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Excellent points, Steve. I have made numerous attempts to convey the same basic premise, but nowhere near as eloquently.
Kudos to you! Your post helps explain why I have such a disdain for the crime rates/statistics quoted so often on this site as a whole. I have lived or spent extensive time in municipalities that have been labeled as "high crime" or "dangerous", yet felt perfectly safe and comfortable. Knowing the lay of the land certainly can give you a leg up on feeling safe in any particular area. And one of the reasons why this site is so useful.
One other aspect I think colors many posters perceptions (consciously or not) is their own personal experience. That is, if you grew up largely in a small Midwestern town that was located near other small towns, your general living expectations and perception of what is "normal" is going to be vastly different from someone that grew up in a largely isolated Southwestern city. Call it "culture shock" that never quite fades away. NM can generate this feeling in spades and it can often be the catalyst that sets people on either side of the "Love It" or "Hate It" fence.
Chap
I know this post is quite old, but it is true. The crime and culture shock of Santa Fe can be, well, shocking. Or you can insert other adjectives: jarring, disconcerting, sickening, disgusting, educational....
I came from the Midwest, and boy do you guys have it right on ALL counts: Santa Fe is a love / hate place, Santa Fe is not "normal." Do not put your kids in the public schools, particularly if you are moving from a semi-decent school district.
The crime and drugs are so bad, you perfectly described another local coping mechanism, employed by most people I know in Santa Fe: the belief that the crime, drugs and social ills won't touch you if you just refrain from hanging out with the junkies, gang bangers and other riff-raff.
In short, people in Santa Fe turn a blind eye to the problems. Instead of working to improve the situation, they (literally) build a higher wall. Instead of being outraged at the squalid state of the local public schools, they put their kids in private schools. Or worse, they some how convince themselves that their children are attending decent schools. Instead of fighting for the murder victims, they point out the victim's association with drugs, alcohol & gangs. Except on the few occasions when the murdered person was Anglo and not mixed up with unsavory folks. That person becomes many expressions of tepid outrage - for a few days or maybe weeks.
My point is this: Santa Fe is a small town. Everyone knows everyone, everyone is kinda sorta related. Horrific crime happens in Santa Fe that would send other towns of equal size into a panic. In Santa Fe, the same crimes barely receive mention.
It was not the crime in Santa Fe that drove me out: it was the apathy. The lack of anger after three people were murdered on one street in less than a year. It was the often repeated refrain: you are safe as long as you don't hang out with "those" people. It was the laziness of accepting a terrible school system instead of fighting the good fight to improve it.
I love Santa Fe but I could not stand the apathetic, head in the sand acceptance of the very real heroin problem, the sad state of the schools, the blame the victim mentality, the acceptance of mediocre as good enough, or the fact that it's a town divided. Some will never cross St. Francis.
I don't live in Santa Fe but spend a few weeks there every summer - packing now for this year's trip. DH & I have never felt unsafe there, still this summer's news makes me feel a little uneasy for the first time ever. We're always cautious but will ramp it up:
Because you only see the lighter side of Santa Fe a few weeks a year, your feeling of a low crime rate is understandable. That sense of "safety" is carefully crafted - Santa Fe is a resort community. The entire town depends on tourism revenue. Don't be fooled though, there is serious crime going on. I'm guessing you'll most likely be hit when your house is broken into while your out of town. Most likely the perpetrator will be someone you invited into your home, such as a handyman or housekeeper with a heroin problem.
Do not put your kids in the public schools, particularly if you are moving from a semi-decent school district.
...
Instead of working to improve the situation, they (literally) build a higher wall. Instead of being outraged at the squalid state of the local public schools, they put their kids in private schools.
What have you done to improve the problems you see in Santa Fe?
And I'm confused, do you want people to use private schools or not?
What have you done to improve the problems you see in Santa Fe?
And I'm confused, do you want people to use private schools or not?
