The "live and let live" attitude that most of us have here is a relative weakness when it comes to fighting crime and the culture of criminality. We don't have a high population of "Karen types" - most people here mind their own business. Police are sparse and always have been (at least since the 80s) - I rarely see anyone pulled over for anything within the city limits. Also, we're the bank robbery capital of the US - for no small reason than a lot of the banks are on feeder roads with easy access to a freeway - you can rob a bank and be in the traffic flow on your nearest freeway in 30 seconds, which is way easier than most places. Then there's the roughnecks from the oil patch that largely built the city up between the 50s and 80s - the place was known for being dangerous even back then. Now in modern times, its in the perfect place geographically to faciliatate international trafficking of drugs and people. I could go on.
Lots of reasons unique to this area that make it prone to crime imo.
Yeah I think it's fascinating that Houston was quite literally the murder capital of the nation in the late 1970s / early 1980s when an oil boom was still on and the economy was phenomenal. You seem to think the answer lies in our culture. I was a kid at the time (junior high years) but recall endless news stories about bar fights that ended in stabbings and shootings. Are Houstonians just predisposed to handling arguments with violence?
The comments are pretty dismissive when all you (not just you but others) do is bring up other cities that have rising crime. That's literally it. How does that help look into why there is so much crime, when the only excuse people say is "well x city has had an increase too!" It's a representation of what's happening in the general public in many ways. Like just because another city deals with it that means Houstonians should be okay with it.
And another thing, people DO realize what I bolded. Now move on to the next question, why don't Boston and San Diego have high concentrations of poverty from people of color? NYC sure has high levels of poverty among POC yet it's violent crime rate is way below Houston. Same for Los Angeles.
And besides, it wasn't COVID but the policies put in place that directly harmed these communities so much. How can you say they were ticking timebombs ready to explode when violent crime was dropping in most major cities, including Houston, before the plandemic? The economy was ramping up, people had well paying jobs, etc. The plandemic just exposed how corrupt the system is for many of the sheep who couldn't see it before, which is why retail is having such a hard time hiring people right now.
The comments are pretty dismissive when all you (not just you but others) do is bring up other cities that have rising crime. That's literally it. How does that help look into why there is so much crime, when the only excuse people say is "well x city has had an increase too!" It's a representation of what's happening in the general public in many ways. Like just because another city deals with it that means Houstonians should be okay with it.
And another thing, people DO realize what I bolded. Now move on to the next question, why don't Boston and San Diego have high concentrations of poverty from people of color? NYC sure has high levels of poverty among POC yet it's violent crime rate is way below Houston. Same for Los Angeles.
And besides, it wasn't COVID but the policies put in place that directly harmed these communities so much. How can you say they were ticking timebombs ready to explode when violent crime was dropping in most major cities, including Houston, before the plandemic? The economy was ramping up, people had well paying jobs, etc. The plandemic just exposed how corrupt the system is for many of the sheep who couldn't see it before, which is why retail is having such a hard time hiring people right now.
Look at my first post on page 9 and see if I'm dismissive.
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Houston crime today isn't like the 90's but it's not something to be nonchalant about either. Crime in most major cities are heading in the wrong direction and that is a concern.
Exactly what are you doing to help combat a rise in crime from the comfort of your computer? Have you been apart of any anti-crime organizations in your local community? I have and I know you haven't. So what are you doing to fix the crime in Houston?
Joe Biden just announced a plan to reduce the rising crime in this nation. Is Joe Biden, the president of the United States being dismissive of Houston because he recognized that there is an uptick in crime nationwide? Maybe what he should do is single out Houston since Houston is the worst city when it comes to crime according to Dab and USC.
Nobody said anything about Houstonians being okay with it. Hey man I have a family, you think I'm fine with rising crime? Do you hear yourself right now? The only reason crime in other cities were brought up is because you and USC continue to bring up other cities as if their not headed in the wrong direction either.
And what's ironic about your stance is you actually believe that Houston didn't have a major issue with crime before covid. Newsflash buddy, those neighborhoods still had abnormal levels of violent crime above national average before COVID. The only difference is crime wasn't spilling out to the Galleria or other higher income areas as such. It was cool to ignore crime when it was more confined to those particular areas. Now your Houston's #1 concerned resident.
