I Regret Moving To Baltimore!!!!!!!! (Parkville, Rosedale: how much, homes, neighborhood)

[choeck1]

ok, i'm not even sure where to begin here, but let me just say that moving into the city and not expecting to hear about crime is naive, extremely naive. my family and i have been city residents for a long time and i have seen boundless positive changes! i remain hopeful, but i also know it will take years for a serious turnaround. among my group of friends, young professionals and families, all well educated; the city is the place to be...yes, like most cities, there is crime, but there is also so much beauty in this city! museums, parks, lakes, farmers markets etc, and people are taking note of that and are more active now then ever!
and i will also say that i grew up in baltimore county and experienced more crime there then i ever have in the city...i was the victem of two break-ins and my father's car was stolen twice. i also worked at a local ice cream shopped that was robbed frequently, and had at least 2 friends that were mugged, and i lived in an affluent part of the county!
i really do believe that if enough people want these changes and work for them, that we can see change!

ps-i hope you all voted! (unfortunately, the people i voted for didn't win)

[PigtownNotSafe]

The first bit of Violence that I ever experienced in Pigtown ... I was about 7, and I was walking to the store with a dollar in my hand (the store was at the end of my block) .. across the street were two guys, one of them noticed, I guess, that I was carrying a dollar ... they had to be in their late 20s early 30s ... he ran over, grabbed me, threw me onto the ground, and grabbed my head and slammed it repeatedly into the pavement ... ripped the money out of my hand and walked, casually, back across the street. I got up and had to hobble my way back to my house, no one who witnessed it helped me at all ... the police were called, no one said anything. Though, I suppose I should be asking myself why that happened to me.

20 years later, after countless other horrors have happened to me and my family, I dare-say I'm qualified to say it's not a nice place. (the most recent bit of violence, before I left, all the windows were smashed out of my car, and the ignition was ripped out, luckily my engine has a kill switch so they couldn't steal it.)

[choeck1]

pigtownNOTSAFE,
i'm sorry if i insulted you and i am SO sorry about all you have experienced! i am not very familiar with pigtown, so i am not disagreeing with what you are saying at all. i am just speaking from the areas where i have lived!

[barante]

For eleven years, I lived on Union Square, which is perhaps ten blocks from Pigtown. Two of the car mechanics I have used have both been in Pigtown. One sold his garage and adjoining properties a year ago. Ovepriced townhouses now sprout on those lots. I never had any problems with the work he performed. But he had terrible trouble hiring good help. One of his best mechanics would disappear frequently to jail and ultimately died of drug abuse.
The other one, Fritz Auto, still operates. I have been totally satisfied. His mechanics are stable. The shop is professional, has modern computer testing equipment and its prices are reasonable.
I think one has to consider the starting point. As Professor Garrett Power of the University of Maryland Law School has documented, Pigtown is the oldest surviving slum in Baltimore. Some might object to such charaterization but parts of Pigtown even today qualify as a slum. More recently, Pigtown experienced an influx of Appalachians during WWII and in the 1950s. (I remember spending a deligthful evening at a corner bar called Zebylon -- as in N.C. -- where neighborhood kids were trying to learn to rockabilly).
Everything that PigtownNotSafe says is true. But that's only part of the overall picture. The cited childhood incident could have happened in any neighborhood. More recent experiences clearly have magnified the trauma of those memories.
Having said that, I know people who live in Pigtown and seem quite satisfied with it. In fact, I remember talking to a fire lieutenant who operates/used to operate a laundromat at the corner of Washington Boulevard and Ostend. He said that regardless of what I or any other outsider might see there is plenty of money in Pigtown. Except that a Pigtowners idea of a good time is to go to a boxing match, or tractor pull, or some music bar in Brooklyn, or own a boat.
Because loction is everything in real estate, Pigtown has been the object of much speculation recently. Ratty, narrow rowhouses have been redone. Until recently, when reality finally caught up with the housing market, ridiculous prices were asked for such rehabbed properties.
Pigtown is a tough proposition, but it is making progress. There is lots of crime and drugs, but much of it is hard to classify. For example, for a long time Pigtown's real drug problem was sniffing glue. Many have now graduated to crack and heroin.
Would I buy a house in Pigtown? Unlikely. Having lived on Union Square I am done with noise issues -- like cars blasting earthshaking bass tremor at 4 a.m. in the morning -- and other nuisances. Parking is a problem.
Also, let's face it, I'm not as young as I used to be. But if I were younger and found a good property with a good price tag, why not!

