is there an outbreak of armed robberies in your town?

[datasuspect]

i live in a smaller sized town in southeast texas.

the largest city is 100 miles away, namely houston.

next city closer than that is about 130,000 people. but there seems to be an assload of robberies (stores, people filling their gas tanks, people going into convenience stores) and some kidnappings.

it seems anomalous. this area is very law and order, with at least 5 overlapping police jurisdictions, and quite a few prisons.

i notice the two shitty newspapers have at least two stories per day related to this activity. the local news outlets on tv skip over this.

plus the crackheads rip off anything that isn't tied down.

[musette_sf]

1. blame the Patriot Act --

-- the portion of it that requires allergy sufferers to be treated like criminals and rationed when they purchase their so-called "over the counter" medication.

the meth heads can't easily get some Sudafed anymore to cook up a personal batch.

they're not going to stop doing meth.

so now they rob people and the money goes to the Mexican drug dealers. (aka Bu$hCo Associates)

it's happening in my area too.

[shance]

10. And the Bush recruited organized stalkers.

n/t

[freeplessinseattle]

2. Yes! and one just down the street from me recently

they think it was the same guy who has been going to various restaurants around Puget Sound, but this was the first time he shot someone (bartender knocked the gun away from him, then the robber picked it and shot him in the arm). Nice, homey popular neighborhood restaurant, the last place you would ever feel unsafe.

does coincide with the methheads I've seen hanging out at the bus shelter the last month. they went away for well over a year but are baaa-ck

[datasuspect]

6. is that king county?

i heard the meth situation is epidemic in that area.

kinda like a tweaker's shangri la.

[freeplessinseattle]

17. I don't know why, guess Seattle's too mellow for them

now I'm nervous just unloading groceries from my car.

and they stink up the bus shelter sometimes. supposedly meth smells like cat piss, I'm not sure if that's just when cooking it or also when smoking, but I know what cat pee smells like and the bus shelter smell is similar but different, and way worse.

[Matariki]

13. Damn! Where was that?

[freeplessinseattle]

16. Serafina (In Eastlake)

really shocked me, too.

[Rosemary2205]

3. Here it's methheads and gangs.

I am not small town, I'm suburb of Atlanta. My particular suburb inherited a whole bunch of section 8ers when the Olympics came to town and they tore out most of the projects in Atlanta to make better use of the land. We've also seen a big influx of immigrant gangs. Over the last 3 years it's gotten to the point where I hear gunshots at least once a month - sometimes more often.

Since 1996 we've moved from being a solidly middle class area to having more than 60% of our residents living at or below the poverty level. Anyone who can afford to move to a better place has already done so. The county is desperately trying to attract more affluent people by requiring all new homes built be over 2500 sq ft and they are selling - but our schools are so awful it is holding the growth back.

[datasuspect]

4. so i guess they did "economic cleansing" in atlanta too . . .

are you in an inner ring suburban area?

[Rosemary2205]

9. I'm just outside the perimeter

the county I live though - the farther one gets from the perimeter the better it gets.

I don't have anything against section 8ers. Nothing at all. Quite frankly, given my drastic change in economic status 5-6 years ago, if my house weren't previously paid for, then I would have ended up begging for public help too for a few years.

I have to say, I was GLAD they were tearing out the projects. Putting the needy all in one place attracts problems, lowers opportunities, and keeps people from simply dreaming bigger. The propaganda sold at the time was that by switching everyone to section 8 they would be spread out throughout the metro area, mixed up in the middle class population and therefore would have better education and employment opportunties. But they didn't get spread out. They got concentrated all together same as before in a part of town with plentiful inexpensive apartments and homes. Nothing was done for those needing public help and those of us here in this part of world got screwed additionally.

Stupid.

[butterfly77]

5. Could some of these people be...

people who have lost jobs,been outsourced and homeless and don't give a damn anymore.

[datasuspect]

7. i imagine

homelessness does a lot to make you lose your grip with reality.

hunger (for dope or food) is a great motivator.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Lately there have been a spate of them in northern New Jersey.

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk3MTUzODcw

[pitohui]

11. er, yeah, no *censored* sherlock

i live in the greater new orleans area, so yeah, there is an "outbreak" of murder, carjacking, boldly going into bars and pharmacies and holding the place up and shooting/killing anyone who resists, fuck, even sports stores are robbed if they have guns for sale

i'm damn tired of the crackheads, since they can't be cured, at this point i'm ready to say execute 'em all and start over (i know, not the right thing to do, take it as an expression of weariness and not a real desire)

[datasuspect]

18. no shit sherlock

i'm pretty sure i was asking a question and not making an assertion.

as to your actual point, new orleans is unique.

i know i should probably spell out every qualification, but i was more or less talking about smaller TOWNS rather than larger CITIES like NOLA.

still, i've heard some rather nasty tales about what goes on in that place.

[Bluzmann57]

12. No, but there's been a lot of fights

I blame it on assholishness. The other night, a car load of punks beat the shit out of a young lady over some road rage bullshit. It seems like it was around 8 on 2 or 3. She is in a coma. 21 years old and in a coma. The police have arrested eight people so far. I hope these fuckers go away for a long long time.

[fishnfla]

14. 24 hour drug stores getting hit eom

[RB TexLa]

15. I don't guess. a couple of guys tried to rob me a couple of weeks ago, but they were stupid didn't

even have a gun.

[trof]

19. Sure seems like it here.

Baldwin County, AL.
About an hour from Mobile or Pensacola.