I believe a free, excellent public school system should be available to every child. So, to answer your question: yes, I do think kids should go to public school. However, in a place like Santa Fe, public school is not a good option. Newcomers should prepare to be disappointed and sacrifice the quality of their children's education or they should consider private school.
To answer your other question: I did not do enough to help the problems I saw in Santa Fe. But I tried.
I fundraised for the schools and joined a community group interested in improving public education in Santa Fe. Every holiday season, I privately scrimped and saved and anonymously provided about eight complete meals for families in my community. I gave out countless coats and gloves to neighborhood children who had none - often I would step outside and see these kids out on a 18 degree day in a hoodie with no gloves. I went through a lot of gloves in my neighborhood. I helped form a small community reading space - giving away hundreds and hundreds of books so local children could have access to them. I helped form a neighborhood watch group, and pushed for safe walking paths to schools. I sought out to educate myself and instead of walling my family off from the poverty in Santa Fe, I formed friendships with ALL of my neighbors - even the ones who I KNEW were slightly unsavory and members of gangs. I did not discriminate. In the process I learned a lot about poverty, homelessness and drug use. So Mr. FunkyMonkey, one could at least say I was involved in my community, my head was not stuck in the sand and I would love to make it a better place. I could have done more.
I've been checking this thread for some time now before joining, and appreciate the previous poster's candor. It's not comfortable to read what she wrote, yet I'm grateful for what was written. It helps validate what I've long suspected as a visitor but couldn't put into words.
SF gal -- I applaud the work you did to try and make SF a better place!
My husband and I retired to,SF for seven years and there were some positives about the area, but after being mugged, robbed, gang tagged, terrible medical care, and repeatedly ripped off by laborers we gave up and left the area.
We did not have your courage and stamina.
I read through this entire thread with great interest as I am considering a move to Santa Fe. I have long been a student of crime statistics for Austin, TX where I currently live. //www.city-data.com/blogs/blog3...me-austin.html
Austin is one of the safest cities in the USA for violent crime. But it also has some of the highest property crime rates. Mostly petty theft, car and other burglaries. I have never felt unsafe in Austin and I have lived here since 1977.
Interestingly enough, crime rates in Santa Fe are lower in every category except burglaries. So I'm here to tell you that you can rest easy Santa Fe, you are safer in Santa Fe than you would be in Austin, one of the safest large cities in the USA. But you do have a burglary problem, so that is something worth taking extra precautions in safeguarding your home.
I will be moving to Santa Fe in the next couple weeks. Visited numerous times. Living at St Francis & Aqua Fria area. All I read about are the junkies and burglaries. Not being able to walk around town in the evening or even during the day without keeping a guard up. Is this really true? Am I going to have to constantly be on guard sleeping in my own house? Keep a pistol on me going to a grocery store? That is no way to live. We are moving from Amarillo, but have lived in Houston, San Antonio, and Far West Texas (small towns on the border). I have a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old. I hope I am not making the wrong decision. Is anything being done to help the drug heads get off the dope? ....you know...being proactive on issues and not reactive. .....Also a side note.....Santa Fe rental prices are outrageous for what you get. Reminds me how Marfa is getting...running the locals off ....the actual people who make the city what it is (was). Would like to hear from locals and not people who look at stats from afar or tourists/vacationers.....Thanks in advance.
I have a second home in Santa Fe and I have never felt unsafe there. Yeah there are the vagrants here and there like you have in every city. About the only time I worry is when driving at night, as I believe that drunk driving is more of an issue there than in some other places, but I don't know this for sure.
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Your post helps explain why I have such a disdain for the crime rates/statistics quoted so often on this site as a whole. I have lived or spent extensive time in municipalities that have been labeled as "high crime" or "dangerous", yet felt perfectly safe and comfortable. Knowing the lay of the land certainly can give you a leg up on feeling safe in any particular area. And one of the reasons why this site is so useful.
Clueless
