Has Indianapolis hit rock bottom (Washington, Portland: sale, violent crime, houses)

[Isleofpalms85]

Okay, so with the ever increasing crime and homelessness plaguing this once economical city in central Indiana, I am just wondering about other people’s opinions on this matter, from natives and people who don’t live in Indianapolis(or the outlying suburbs), so please explain why you have voted yay or nay as to whether Indianapolis has hit rock bottom. All opinions(within reason of course) are welcome after you vote

[sheerbliss]

Honest question: are you one of those people who don't live in Indianapolis? Maybe never lived here?

[sheerbliss]

Crime: FAR worse in the 90s. Property crime is actually going down. https://www.ucrdatatool.gov/Search/C...JurisLarge.cfm

Unemployment: 10.6% in March 2010. 3.5% last August. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/INDI918URN

Population: Indy lost 6% of its population in the 70s. It's slowly growing now. https://population.us/in/indianapolis/

Economic base: according to long-time residents I've talked to, a lot of factories shut down or left Indy around the 80s and 90s. Thanks to a business friendly environment (mostly at the state level), businesses are in fact moving here.

Decay: I've seen quite a bit of rehab and new construction here on the near eastside. I've also seen the value of my house rise almost 50% in three years. At a surplus sale last February, even almost all the houses with demolition orders on them sold. (Buyers have six months to get the property back up to code.) And hardly anything went for the minimum bid; the days of $1 houses here are over. Drive along East Washington or College north of downtown or Mass Avenue or Shadeland south of I-70 or Fountain Square and you'll see redevelopment.

[indy_317]

The crime in Indy is pretty much the same everywhere. Violent crime is confined to a core group of people involved in black market dealings, almost always contraband related. Far down the road is your street and store robberies, and even further down the road are home invasion robberies. The chances of becoming a violent crime victim is slim to none for most people.

I will say that property and other quality-of-life crimes are more likely to drive people and businesses to the suburbs, where certain crimes are non-existent. I'm unlikely to have someone passed out on my lawn/porch. I'm unlikely to have to deal with human waste if I walk around the neighborhood, or needles as well. However, I don't think any business or person is going to flee the Indy metro area due to any of this. A person/couple who has lived downtown for a few years might decide it is time to go to the burbs, but other factors such as schools could also factor into that.

[sheerbliss]

Originally Posted by indy_317

I will say that property and other quality-of-life crimes are more likely to drive people and businesses to the suburbs, where certain crimes are non-existent. I'm unlikely to have someone passed out on my lawn/porch. I'm unlikely to have to deal with human waste if I walk around the neighborhood, or needles as well. However, I don't think any business or person is going to flee the Indy metro area due to any of this. A person/couple who has lived downtown for a few years might decide it is time to go to the burbs, but other factors such as schools could also factor into that.

According to a couple of news stories, there are fewer homeless people in Indy than there were in 2017 but there are more of them downtown since homeless camps were recently shut down and abandoned properties have been redeveloped. Indianapolis received $5 million in federal funds to fight homelessness and has a long-term plan to get people off the street. Indy isn't like San Francisco, where it seems to be public policy to enable bad behavior.

https://www.ibj.com/articles/69578-a...sness-downtown
https://www.chipindy.org/community-p...d-homelessness

[sheerbliss]

A few years ago, I saw a fight get out of hand at a festival across the street from my house. About 20 police cars rushed to the scene and IMPD chased suspects down the street; they tackled one of them on my neighbor's lawn. While I don't have any first-hand knowledge of the homeless situation downtown, nonsense like the Portland Antifa situation or the Charleston debacle would NOT be allowed here. Given the sensibilities here, I can't imagine the homeless being enabled or encouraged to poop or shoot up on the street. Mod cut.

In addition to the plan to end homelessness, Wheeler Mission Ministries is doubling its size to take in more homeless women and children (most of whom are fleeing domestic violence).

[Berteau]

The question doesn’t make sense. Indy has been in a progressive increase of desirability.

[ImmerLernen]

Originally Posted by sheerbliss

A few years ago, I saw a fight get out of hand at a festival across the street from my house. About 20 police cars rushed to the scene and IMPD chased suspects down the street; they tackled one of them on my neighbor's lawn. While I don't have any first-hand knowledge of the homeless situation downtown, nonsense like the Portland Antifa situation or the Charleston debacle would NOT be allowed here. Given the sensibilities here, I can't imagine the homeless being enabled or encouraged to poop or shoot up on the street. [snip]

In addition to the plan to end homelessness, Wheeler Mission Ministries is doubling its size to take in more homeless women and children (most of whom are fleeing domestic violence).

I'm glad to hear people are still appropriately horrified by things that are...well...horrific. That's encouraging. And that's a good part of why I and my family are looking to relocate outta here (SoCal).

No one is horrified by much of anything here. It's probably a coping mechanism to mostly ignore everything that's going/gone wrong since voting is next to useless as the sanctuary, anything goes, semi-lawlessness attitudes abound. And if you are appropriately horrified and say so, you're labeled some sort of hater.

As for the Indy homeless problem, aside from the women and children fleeing domestic violence and the other truly homeless who are willing to put forth some effort/take some personal responsibility, I recommend giving them all a shower, a clean set of clothes, and a one-way bus ticket to California. Here they'll be welcomed with open arms, sheltered (or at least not bothered much while living outside), and have a plethora of programs available to them including "needle exchanges" so they don't run out of clean syringes for their IV drug abuse. It *is* that bad.

[W & C]

Originally Posted by sheerbliss

Crime: FAR worse in the 90s. Property crime is actually going down. https://www.ucrdatatool.gov/Search/C...JurisLarge.cfm

Unemployment: 10.6% in March 2010. 3.5% last August. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/INDI918URN

Population: Indy lost 6% of its population in the 70s. It's slowly growing now. https://population.us/in/indianapolis/

Economic base: according to long-time residents I've talked to, a lot of factories shut down or left Indy around the 80s and 90s. Thanks to a business friendly environment (mostly at the state level), businesses are in fact moving here.

Decay: I've seen quite a bit of rehab and new construction here on the near eastside. I've also seen the value of my house rise almost 50% in three years. At a surplus sale last February, even almost all the houses with demolition orders on them sold. (Buyers have six months to get the property back up to code.) And hardly anything went for the minimum bid; the days of $1 houses here are over. Drive along East Washington or College north of downtown or Mass Avenue or Shadeland south of I-70 or Fountain Square and you'll see redevelopment.

What about violent crime ?

[indy_317]

Originally Posted by sheerbliss

According to a couple of news stories, there are fewer homeless people in Indy than there were in 2017 but there are more of them downtown since homeless camps were recently shut down and abandoned properties have been redeveloped.

The homeless camps moved to White River Parkway East and West Drives under and just south of I-70 (on the levees of the White River). There are also large camps along the railroad tracks where the GM stamping plant was, though I've heard "people have been living up there forever." All I know is that these folks are literally building semi-permanent structures and I never saw this sort of village look for years until just in the last two or three years (right when they closed the CSX track camp).