[carolott]

Originally Posted by PigtownNotSafe

Carol - Ask myself why? As if it's my fault I've had bad experiences? Ok, let me respond.

My mother grew up in this neighborhood when it was a decent place to live. Everyone in my mother's family lived in this neighborhood ... I've lived in Pigtown since birth, as has my brother.

Neither one of us are intro drugs, however, we've watched our friends go down those paths and get killed, rather ruthlessly.

There is a place on the corner of Washington Blvd and Ostend called "Smittys", which was the corner where for many years all the drug dealers hung out ... one of my brother's friends had his head blown clean off with a shotgun on that corner.

Why were my experiences bad? Because I refused to make or stay friends with drug dealers or junkies, and because of that, I was an outsider.

Anyone that says that Pigtown isn't a Ghetto is living in a dreamworld.

Your experiences here may be wonderous, but don't push Pigtown as if it's a magical fairyland where all your dreams can come true.

I remember when we had to have a huge town meeting, with the mayor, at #34 school because a woman and her husband were walking home at 2am just a few doors down from their friend's house, and two guys jumped out and shot her in the head for 17 cents. And that was *after* they already knew she only had 17 cents.

My brother has been shot at multiple times, not because he's a dealer or anything like that, but because he's walked past the wrong alleys at the wrong time (in broad daylight and at night).

The prostitute problem here is outrageous. The drugs are insane. Practically every month the mobile police trailer unit is parked at the top of my mother's block.

Pigtown may be headed to some massive turnaround, and if so great, but for the entire 27 years I lived there (and I've only just left finally), it's been the scariest place I've ever been to.

My cousin worked at a shop on Washington BLVD not far from yours, which was robbed, at gunpoint, at least practically every month, until she had to quit because she was afraid for her kids.

Pigtown is not a safe place, no matter how you like to push it ... and it's not because of something *I* did.

The fact that you took my post to mean that I was somehow blaming you for your experiences is just sad. That wasn't my intention, certainly, and I'm sorry I even entered into this discussion. Your snide "magical fairyland" remark was uncalled for, frankly. You have your experiences and I have mine, period.

[PigtownNotSafe]

@Carol: If I misunderstood your intent, then I apologize and ask you to explain the context of "then you need to ask yourself why" to clear it up for me.

@Choeck: Nothing I said was directed at you. No worries :-)

@Barante: Your statment of "Except that a Pigtowners idea of a good time is to go to a boxing match, or tractor pull, or some music bar in Brooklyn, or own a boat." blew my mind ... I can honestly say, I've never met a pigtowner who had those as their idea of a good time. Granted, I haven't met every pigtowner, but I'm going to have to disagree with that statement.

And yes, my childhood experiences left me with a negative view of the town, as well did every other experience ... because, aren't are experiences what make us think of a town as safe or unsafe? If not, then what? And yes, violence like that could happen in any town, I'm not saying Pigtown is more violent than anywhere else, just that in general, it is not a safe place.

I know that most all of my family has finally moved out of pigtown. And I'm thankful for that.

I don't think even Carol could honestly say, that if her 7 year old son was attacked and ruthlessly beaten by a junkie for a single dollar, that she'd feel totally safe letting him walk the streets any longer. So, yes, all of my experiences in Pigtown color my viewpoint of Pigtown not being safe .. all of my families experiences there, my friends experiences, the murders of my friends, etc, color my viewpoint of it not being safe.

I'm sorry, but if those things happen, then it's not a safe place, whether your experiences differ or not.

[barante]

PigtownNotSafe -- I, too, have never tried to establish what Pigtown residents do for fun. But the mechanic who sold his business to a housing developer thought that good time meant going to a boxing match in Glen Burnie. Or to Ocean City.
A handyman I used for lots of years (before he moved from Pigtown to Dundalk) used to go to tractor pulls and the Bolero on Hanover Street.
The fire lieutenant was a boater.
I would classify all these as constructive hobbies. Not for me but, hey, they wouldn't be interested in my pursuits, either.

