urbanSTL

zink wrote:5 dead, 18 wounded in Chicago this weekend.
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/3- ... 94541.html

I like how the article link is outdated since additional shooting sunday night.

I have seen MULTIPLE articles during the past 4 months on these crazy weekends in Chicago. But of course Chicago will not be ranked as a crime city at all since they dont report their numbers.

Is it time to stop reporting our crime stats so we are not longer ranked? How much money do we actually get for reporting the #s to the FBI?

I was wondering the same thing. If the unfair ranking itself causes a higher crime rate (crimes per person) in the city by driving law-abiding citizens to the county, then why would we perpetuate that? We could easily do what other cities have done and not report some category, and then we won't be ranked. Or better -- combine reporting with the county in a way the the FBI won't separate. The reporting is supposed to focus attention on the problem areas so we will address them. We get it. The focus has done it job. Attention is being applied. But going forward the misuse of the data to create a bogus "cities" ranking, where city limit penetration into suburbs vary so wildly metro-to-metro, does more harm that good.

I read a forum recently comparing St. Louis and Chicago, and posters from Chicago said they would never move to St. Louis because of the crime. (I was thinking I would never move to Chicago based on how Illinois manages the East side.) That ranking is all that most of the country seems to know about St. Louis.

No single thing hurts this region more than these misleading "top 3 most dangerous city" rankings. Getting branded with this every year hurts us more than anything. slay and Dooley should report these stats together, so they can't be separated. Doesn't the county see that they get dragged down with the city? In fact, the entire region does! Nothing is worse than being associated with Detroit. We're safer as a region than the majority of large MSA's. I'd like to see how 62 square miles of the center of every metro area compare in the US, or select only 11% of the respective region as a comparison.

Hopefully Cherokee street's revitalization can help Gravois Park, rather than Gravois Park dragging down Cherokee, however, things don't seem to be getting better there: http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Gravois- ... 43641.html

PeterXCV wrote:Hopefully Cherokee street's revitalization can help Gravois Park, rather than Gravois Park dragging down Cherokee, however, things don't seem to be getting better there: http://www.kmov.com/news/local/Gravois- ... 43641.html

Here's a map that compares St. Louis homicides to LRA properties. Obviously, the story is more nuanced than "disinvestment leads to violence," but there's certainly a case to be considered.



The largest collection of southside LRA parcels center around Gravois Park, roughly bound by Meramec to the south and Cherokee to the north. As of the May 8th Post-Dispatch murder map, five of eight total Southside murders have occurred here.

Can the popularity/growth of Cherokee curb this decline? To an extent, I'm sure, but it needs more than a business association holding the line on one single street. It needs neighborhood involvement, a focus by City departments and police, and a fairly consistent return-to-use for LRA's plots.

zink wrote:5 dead, 18 wounded in Chicago this weekend.

I have seen MULTIPLE articles during the past 4 months on these crazy weekends in Chicago. But of course Chicago will not be ranked as a crime city at all since they dont report their numbers.

Actually, on conservative television and radio, Chicago has become a lightning rod for conservatives that point out the city's high murder rate and Illinois' ban on concealed-carry weapons. I suppose they leave St. Louis alone because we're in a concealed-carry state. I take a neutral view on concealed weapons and gun control measures, in part because you really can't say a place is necessarily safer or more dangerous because of the presence or absence of these laws in my opinion. Both sides have statistics. And then there are 'lies, damn lies, and statistics'. My view is if you feel safer with a gun, go for it. If you feel safer without one, so be it. But I digress, as the root of gun-related crime goes so much farther than the mere presence of guns.

I read a forum recently comparing St. Louis and Chicago, and posters from Chicago said they would never move to St. Louis because of the crime. (I was thinking I would never move to Chicago based on how Illinois manages the East side.) That ranking is all that most of the country seems to know about St. Louis.

To put it bluntly, there are more than just a few morons in Chicago. That's why I actually find it amusing that conservative opinion shapers are so focused on it these days. I say it serves Chicago right since Illinois doesn't report violent crime consistently with the FBI's standards. Don't get me wrong, I love Chicago, but I can't believe the number of residents there (and suburban residents here) that think St. Louis is some short of $hithole and Chicago is an urban utopia. I wouldn't want to live there because Illinois' dysfunctional government makes Missouri's dysfunctional government look good.

^Not surprising that Chicago is a "lightening rod" for conservative TV and radio since their playlist is pretty much all Obama hatred all the time.

Unfortunately the current murder rate for 2013 is unlikely to hold, since more violent crimes, including murders, occur in the summer and warm weather months.

Downtown gets more police for summer-

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt ... witterfeed

Part of would like to see a bigger presence in places like College Hill and Dutchtown - but when something happens downtown, it headlines the news, similar issues in neighborhoods mentioned above hardly register a peep

beer city wrote:Part of would like to see a bigger presence in places like College Hill and Dutchtown - but when something happens downtown, it headlines the news, similar issues in neighborhoods mentioned above hardly register a peep

And when something happens outside of downtown, the news outlets call it "downtown" anyway...

Just gonna leave this here...

St. Louis has a problem with crime, yes. But I honestly feel less safe here in Olympia and even in Seattle than I do in STL. First time I was in Seattle, someone tried to steal stuff right out of the truck WHILE we were still in it! That's never happened to me in STL, but that isn't to say it doesn't happen to other people. Also, according to a recent survey, people feel less safe walking home in Seattle than in St. Louis.

^^Doesn't everyone drive home in STL?

Young Bosnian working at convenience store shot and killed by native tryna get rich.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crim ... db2af.html

Despicable. I deal with several Bosnian real estate investors south of Chippewa. Great community of hard working people. My thoughts and prayers are with them.

An arrest. You've got to wonder when the Bosnian community will start splitting the city in favor of the suburbs. That's kind of already happening right in near South County? What a disaster.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crim ... 129d1.html

^ Arresting people who kill them in cold blood at 11AM for no reason? Does that count?

All for 30 bucks

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crim ... Ic.twitter

Perp was from Ferguson I may have asked this before, but why drive half way across the metro to knock over a quick shop? seems to happen a lot.

Want to talk about the REAL gun law problem? How about a guy who was charged with unlawful USE of a firearm in 2007, robbery in 2008 and unlawful possession of a firearm in 2009. Only served 120 days in jail. Finally a young man paid with his life.

What good are stricter gun laws if you turn around and don't punish the people WHO ACTUALLY USE and POSSESS them illegally?