Are You Concerned About Scranton's 2008 Violent Crime Wave? (Philadelphia, Allentown: middle-class, appointed)

[SteelCityRising]

Sadly I must say that I'm not surprised to have arisen this morning to have logged onto the Scranton Times-Tribune's website only to learn about even more violent crime occurring in the Electric City. In 2006 not only Scranton but also Lackawanna County (pop. 200,000+ may I add) laid claim to have had incurred 0 murders. Now in 2008 violence is out-of-control in Scranton.

Here's three more fine examples of why I worry that Mayor Doherty doesn't have his city's residents best interests at heart when he discusses slashing public safety budgets in order to balance the budget:

1. A group of teenaged minority thugs wearing blue bandanas (sounds suspect of gang-related activity to me) barged into a home along Mulberry Street in the city's Hill Section in a botched robbery attempt. Two young male occupants of the home were held hostage at gunpoint until a third male occupant came storming down the hallway with another gun to defend himself. The thugs then fled, obviously not expecting to be confronted with victims who were likewise packing heat because NEPA's crime rate has been skyrocketing in recent months.
2. A 22-year-old University of Scranton student was roughed up and mugged while walking along the 400-block of North Webster Avenue. Unbelievably enough this occurred just ONE BLOCK from where I initiated my first Hill Section photo tour with all of the stately historic homes with BMWs and Jaguars parked out front, indicating that the crime is now spreading into more upscale areas as well.
3. Manning's Dairy Ice Cream Shop was held up at gunpoint with the suspect only making off with tip-jar money and a purse.

This comes on the heels of the other day when one of my professors indicated that his home in Green Ridge had been burglarized and that a neighbors' home had actually had property stolen. Once again this is in a very affluent area of the city. We also have the case of the elderly man whose daily morning walk around downtown ended with him having his throat slit at random (in what I suspect might have been part of a gang initiation, since gangs ARE becoming a major problem now in NEPA, contrary to what you all might say).

What the hell is going on in Scranton? As if this recent violent crime wasn't enough, I recently visited downtown and had to say I was SORELY disappointed by the lack of redevelopment projects I saw occurring after not having been downtown in many months. Where's Jefferson Pointe? Where's St. Peter's Square? Where's the Sixth Avenue Condos? Where's the Connell Building? I'm not trying to turn this into a "bash Scranton fest" as I know Dan, Ed, and some others can do that well enough on their own, but I'm seriously reconsidering my decision to move to Scranton to raise my family since even the NICE NEIGHBORHOODS are falling prey to this crime. I have an interview on Monday for a position in Philadelphia, and pending a successful outcome I just may accept it and make plans to live in a downtown loft. Even in Center City Philadelphia, which has a population in that neighborhood alone much larger than the ENTIRE city of Scranton, there isn't this much violent crime occurring. You can't get the Guardian Angels on the streets soon enough for me!

P.S. How does it feel, Scranton, for the first time in decades to actually have to say that Wilkes-Barre has had a LOWER VIOLENT CRIME RATE this year? Isn't that saying something? What is Wilkes-Barre doing RIGHT that Scranton is NOT doing? Don't blame this on population either. Yes, Scranton has 30,000 more residents than Wilkes-Barre, but the latter also has a much larger immediate metro population than Greater Scranton.

What needs to be done to take back the city's streets before the city's impending renaissance is quashed as nervous middle-class residents flee en masse again to South Abington?

[weluvpa]

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

You don't say, Dan! Wow! Don't make me put duct tape over your mouth!

[SifuPhil]

Originally Posted by ScranBarre

You can't get the Guardian Angels on the streets soon enough for me!

Unfortunately the renowned Valley Apathy is showing up in regards to the Angels -

A quiet night for the rookie Angel | Wilkes-Barre News | The Times Leader

They claim that a few people called to join but then never showed up for training. Probably a special going on at the all-you-can-eat buffet...

[weluvpa]

I honestly don't think that the angels would make that much of a difference and like I have said before the SPD doesn't have enough cars on any shift to handle the calls they get now, what are they going to do when the angels start calling them every hour.

Doherty's desire and obession with breaking the unions in the city is costing the residents dearly in public safety and he could care less. He doesn't care about our safety.......All he wants is to break the unions, period!


IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO GET WORSE LONG BEFORE IT GETS ANY BETTER!

[SifuPhil]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

I honestly don't think that the angels would make that much of a difference and like I have said before the SPD doesn't have enough cars on any shift to handle the calls they get now, what are they going to do when the angels start calling them every hour.

I understand the limitations of the SPD, but as I mentioned in another thread it is the INTIMIDATION FACTOR that really does the job, not actual arrests. The bad guys don't like witnesses and they don't like when their work becomes too risky. Intimidate them with sufficient numbers and they'll move to better hunting grounds.

[weluvpa]

Thats the problem here in Scranton they just move the criminals from neighborhood to another. It used to be the Hill Section then the increased police presence and regular foot patrols drove the bad element over to Southside and now its there. So where do we drive them to now?

This city is weak, the people are apathetic as can be and the SPD is being systematically dismantled by the mayor in hopes of breaking the union, so we have a city that is basically free for criminals to do what they want when they want and it will get to the point that they will not be afraid of unarmed citizens because they will have learned that there really is no one to stop them when it comes down to it.

[SifuPhil]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

Thats the problem here in Scranton they just move the criminals from neighborhood to another. It used to be the Hill Section then the increased police presence and regular foot patrols drove the bad element over to Southside and now its there. So where do we drive them to now?

Down to Wilkes-Barre?

Kind of like a relay race - you hand them off to us, we'll hand them off to Allentown, they'll carry them down to Philly...hopefully they'll end up in the Atlantic somewhere.

This city is weak, the people are apathetic as can be and the SPD is being systematically dismantled by the mayor in hopes of breaking the union, so we have a city that is basically free for criminals to do what they want when they want and it will get to the point that they will not be afraid of unarmed citizens because they will have learned that there really is no one to stop them when it comes down to it.

Well, there's the answer then - get an active NRA group there and start offering classes in self-defense! For those who claim that they could never take another person's life, well...

...they can be the sacrificial lambs. Or the practice targets.

[weluvpa]

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?


I agree but people have been so trained that the sight of a gun is a bad thing, nevermind using one or learning how to...

[SifuPhil]

Originally Posted by weluvpa

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Una salus victis nullam sperare salutem...

I agree but people have been so trained that the sight of a gun is a bad thing, nevermind using one or learning how to...

*sigh* Don't I know it...