Crime in Danville (Portsmouth, Petersburg, Emporia: gangs, pubs, bills)

[ChesterVa]

Originally Posted by LM117

Have you ever had a fellow shopper come up to you and try to sell you stolen jewelry while in Kmart? It happened to me on two different occasions here about a year ago!

well that is both funny and depressing.

[ChesterVa]

Originally Posted by Trump2016

My Dad was born in Danville. When the mill closed that was it. The best and the brightest saw the writing on the wall and left. The trade deals Congress passed destroyed towns like Danville.

I heard much the same thing about Petersburg. It seems these small cities have 1 or 2 big industries, the places shut down, the smart ones go running and what is left goes to Hell. Petersburg is filled with history and gorgeous homes. I haven't been to Danville in many years but I see these beautiful homes online for sale there at amazing prices and I think "How bad can it be?" but from what I read here (and it all sounds like Petersburg to me) it's understandable why the homes are so cheap. It is almost impossible to leave your home in Petersburg and not be asked for money. Danville sounds too much like another version of Petersburg for me to keep it on my list. The stories may be funny, but when you're living them, they are not.

[LM117]

Originally Posted by ChesterVa

The stories may be funny, but when you're living them, they are not.

Ain't that the truth!

[gemstone1]

"It wasn't like I was losing sleep over it or making a mountain out of a mole hill".....nor was I...just commenting about the crime scene...

[DukeIV]

Originally Posted by ChesterVa

I love your posts on Danville, they are funny and informative and remind me of similar stories I have told about my 16 years in Petersburg. I still am curious to see Danville (will most likely drive through with my windows rolled up and doors locked) but it's hard for me to believe a place exists that is worse then Petersburg. I could walk to Southside Regional Med Ctr in Petersburg from where I use to live and my own doctor warned me to never go there. When i had a hernia operation i went to another city for it. Whether it is Danville or Petersburg it is such a shame to see places so poorly run by idiots. Petersburg has some spectacular historic homes, but with outrageous property taxes and bums coming to your front door to panhandle, not to mention public urination, defecation and open air drug dealing, I wouldn't live there again if they gave me a house for free. The worst part about these places is not just the missed potential but in the end, no matter how much you love your home, the surroundings are sooooooooooo depressing and there is no escaping them.

Chester, being one who grew up in Danville, and now living in Richmond (twenty) years. I can honestly say Petersburg is much worse than Danville.
You are correct about Petersburg having some great historic districts, and so does Danville. There is much history in both towns, but Danville is a much bettter place to live than Petersburg.
Admittedly Danville is not Richmond, Virgina Beach or NOVA, but it is a beautiful quaint town. If given the choice I'd pick Danville over Petersburg anytime. Crime is much worse in Petersburg, and the economic demographics of Petersburg are far worse.
Danville is trying very hard to grow and they are succeeding quite well for a town so small. The River District is very cool, and I love going down there while visiting the area. There are many old Tobacco warehouses and mills converted to loft apartments and condos in the area.
While Danville does have it's problems, but what town doesn't? It is still a nice place to live. There are a lot of wonderful neighborhoods in Danville, West End Estates, Windsor Heights, Forest Hills are great examples of excellent neighborhoods. I grew up in Forest Hills, and it is still a great area.
Most of the crime in Danville is in certain pockets of town, and there isn't a real problem in any of the other areas. Examples of dangerous areas North Danville, Kemper Road area, Druid Hills, and parts of Grove Park now, but Grove Park years ago used to be an excellent upper-middle-class neighborhood.
North Danville has always for the most part been a working class area, and there's nothing wrong with working class people. at least I hope not because my dad's family is working class and most of them have at some point worked at Dan River Mills. My mom's parent's had two live-in servants, but my dad's mother was penniless.
My favorite grandmother was my dad's mother because she was a great lady and treated me like an angel.
About North Danville when I was a child (41 now) it was a nice place to live. There were many executives according to my grandmother who lived on North Main Street proper because a lot of the houses on North Main are large and the further you got from North Main the less money you made working in the mill.
However, it is a horrific place now and I am afraid to go up there during the day, and I live in Richmond. In the event anyone wonders, I live in the city of Richmond, not the suburbs. :-)
So you know Petersburg well, and I thought I'd give you a more positive view of Danville.
In reference to the person from Goldsboro, I got the impression he was comparing Danville to Goldsboro. It is funny to think of comparing a real town the size of Danville to a small commnuity like Goldsboro.

