Submitted by Corgi_Lopsided t3_10o23hn in baltimore
Frofro69 t1_j6cq16l wrote
I grew up in Pasadena and used to think that the whole city is just a crime-ridden mess. Yet, after I left and now work in West Baltimore; a lot of the serious crimes (murders and assaults) happen to people who are actively engaged in crime. Other than that, crime in the city is crime of opportunity, just like some areas of Annapolis (Tyler Heights, Georgetown, Bywater Estates). I wouldn't be too worried based on where you live, unless it's near the more infamously redlined neighborhoods (Sandtown, Penn-North, Upton, Middle-East, etc.) Basically, if you're able to afford to not live in a neighborhood that's been left to rot by city and federal leaders (you can see them clearly) then the city has a lot to offer. Even in the less desirable areas, people are just trying to get by and survive.
Basically, don't play in the dirt, and you won't get dirty
sxswnxnw t1_j6cu84b wrote
This is accurate, and also kinder than what I wrote.
Frofro69 t1_j6cui2e wrote
Idk what you wrote, but the city really has a bad reputation so it's understandable if it wasn't that kind. Like I said, I grew up in the Dirty Dena and basically AACo looks at the city like Fallujah, or the Wild West. So that kind of thinking isn't unheard of
sxswnxnw t1_j6cymck wrote
It was more rant than productive, your summary was much better!
I have lived in the city 8 years now as a middle class 20, 30, and now 40 something black woman. Even with stints in Baltimore County and Howard County suburbs, I still choose the city.
My first apt here was in a nice area, but I had mice near the end. My rent was affordable... But I decided I valued not having mice more than the lowest possible rent. Bumped my housing budget by 200 a month, and no more mice. Since then, I have bumped my budget many times, and I am paying at least twice as much for housing as I was back in 2011, and I have not had to deal with mice since.
Similarly, If you don't want to see homeless people or poverty or want to be insulated from violent crime, bump your budget enough and you will be able to afford to live in a neighborhood where you will not. If you want dedicated off-street parking: money. If you want to be able to walk to an ice cream shop and not be visually reminded of the weight of the world, that too is just a matter of having enough money to live in a walkable neighborhood where you will not.
But first, you have to be honest with yourself. And, you have to have the money to have a high enough budget in the first place.
Frofro69 t1_j6d2om4 wrote
>But first, you have to be honest with yourself. And, you have to have the money to have a high enough budget in the first place
That's the key right there, being honest about what you want and if you can afford it. It is also a case of necessity. Even though people might not WANT to live in Sandtown or Penn-North, the cycle of generational poverty can force people to need to live in those areas because its all they can afford.
I, like many other people, grew up insulated from the world's problems and simply chose to ignore the root causes. This is a weird case for me since I'm mixed and my parents come from generations of rural poverty in the Midwest. But poverty is a different beast entirely, I could make a whole post about it and still never scratch the surface
dejureno t1_j6dc2e0 wrote
As someone who also grew up in the Dirty Dena and now lives in the city, the Fallujah comment is so accurate. Anytime I go visit my parents they always tell me to be careful in the city lol
fijimermaidsg t1_j6dv2kd wrote
I made a comment about the Fallujah analogy, which I heard from a shop owner in the city who used to live in Pakistan ... and this was during 2018-19 when the city called for a "ceasefire". Only warzones need ceasefires right? We had a mass shooting last night at the "Murder Mall" including a mother and 2 kids who were caught in the gunfire.
BUT that's outside of the Green Zones which OP has mentioned although drug-related shootings have gotten more common in Hampden lately.
In_This_To_Win_This t1_j6d9bt0 wrote
Can we pin this comment so that everyone moving to Bmore can see it and stop asking if cRiMe Is BaD iN tHe BiG cItY?
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