[carolott]

What do we do for fun? The same as most folks, I guess. I walk around the neighborhood and talk with neighbors....go to parties...invite people over for dinner...watch movies...read books....the usual stuff. Nothing fancy, certainly, but most of the people I know work full-time (or are full-time students) and some have kids...so free time is precious.

[gcbrowning]

Hello,

My name is Geoff Browning and I am a college student in Baltimore. I read your post about your husband's "badge number" experience. On Saturday the 15th, a close friend and I were assaulted by a BCPD police officer after requesting his badge number. We were subsequently detained for 8 hours without charge, formal arrest, mirandization, or opportunity to appear before a commissioner. As a result, I missed a VERY important school event, and my college class presidency, judicial status, good standing, and credibility are now in jeopardy.

There are MANY more appalling circumstances to this situation, and five EXTREMELY credible eye witnesses. Seeing as I have great interest at stake, I am taking the issue to the mayor, the Baltimore DA, police commissioner, city council, applicable neighborhood associations, and possibly even the Baltimore Sun's editorial staff. Sheila Dixon promises to fight crime, and if our situations aren't at least addressed, this could be a PR fiasco for her.

I am looking for others who understand my grievance. Even if you don't want to play a part in my "campaign" here, PLEASE CALL ME to discuss what happened in your case. I would love to credibly know that my case isn't one of a kind.

I have sent you my cell number in a private message on this board. My e-mail is gcbrowning@loyola.edu . PLEASE CALL!!!

- Geoff

[chicaboom]

My experience as a Baltmorean both in Fed Hill and now the Fells Point area...you pretty much should mind your own P's and Q's and MYOB.

If you hear something, really, esp. like gunshots. Really, you don't open the door at nite when someone unexpected is knocking on your door at 5 am. Good Samaritans in real life can get shot. No good deed-- when it's nunya, goes unpunished. You look over your shoulder at all times when the sun goes down. I had a neighbor, friendly, we talked movied on/off, he was from NYC, artistic oriented. I invited him up to my apt to hang out and watch a film of a filmmaker friend, just let me know when. He recommended movies as I was on my way to the neighborhood video store (now defunct). That was one journey. Another journey, I woke up to do laundry one day, and there was a flurry of activity outside. In the first scenarios, I got some loud banging on my door early morning--I ignored it, cuz I had 2 other occasions where someone was banging on my door, one time one when I yelled thru the door--one even claimed to be looking for 'Joe' or somebody...the door had no peephole. The front door was the only way out in my upstairs apt, except jumping out a window if needed many feet below. In any event--it was the police that day, I'll never forget, cuz I was on auto-ignore, the way you must live in a big city with thriving nite life and all kinds of people including vampires who only get out at nite ( I was expecting the same stupid interaction--I'm looking for 'Joe' or something. But it was the police. And I said, "Yeah? What?" They actually said "Open up!" And I thought if this didn't have the markings of a sabotage all over it...I wasn't dressed, I peeked out the window, and sure enough, there was a small group of men in black looking official and pumped up. I got dressed, had to tell them wait a minute--again, I opened the door looking exactly like Bed Head incarnate. And it turns out...they were looking for someone who's a fugitive. I said, I don't really know anyone around here. And I probably don't know who they're looking for--and the SGt said, well, we have a picture here..could you take a look...I wiped the sleepy out of my eyes some more...and " ..okay..i'll take a look, but--That looks like X!" ...and it was my movie buff neighbor from NYC. the magician. ..I pointed out where the guy lived. i was amazed that someone could actually do a sketch--and capture someone that well. you see TV and film stuff, but you don't imagine someone can really identify someone well enough and convey it to a etch-a- 'sketch' artist. I thought the neighbor maybe was in trouble as in maybe living the artist in distress lifestyle--suicide or something self absorbed and dramatic like that. So i asked the sgt, "Is he okay?" and the Sgt looked at me (handsome as the devil cop, like some are, prior military in stuff...)...and the guy said, "between you and me, this guy is a pedophile"...i went into shock...and said something typical like, 'a pedophile? oh my God...he seemed so nice...i can't believe it...' and i asked if he's dangerous (i almost had this guy over for a movie and hang out--in my apt with one door for escape)...the sgt said "..i can't get into details...but this guy is very dangerous...."
suffice to say, i couldn't wait to move, esp. as they could not locate the guy.
the other scenario, i came out of the apt one morning to do my laundry...and there was a lot of hubbub. a cop car....an ambulance...and the legs of some man laying on the ground being looked down on by a circle of cops....a trail of blood winding down away from him.
rumor was a biker got into a bad drug deal, and he was chased down and stabbed on the street. the guy lived.
In both scenarios, this was Federal Hill. In both cases, it was almost like undercover crime. nobody in the immediate vicinity got hurt, and the crime was self contained. nobody randomly attacked or anything. lot of noise in Fed Hill.
But if someone was chasing the biker dude down, and I saw him bleeding on the street--I don't think I'd get involved. In all other cases where I saw something going down...a number of fights took place in Fed Hill near Maria D's, for example. I didn't get involved, I called the authorities, and kept a low profile.

