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If you have ready any of Tony KC's posts, it's clear he is just a hack blogger with an agenda and not a journalist. He uses sensationalism and controversy to get clicks. And yes, the term mainstream media and even more so the acronym MSM is used almost exclusively by right wingers -the vast majority of which are anti-city, pro-suburb.
Now let's take a look at your ridiculous assertion that crime has not improved in Midtown since the 80s (and has even gotten worse in Westport). Once again, one of your claims can be refuted with facts and statistics. There is no separate data for the Midtown area, but for the city of Kansas City, violent crime rates have dropped from 5,875 in 1990 to 3,504 in 2008 - that is a drop of over 40% - and I would posit that the majority of the decrease has occurred in areas like Midtown, so the percentage change there would be even greater.
You can't assume that a decrease overall means a greater decrease in midtown. That's a ridiculous assumption. Westport in the 80s was a lot safer than it is now. I don't know how you are going to refute that. It's the truth.
Also, this report http://kcmayor.org/cms/wp-content/up...ovc-report.pdf
shows that you are actually wrong when you say that violent crime in Kansas City has improved. The report is from the KC Missouri Commission on Violent Crime. It actually states that the cyclical nature of homicides in Kansas City has changed little since 1980. See pages 6 and 7.
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed
"With a crime rate of 68 per one thousand residents, Kansas City has one of the highest crime rates in America compared to all communities of all sizes - from the smallest towns to the very largest cities. One's chance of becoming a victim of either violent or property crime here is one in 15. Within Missouri, more than 94% of the communities have a lower crime rate than Kansas City.In fact, after researching dangerous places to live, NeighborhoodScout found Kansas City to be one of the Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed[/url]
Importantly, when you compare Kansas City to other communities of similar population, then Kansas City crime rate (violent and property crimes combined) is quite a bit higher than average. Regardless of how Kansas City does relative to all communities in America of all sizes, when NeighborhoodScout compared it to communities of similar population size, its crime rate per thousand residents stands out as higher than most."
"Now let us turn to take a look at how Kansas City does for violent crimes specifically, and then how it does for property crimes. This is important because the overall crime rate can be further illuminated by understanding if violent crime or property crimes (or both) are the major contributors to the general rate of crime in Kansas City.
For Kansas City, we found that the violent crime rate is one of the highest in the nation, across communities of all sizes (both large and small). Violent offenses tracked included forcible rape, murder and non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, and aggravated assault, including assault with a deadly weapon. According to NeighborhoodScout's analysis of FBI reported crime data, your chance of becoming a victim of one of these crimes in Kansas City is one in 79.
Significantly, based on the number of murders reported by the FBI and the number of residents living in the city, NeighborhoodScout's analysis shows that Kansas City experiences one of the higher murder rates in the nation when compared with cities and towns for all sizes of population, from the largest to the smallest."
No, it does not. Murder is only a a small portion of violent crime. Even if it were true that murders have not decreased, the total of violent crimes has dropped significantly. Look and the link I posted, I didn't make up those numbers.
Now, when it comes to the number of murders, yes it is true that they fluctuate from year to year, but the general trend is a decrease, and the average number per year has dropped since the 80s. From 1980 to 1994 the average was 133 per year. Over the last 10 years the average has been 108. When adjusting for the change in population to calculate the actual rate, it shows that murder rate has dropped by 25%.
Also, non-violent crimes have been decreasing at an even more dramatic rate. I couldn't find figures dating back to the 80s, but the changes in the rates since 1999 have been significant.
Thefts dropped from 6,422 to 3,316
Auto thefts dropped from 1,520 to 735
Burglaries dropped from 1,939 to 1,484
Robberies dropped from 558 to 360
I didn't bring up Smithville and Platte City; you did. And every time I have brought it up, I have said I was a child when I lived there. And I have never said anything bad about Smithville and Platte City. When I talk about Kansas City Missouri, I am talking about midtown and northeast Kansas City, where I lived as an adult.
And I really wouldn't say that midtown is much better now than it was in the 80s. I had never even heard of crack when I lived there. I wasn't afraid to walk around the area when I lived there, but I wouldn't have walked at night. I really don't think it's a lot better now. If you look at a crime map of Kansas City, the midtown crime rate is nothing to be proud of. I think Westport was a whole lot safer in the 80s than it is now. Some people avoid Westport now because of the crime in the area.
"Crossroads, Westport and even the P&L District are more dangerous than anyone admits . . . For PR and Advertising purposes local media outlets don't like noting the very real danger in these places and the details of the circumstances surrounding crimes in these areas are always vague . . . MSM doesn't like showing their advertisers in a bad light. Unfortunately, that doesn't do the potential victims of crime much good. So, the white women that I love so much face a very real danger of participating in this town's night life without any information that will keep them safe."
"Realize that Kansas City is dangerous . . . And like Caligula our Mayor is more concerned with his personal satisfaction than the safety of people in this City . . . So you're on your own and must realize that white, club hoppers are often regarded as targets for the disenfranchised in Kansas City at the outset of the most serious financial crisis this nation has faced in more than a generation.
TKC doesn't take any pleasure in noting these facts. Again, I just realize that the mainstream media and the Mayor tiptoe around information regarding crime trends or ignore it all together instead of accurately depicting the situation on Kansas City streets."
