Explaination of McKeesport: (high crime, neighborhood, law)

[captainmidnight]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Does McKeesport still leave its traffic lights blinking at night so people can drive through without having to stop their cars?

No. IMO, McKeesport has some of the worse traffic lights I have driven through. They are timer based and the timing is terrible. I have driven through downtown and sat at red lights while I was only the car around. Nonetheless, I didn't feel very safe.

[hempfield mania]

Little Detroit is a great description of Mckeesport. Most of it should be razed so you can start from scratch. My dad grew up in Grandview and even there has taken a turn for the worse. I still go to International village in the summer at Renzi park but that is about it. Just drive on through and don't look at anyone the wrong way when you are stopped at a light. Several old HS friends were/maybe still are McKeesport cops and the stories they told when I would occassionally run into them. Gang activity is rampant; maybe they are wannabes, maybe they are the real deal, but either way, they'll still shoot you dead if you look at them the wrong way.

I still have fond memories of hopping the bus with my grandma and taking it "downtown" to go shopping in downtown Mckeesport and get some candy and if I were lucky and really good that day, a small toy. Not anymore. My cousin and his family now live in my grandparents old home and they want out badly but just can't afford it at this time.

[Copanut]

McKeesport was a greal little city at one time, the McKeesport Daily news was a good paper as well. I don't think that area will ever be good again.

[brzzz]

I got stuck in downtown McKeesport a while back. I got on the wrong bus from North Versailles and the driver let me off in McKeesport and gave me directions to the nearest bus stop.

I walked a few blocks before I noticed what a ghost town it was. There was traffic on a few busy streets, but there wasn't a single person on foot anywhere. Most of the buildings were pretty old and worn down, and many were empty or burned out, and the rest were closed for the evening.

I reached the "bus station" and didn't see a single bus. I waited with the only other person there, a thug looking guy. I asked him if I was in the right place, and we shared a smoke as we waited out the rain under a cover. A couple older mom type ladies showed up and waited with us, and told me which bus I needed to catch.

Probably the worst looking place I've been to in Pittsburgh but I met some good people there.

[MissShona]

Huh?

Have you people been to REAL ghettos? Like in New York, Chicago, Miami...

My guess is no.

I drive through McKeesport all the time (my grandmother's entire family is there); and I spend every weekend in White Oak (I'll be moving there in 2 weeks). Never, ever, ever have I stopped my car and been afraid to "look at someone the wrong way"...my goodness. There is no one hardly around! Drive through downtown McKeesport in the middle of the day...and you'll see about 3 people...2 of them elderly.

My goodness....

[hempfield mania]

When I say "driving through McKeesport" and "looking the wrong way at someone" I am talking more about the stretch near Crawford village and such. I turn there to skip some of the lights further up to make may way through Cristy park and onto Rte. 48. As far as other "bad" places, spent plenty of time in Newark, Phoenix and on the south side of Houston for work and was in plenty of bad areas and Mckeesport is definitely not a peach, at least not anymore.

[JHSLICK]

I notice that all of the bad parts of Mckeesport listed in this litany as gang areas are mostly black,So one assumes the poster seems to say- stay out of the black areas... But he calls the Lower Tenth Ward a Ghetto (The Tenth ward is white.) So what is McKeesport? Whatever you want it to be! I would NOT have a problem buying a house in the Tenth (Upper or Lower) Mckeesport has had it's problems but it is better than Wilkinsburg or A LOT of City of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. P.S. On The Glassport Note: If you are actually reading CITY-DATA pages you will see that McKeesport is 70 percent WHITE.

[Mikeekim]

Originally Posted by mckeesport_alum

There's a lot of misinformation in this thread. The biggest problem with McKeesport, and many bordering areas, is that is way too big for the population. Gang wars? You have got to be kidding me...

well, were not kidding, theres shootings all the time, and theres proof there are gangs i bet uve never even been to mckeesport

[mckeesport_alum]

yeah you are probably right, i mean i have no idea why anyone would think i've ever lived in mckeesport.

[Uptown kid]

[quote]Harrison Village:*
Projects: 80%+ Gang related, including minors, mostly bloods.*
Hotstility: Medium

Crawford Village:*
Projects: 80%+ Gang related, including minors, mostly crips.
Hostility: Extremely high all times of day.

Highview Apartments:*
Apartment building: LARGE; Not gang related as much, but there is a small bit of it still around; these people are mainly drug dealers and arms dealers.
Hostility: Will attack and rob you for less than the shoes off your feet. [quote]

I honestly mostly agree here... Harrison Village & the Hi View Gardens projects are rough, though Crawford Village is on another level. There honestly have been black street gangs like the Crawford Village Crips, Bailie Avenue Bloods and Harrison Village Bloods since 1994. Sure they don't run McKeesport, yet just look at the homicides, shootings, home invasions and stabbings that have been going on in the past decade... It's getting worse! A majority of the 7th Ward is claimed by a set of the bloods, "Up the Hill" (area north of Versailles Ave-east of Downtown-west of the cemetery) is also claimed by the bloods, and the residential sections near Bailey Ave & Crawford/Harrison Village are also largely gang affiliated too. Maybe this new mayor can slowly reverse the cycle; from what I've heard he's been doing a decent job Saturation Patrol Sees 100+ Arrests In McKeesport | WTAE Home - WTAE Home, but I think it's far too late for the rougher wards of the Port.*
Here's a map of areas to avoid (coincidentally the blue area is the only predominantly Crip affiliated section; the rest are bloods) Google Maps source=mog&hl=en&gl=us
The sections highlighted are 40 to 75 black (excluding the projects which are 90+)...