Go look in the NYC section and tell me if they're celebrating having a lower crime rate than Houston. Yeah Houston has more total homicides and overall more crime than NYC and LA but tell me if that helps New Yorkers and LA sleep good at night knowing that even though their crime rate is rising it's not Houston.
Matter fact this New York City based site spoke on the rising crime in NYC and damn near made the same statements several others have made that you accuse of being dismissive.
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In 2021 alone, 299 people have been shot, a 54% increase over the same time last year, and the most the city has seen since 2012.
Ninety-two people have been murdered, a 19.5% jump, according to the most recent NYPD data. In 2020, the city recorded 462 murders, an increase of 45% from 2019, even as most other major felonies declined. Shooting incidents overall exploded 97% last year.
New York is not unique. Murders across the United States rose an estimated 25% in 2020, according to preliminary data from the FBI, the largest increase since modern crime statistics have been compiled. Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles all had higher murder rates than New York City in 2020.
It's not about being dismissive, it's just stating a fact. You bring up San Diego and Boston without realizing these cities have always had a lower crime rate than most major cities in this country. Since you brought them up what are they doing different Mr.Dab? Since your an expert on crime.
Now let me address the elephant in the room. You brought up Boston and San Diego. What is Boston and San Diego doing right? Boston and San Diego doesn't have a high concentration of poverty stricken communities of Black and Brown people like some of these other cities
Thank you for finally stating it. Look at that map I posted, in which I overlaid the homicide dots on top of communities, and it is clear as day it is overwhelmingly in black communities. But not surprised no one touched it. When people say "crime is happening everywhere," what they are really saying is "I don't really care because it doesn't affect me." But I guarantee if 2 or 3 homicides happened in their safe & clean communities a huge stink would be made-- and it might even make national news.
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I don't see how people don't realize this. Low-income communities in America were already vulnerable pre-covid and what covid did was accelerate problems that already existed within these specific communities. Cities like Boston, San Diego or even Denver were already relatively safe in comparison to other major cities in this country before covid. So it'd make no sense for those particular cities to all of a sudden spike in crime.
Unless they are completely stupid they realize it, but they dance around the obvious because they are afraid of saying it the wrong way. They have too much to lose for some doxxers or BLM-type professional shakedown artists to come around and destroy their livelihoods. But they've also been told "stop criticizing us" so they are just bowing down & following orders, too.
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These communities were already ticking time bombs waiting to explode. And covid pretty much lit the fuse. America has never tried to fix these communities to make them livable for the common person living in those environments. Never tried to properly address decades of socio-economics ills that impact these communities. And the only way they've "addressed" them were to over police these neighborhoods instead of the root cause of crime.
After all the complaints and protests over over-policing, are the police stepping back now and letting the communities fend for themselves? Can't help but wonder.
Also- I remember as a kid when Houston's body counts were way up (1990?) around the peak of the crack epidemic. Makes me wonder nowadays if some other kind of drugs are being spread around these communities. As you know, the media will not report the whole story nowadays.
Look at my first post on page 9 and see if I'm dismissive.
Exactly what are you doing to help combat a rise in crime from the comfort of your computer? Have you been apart of any anti-crime organizations in your local community? I have and I know you haven't. So what are you doing to fix the crime in Houston?
Really? How do you know? And did you do this out of the kindness of your heart or was it just a way for you to network?
My whole career revolves around improving incomes for POC. I see outcomes literally everyday in the form of folks getting increases in pay, new certifications that make them more marketable, new skills to help them do the job better, moving up to new job classifications after going through one of a training program I coordinated, etc.
You need to not make assumptions because I didn't make any. All I said was your dismissive comments were a representation of some of the nonchalant attitude we see in the general public.
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Joe Biden just announced a plan to reduce the rising crime in this nation. Is Joe Biden, the president of the United States being dismissive of Houston because he recognized that there is an uptick in crime nationwide? Maybe what he should do is single out Houston since Houston is the worst city when it comes to crime according to Dab and USC.
I don't care what joe biden says. He is part of the problem with his long history in politics. Did you vote for him because you trusted he'd be good for reductions in crime or because you were afraid you wouldn't be Black if you didn't vote for him like he said? Anyways just like you said, he is the president of the US, so why would he single out Houston? This is the HOUSTON section of city-data, yet all you want to do is bring up other cities.