He may have said it in a sensational or even histrionic style, but I think Tony is right for the most part. It's a hard truth for people who want to see the urban core succeed and improve, but I think it's the truth nevertheless. I don't know that what Tony said about the MSM is correct, but it might be. Maybe somebody should contact him and ask him to explain what he means. I do wonder if some of the Plaza issues have been minimized. I can't say that I know how the Star reports on urban core crime. So I would ask are they biased at all in their reporting? I don't know because I don't pay much attention to crime. It's so regular I mostly gloss over it. Anyway, for some people hanging out in the city just isn't worth it. I guess it depends how much each individual values the urban experience. At any rate, I'm hoping the street car will get extended and go straight down Main St because I hope that cleans up midtown and basically solidifies the entire core between downtown and the Plaza. As it is, it's stupid to deny midtown isn't sketchy, especially if you're truly familiar with it with your feet on the ground, and that's even with Armour BLVD having seen major improvement.
Meanwhile, last night there were three separate shootings with three people wounded and one dead. Good thing violent crime has dropped significantly in Kansas City.
Meanwhile, last night there were three separate shootings with three people wounded and one dead. Good thing violent crime has dropped significantly in Kansas City.
You sound like a climate change denier insisting that one cold snap means climate change isn't happening. The statistics show that violent crime is down both in KC and nationwide, and one unfortunate evening doesn't change that.
Why don't you just admit that you're going to find fault with KC no matter what the circumstances and that you are now and forever a lover of the suburbs? That's fine, but don't pretend that you're coming here with some sort of impartial critical voice about the urban core, because you're not. You're one of the most biased posters on this board and I'm sick of you hijacking threads with your negativity. I doubt I'm alone in that.
While Midtown KCMO still has plenty of room for improvement and gentrification it is 100 times better and more livable and safer than it was in the 80's than today. If you don't now that, then you don't know the city very well.
There are many completely safe (by urban standards) neighborhoods and tens of thousands of people "choose" to live there even though I'm sure they could easily pack up and move to a big new home in the burbs. And yes, there are people in Midtown that probably can't afford to live in the burbs as well, but it's not a poor area overall.
I hope the OP understands this. Midtown KC is NOT a ghetto area by any stretch of the imagination, even though it still has parts that need to get better. I think the streetcar connecting Midtown to Downtown and the Plaza will be the one thing that gets Midtown over the hump.
And Tony's KC is an idiot. He's actually a nice guy personally, but he has one goal. Stirring up controversy via his blog from his Mom's basement. I don't think the guy has ever had a positive thing to say about KC. EVERYTHING KC does is bad. But that's what he does and people either love what he does or hates what he does. You can probably imagine the types that like what he does .
You sound like a climate change denier insisting that one cold snap means climate change isn't happening. The statistics show that violent crime is down both in KC and nationwide, and one unfortunate evening doesn't change that.
Why don't you just admit that you're going to find fault with KC no matter what the circumstances and that you are now and forever a lover of the suburbs? That's fine, but don't pretend that you're coming here with some sort of impartial critical voice about the urban core, because you're not. You're one of the most biased posters on this board and I'm sick of you hijacking threads with your negativity. I doubt I'm alone in that.
As I said, my original post was pretty innocuous. It was only when kcmo decided to attack me that I posted more.
The truth is, there is a lot of crime in Kansas City, Missouri. You who love the urban core can deny it all you want, but it's there.
All of my posts other than my first one in his thread were in response to posts directed at me.
If you want to see who hijacked the thread, look at my first post and then kcmo's post in response to it, which was intended to insult me and cause a flame war. Then blame him, not me. He was trying to stir the pot, and he did.
Oh, and your comment that you are sick of me hijacking threads. GMAFB. I hardly ever even comment on threads regarding Kansas City, Missouri anymore. This time I did, but as you see in my original comment, it was very balanced. kcmo then took it upon himself to attack/insult me by making a totally unnecessary inflammatory reply to my comment. I think it is very obvious that he is a troll, but since he agrees with your point of view you try to blame it on me instead.
And when someone tries to post about the reality of crime in Kansas City, you all attack.
You dismiss Tony's KC (Okay, I get that - but he does live in KC and has an opinion and others share that opinion).
You dismiss Kansas City Missouri's Commission on Violent Crime report from spring of 2013, which I linked to above. Um, okay.
You dismiss neighborhood Scout statistics that show Kansas City is in the top 100 (actually top 30) in the nation for violent crime.
And when there are four shootings Saturday night you call it "one unfortunate night."
1. The area the OP is looking at is overall fine and safe, as urban areas go. Pretty student-heavy in parts, so things can get a bit run down, but there are also very nicely restored buildings in the area. Gillham is beautiful, IMO. It's urban, and it feels like it. It's not a place to live if you want sanitized, but it's not a bad place at all.
2. Tony's KC is nobody's idea of a credible source or an authority of any kind on anything, and not someone whose opinions would be the basis of any of my big decisions, just saying.
3. That QT blows. It really does. I am a HUGE lover of QT, but that location just sucks, and it's kind of jarring how badly it sucks, given QT's relatively high standard for quality stores.
4. I actually got married Saturday night in KC (very nearby the area the OP is asking about, actually), and inexplicably, nary a shooting death took place!
^I don't get people's issues with the 44th and Main QuikTrip. I don't see how the quality of the store is lesser than any others. I think what you guys maybe don't like is the pace and how busy it gets? Personally, I like it - it's an interesting place. I'd like to see a similar location downtown.
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