[LM117]

Originally Posted by DukeIV

In reference to the person from Goldsboro, I got the impression he was comparing Danville to Goldsboro. It is funny to think of comparing a real town the size of Danville to a small commnuity like Goldsboro.

Your impression is wrong. At no point in any of my posts in this thread did I compare Danville to Goldsboro, so I don't see what's funny. I'm also well aware of the size difference in terms of square mileage, thanks, although I'm not sure what that has to do with anything. If you or anybody else likes Danville, that's fine. To each his own.

[sregorat3]

Originally Posted by DukeIV

In reference to the person from Goldsboro, I got the impression he was comparing Danville to Goldsboro. It is funny to think of comparing a real town the size of Danville to a small commnuity like Goldsboro.

Goldsboro is just a bit smaller than Danville, but is in the center of a county that has a much larger population than Pittsylvania. Goldsboro is also growing faster than Danville (not to hard, since Dvegas has seen a decline in population). All things being equal, Goldsboro has a lot more going for it economically than does Danville and most people would assume that it is the slightly larger city.

[Mark5678]

I am in my 40s and while my work puts me outside Danville, my family still enjoys living in Danville where I grew up. To provide a frame of reference, I work around DC and placed my children in Danville because it is such a good area to raise children.

The trick is that the city has decayed, but the quality of life in the surrounding County is pretty good. All the new, nicer suburbs are outside the city limits.

Most of the successful families tend to have strong ties to the Christian community. To get real feel for the city you need to visit the churches which have a strong presence in the city and county. When I shoped for a nice home a few years ago in Danville, every home we visited had numerous bibles and Christian literature scattered about.

There are pubs to go to in the evening. However, the Hooters which is coming has generated some push back from the conservative community. If you want to see a concert or do something wilder go just over an hour south to Greensboro.

When shopping at the mall or the nearby chain stores about a forth of the people will be wearing Christian T shirts.

That said, sadly the economic decline has taken a toll. Some neighborhoods in the city have been hit very hard. My guess is some in those communities feel disconnected from the area and crime has grown.

hwy 29 is considered the alternate north south hwy and as such drugs do move through the city. there have been issues even though the drugs tend to mainly pass through the city.

The shooting of the doctor is very troubling because it was in an area of the city with nicer, though older homes. The shooting was in walking distance to the main city park were the yearly festivals occur.

my family uses the hospital and they know the doctors. maybe there is a difference because they know which doctor to call when needed... one doctor did mess up a surgery on my mom's back, but he is no longer there. my wife was in there years ago for gall bladder surgery and we had a good experience. my Grandmother was in there for a stroke a few years and they did well.

with my wife, we had 4 or 5 pastors stop by while she was there. not because we called them, but because they were doing their normal hospital rounds.. I thought it was cool.

the hospital night crew was a bit unprofessional though.

sadly I must admit that I have heard of and witnessed racism in the area, it is NOT a major problem, but there are some concerns (I have seen it once over the last 3 years). it angers me and I push back at the ones doing it if I see it, i am white. the community in general does NOT tolerate this behavior.

the police statements offer some hope as they indicate a desire and willingness to address some problems found in the troubled city neighborhoods. the counter cultures that foster crime need to be directly dealt with.

I saw the start of these problems in the city high-school when I went there. too many excuses made for kids acting up.

[TN Lily]

Did they ever arrest anyone for the doctor's shooting? Has he recovered? What about the neighbor who came out to help and got shot too?

[LM117]

Originally Posted by TN Lily

Did they ever arrest anyone for the doctor's shooting? Has he recovered? What about the neighbor who came out to help and got shot too?

No idea. There's been no further mention of it. The local news usually doesn't give any more updates unless there's an arrest, so I'm pretty sure the guy who shot the doctor still out and about.

Meanwhile, there's been 14 homicides so far this year.

Could

There have been 14 homicides in Danville this year, the highest recorded number in modern history — and the highest since 2008, when there were 11 homicides.