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Nobody said anything about Houstonians being okay with it. Hey man I have a family, you think I'm fine with rising crime? Do you hear yourself right now? The only reason crime in other cities were brought up is because you and USC continue to bring up other cities as if their not headed in the wrong direction either.
Any comment that only says "well other cities deal with it", without looking at the politics or economic reasons behind it, to me is someone who is "okay with it". People are literally getting mad at posters for pointing out a rise in crime in a city they live in, so why the hell do other cities matter even if their crime is going up. We're talking about Houston, and Houston has its own economy, political situations, and history that led to the rise in crime. Yes, there is an overarching national umbrella, but it gets more nuanced to that once you break it down by city. That's all that was being pointed out yet posters get offended.
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And what's ironic about your stance is you actually believe that Houston didn't have a major issue with crime before covid. Newsflash buddy, those neighborhoods still had abnormal levels of violent crime above national average before COVID. The only difference is crime wasn't spilling out to the Galleria or other higher income areas as such. It was cool to ignore crime when it was more confined to those particular areas. Now your Houston's #1 concerned resident.
Wow, how do you get that from me saying crime was dropping before covid? That is quite a reach there to say I actually meant Houston didn't have major crime issues. Don't make stuff up now.
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Go look in the NYC section and tell me if they're celebrating having a lower crime rate than Houston. Yeah Houston has more total homicides and overall more crime than NYC and LA but tell me if that helps New Yorkers and LA sleep good at night knowing that even though their crime rate is rising it's not Houston.
Matter fact this New York City based site spoke on the rising crime in NYC and damn near made the same statements several others have made that you accuse of being dismissive.
I really have no idea what you're trying to get at here. I never said NYC folks would celebrate having lower crime than Houston. Why do you continue to take stuff way out of context? You missed the point entirely.
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It's not about being dismissive, it's just stating a fact. You bring up San Diego and Boston without realizing these cities have always had a lower crime rate than most major cities in this country. Since you brought them up what are they doing different Mr.Dab? Since your an expert on crime.
You make way too many assumptions. I brought up San Diego and Boston because those cities have not seen the increase in violent crime that the rest of the nation has seen. In the past they've had more crime issues but have done a much better job at maintaining lower levels now.
By the way, Houston and San Diego actually have the same poverty level, so there goes that.
Look at my first post on page 9 and see if I'm dismissive.
Exactly what are you doing to help combat a rise in crime from the comfort of your computer? Have you been apart of any anti-crime organizations in your local community? I have and I know you haven't. So what are you doing to fix the crime in Houston?
Joe Biden just announced a plan to reduce the rising crime in this nation. Is Joe Biden, the president of the United States being dismissive of Houston because he recognized that there is an uptick in crime nationwide? Maybe what he should do is single out Houston since Houston is the worst city when it comes to crime according to Dab and USC.
Nobody said anything about Houstonians being okay with it. Hey man I have a family, you think I'm fine with rising crime? Do you hear yourself right now? The only reason crime in other cities were brought up is because you and USC continue to bring up other cities as if their not headed in the wrong direction either.
And what's ironic about your stance is you actually believe that Houston didn't have a major issue with crime before covid. Newsflash buddy, those neighborhoods still had abnormal levels of violent crime above national average before COVID. The only difference is crime wasn't spilling out to the Galleria or other higher income areas as such. It was cool to ignore crime when it was more confined to those particular areas. Now your Houston's #1 concerned resident.
Go look in the NYC section and tell me if they're celebrating having a lower crime rate than Houston. Yeah Houston has more total homicides and overall more crime than NYC and LA but tell me if that helps New Yorkers and LA sleep good at night knowing that even though their crime rate is rising it's not Houston.
Matter fact this New York City based site spoke on the rising crime in NYC and damn near made the same statements several others have made that you accuse of being dismissive.
It's not about being dismissive, it's just stating a fact. You bring up San Diego and Boston without realizing these cities have always had a lower crime rate than most major cities in this country. Since you brought them up what are they doing different Mr.Dab? Since your an expert on crime.
Nonsense, some of us would rather not spend time making excuses.
The comments are pretty dismissive when all you (not just you but others) do is bring up other cities that have rising crime. That's literally it. How does that help look into why there is so much crime, when the only excuse people say is "well x city has had an increase too!" It's a representation of what's happening in the general public in many ways. Like just because another city deals with it that means Houstonians should be okay with it.