I'm not too carefree as before living in other areas outside of a big city, so I've been pretty lucky. I'll say this, I'm a female. I have walked in the city solo at nite, and have done so even against better judgment after having drinks. Nothing happened to me. If Bmore were as bad as people fear, I should've been at least raped a dozen times, stabbed, shot--because someone could have. It didn't happen. I've walked home after some drinks in the Broadway Corridor as well as Fed Hill and even Downtown, and nobody dragged me down an alley, savaged me and left me for the rats or anything crazy. I'm a small, petite female, so if Bmore were a crazy city full of predators and horrible crimes, why haven't I been robbed, raped, shot, knocked out or something? Because Bmore as a crazy crime city is out of context, and is another stereotype at play. I actually did have someone in Fed Hill tell me (white male of much privilege with a rooftop 'disco' floor to match his rooftop patio decor) that the prevalent Bmore crime is in the drug areas, and/or about drugs. Even if it's next to a more upscale neighborhood, apparently it doesn't come often into that area. Hence Fed Hill college people running amok, slurringly drunk, at all hours of the nite and not getting robbed, raped, etc. (nevermind lack of deserved DUIs, DWIs, disorderly conduct citations) from less privileged surrounding neighborhoods.

My experience in the city is you have to be mindful as any place. You mind your biz. Drug deals that go bad, don't involve you, so don't get involved. I did have a guy I didn't know at a diner downtown give me some 'schooling' one morning while I awaited my breakfast to go. I'm not sure if maybe he saw me walking at nite, unbeknownst to me. He said when walking, walk in the street on the side of cars, preferably against the flow of traffic. He said the eyes in the sky can't see you if you're on the sidewalk and someone is waiting between cars to grab you. In the street oncoming cars can see you, but they can't stop because they're going the wrong way, principally. I've heard the same logic for biking against the flow, or get into the traffic to be visible. In any event. The guy also said in the event a woman is attacked, here in Bmore, don't fight back, because people here will kill you, so better to live another day and recover than not make it at all. Suffice to say, I don't get out and about like I did when I lived in a smaller community, but overall...there are areas of drama and violence, and basically, I don't live in those areas, and where there are pockets, I stay out of harm's way and don't volunteer to get involved.

by the way, that guy in Fed Hill, he looked like the avg college age guy, he fit right in. and only a slight 'hmm' crossed my mind when we were talking one day and a neighbor woman with her young son walked by, and dude stopped midtalk to comment to them...the boy had tripped and put his hand in a puddle--and the dude said something like it'll be okay or something, the water's from the rain...i told the mom about the guy and the police after that...but really, isn't that what upscale Fed Hill neighborhood association's should be doing? informing its residents...on their website, I don't even think they discuss crime or crime prevention, etc. But if you asked some people about the Broadway, Baltimore St., they'd make snap judgments based on appearances and stereotypes. In both cases, the above guys were not minority men.