And another thing, people DO realize what I bolded. Now move on to the next question, why don't Boston and San Diego have high concentrations of poverty from people of color? NYC sure has high levels of poverty among POC yet it's violent crime rate is way below Houston. Same for Los Angeles.
And besides, it wasn't COVID but the policies put in place that directly harmed these communities so much. How can you say they were ticking timebombs ready to explode when violent crime was dropping in most major cities, including Houston, before the plandemic? The economy was ramping up, people had well paying jobs, etc. The plandemic just exposed how corrupt the system is for many of the sheep who couldn't see it before, which is why retail is having such a hard time hiring people right now.
So, I was down with your first paragraph. Then you lost me with the rest of the post. You’re trying to tell us that NYC hasn’t seen a sharp increase in crime? You definitely don’t know what while you’re talking.
While I understand that people here need to see what we can to to solve our issues particularly, ignoring what’s going on in the rest of the nation is what is DISMISSSIVE. The same thing people are saying here, they are saying everywhere. Miami is a war zone. NYC is a war zone. Chicago is a war zone. People are saying this EVERYWHERE. If you actually think the spike in crime and murders is specific here, you must not do a lot of traveling.
If you don’t understand why people are paying attention to what happens in the rest of the country is because last time I checked, Houston is in the USA. And when there’s a national recession, pandemic, BLM movement, etc, people EVERYWHERE will be affected. Unless you’re still of the mind set that Texas is it’s own country and what happens throughout America is a didferent world, then I guess you haven’t seen the national trends. And I know you haven’t because of your NYC comparison. Newsflash: NYC has had a lower crime rate than Houston for a LONG time. It’s nothing new. Both spiked, and the ranks remained similar.
Now, I will say I do agree with your first paragraph and officials here should see what they can particularly do to improve it here, but to say that national trends don’t affect Houston which is in USA is ridiculous. I wasn’t around in the 80s to know if Houston at that point was socially, economically, and culturally affected by national trends. But today in 2021, it most certainly is.
So, I was down with your first paragraph. Then you lost me with the rest of the post. You’re trying to tell us that NYC hasn’t seen a sharp increase in crime? You definitely don’t know what while you’re talking.
I think you just have reading comprehension issues. It was brought up by Redlionjr that Boston and San Diego dont have as high of crime issues as Houston right now because they dont have high concentrations of poverty (even though they both actually do). I then said NYC and LA have high concentrations of poverty like Houston yet don't have as high of a violent crime rate. El Paso has a higher poverty rate but doesnt have as high of crime. Then asked what is it thats going on in Houston, a smaller city than NYC and LA, to have higher violent crime rates and increases. You lost yourself!
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While I understand that people here need to see what we can to to solve our issues particularly, ignoring what’s going on in the rest of the nation is what is DISMISSSIVE. The same thing people are saying here, they are saying everywhere. Miami is a war zone. NYC is a war zone. Chicago is a war zone. People are saying this EVERYWHERE. If you actually think the spike in crime and murders is specific here, you must not do a lot of traveling.
If you don’t understand why people are paying attention to what happens in the rest of the country is because last time I checked, Houston is in the USA. And when there’s a national recession, pandemic, BLM movement, etc, people EVERYWHERE will be affected. Unless you’re still of the mind set that Texas is it’s own country and what happens throughout America is a didferent world, then I guess you haven’t seen the national trends. And I know you haven’t because of your NYC comparison. Newsflash: NYC has had a lower crime rate than Houston for a LONG time. It’s nothing new. Both spiked, and the ranks remained similar.
Now, I will say I do agree with your first paragraph and officials here should see what they can particularly do to improve it here, but to say that national trends don’t affect Houston which is in USA is ridiculous. I wasn’t around in the 80s to know if Houston at that point was socially, economically, and culturally affected by national trends. But today in 2021, it most certainly is.
A whole bunch of blah blah because you didnt care to actually read and comprehend what I was saying.
Really? How do you know? And did you do this out of the kindness of your heart or was it just a way for you to network?
My whole career revolves around improving incomes for POC. I see outcomes literally everyday in the form of folks getting increases in pay, new certifications that make them more marketable, new skills to help them do the job better, moving up to new job classifications after going through one of a training program I coordinated, etc.
BS...you wouldn't have this much time to create paragraphs if you were out there combatting crime in the city of Houston.
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You need to not make assumptions because I didn't make any. All I said was your dismissive comments were a representation of some of the nonchalant attitude we see in the general public.
It's not dismissive...get your head out your shoot and get off the soapbox. Every city has a hyperbolic zealot on a message board pointing his/her finger at everybody else as if were the problem in this city.
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I don't care what joe biden says. He is part of the problem with his long history in politics. Did you vote for him because you trusted he'd be good for reductions in crime or because you were afraid you wouldn't be Black if you didn't vote for him like he said? Anyways just like you said, he is the president of the US, so why would he single out Houston? This is the HOUSTON section of city-data, yet all you want to do is bring up other cities.
I don't vote democrats or republicans. Sorry. And you talk about assumptions but here you go with them left and right. And yes this is the Houston section. I brought up a national trend in a rise in crime an you got your panties in a bunch. Prior to that all we spoke about was crime locally in Houston if you go back far enough. We've had several other threads on crime in Houston. None of this sh*t on CITY DATA will change the crime in the city. So yeah I can discuss other cities experiencing a rise in crime along with Houston. It's a fact. Are you afraid of the truth? There's no rules in what I can or can't bring up just because it's the Houston section. Boo HOOO City Data police
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Any comment that only says "well other cities deal with it", without looking at the politics or economic reasons behind it, to me is someone who is "okay with it". People are literally getting mad at posters for pointing out a rise in crime in a city they live in, so why the hell do other cities matter even if their crime is going up. We're talking about Houston, and Houston has its own economy, political situations, and history that led to the rise in crime. Yes, there is an overarching national umbrella, but it gets more nuanced to that once you break it down by city. That's all that was being pointed out yet posters get offended.
My statement wasn't a "well other cities deal with it". You want to talk about comprehension skills. JESUS! I simply stated a fact
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Houston crime today isn't like the 90's but it's not something to be nonchalant about either. Crime in most major cities are heading in the wrong direction and that is a concern.
That's literally my first comment when bringing up another city. I said it's not something to be nonchalant about. It's a concern and other major cities are heading in the wrong direction as well. It's obvious your not the sharpest tool in the shed. Houston public education system maybe?
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Wow, how do you get that from me saying crime was dropping before covid? That is quite a reach there to say I actually meant Houston didn't have major crime issues. Don't make stuff up now.
Your post definitely imply that crime wasn't an issue pre-covid. You even stated it was going down yet it was still above national average. Patted Houston on the back for still having a crime rate above national average. I'm not making it up. You said it.
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I really have no idea what you're trying to get at here. I never said NYC folks would celebrate having lower crime than Houston. Why do you continue to take stuff way out of context? You missed the point entirely.
Don't think you even know what taken out of context mean since you literally did that all throughout this thread.
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You make way too many assumptions. I brought up San Diego and Boston because those cities have not seen the increase in violent crime that the rest of the nation has seen. In the past they've had more crime issues but have done a much better job at maintaining lower levels now.
By the way, Houston and San Diego actually have the same poverty level, so there goes that.
More lies you tell.
Houston is ranked 3rd out of most populated cities in America when it comes to families living below poverty level.
Now this table has Houston and Boston "closer" both have a high percentage of people living in poverty over the national average. Houston has 20.6% and Boston has 20.2%. San Diego still sits lower at 13.8%.
Difference between Houston and Boston is Houston's ghettos are spread all throughout the city and metro and there's a bigger population of impoverished communities in Houston. Also it's a lot easier to gain access to guns in Houston than it is in Boston which could possibly be another factor. There's lots of factors into rising crime but hate to break it to you it's not just a Houston problem. And the issue won't be solved on City Data. If you have the answers please contact Mayor Turners office ASAP. If not get off your high horse.
Btw, if you look at this chart you'll see a pattern with the cities with the highest poverty rate on this list.
Detroit/Cleveland /Newark/ Memphis/ Milwaukee/ Philadelphia/ New Orleans/ St. Louis/ Baltimore have some of the highest poverty rates in the country for a major city and wouldn't you know these cities are constantly on the most dangerous cities list year after year. Poverty is not the sole reason but there's a clear correlation there that needs to be addressed if we want to lower crime in our cities INCLUDING HOUSTON.
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