Official Greater Philadelphia Area Crime Thread (GPS, underground, advantage)

[Hedonism]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

The Citizen App is not legitimate. I have said this multiple times. It just scares people and in my mind was started by anti urban right wing investors.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article...n-app-freakout

The above is an informative link on why the Citizen App is not legit.

I had a friend who texted me the other week and was like. OMG someone just got stabbed in Rittenhouse park at 2 PM on Saturday because they had a notification from the Citizen App.

Well I was in Rittenhouse park at that exact time. And no one was stabbed. There wasn't a stabbing. Point blank. No police showed up. It was not in the news. No one was injured. It just did not happen. It was not legitimate, whatsoever.

The app is not legit.

If you want a legit data source on crime, go to the PhillyPolice website. They have a crime tracker map.

I encourage you to read the article and delete the app. It is just a fear mongering tool.

You're wrong. These are calls that are made to 911 ... sometimes they're 'unfounded' or didn't happen at all (sometimes). That's why people need to read the follow-ups as to what the police found.


If two people are involved in a fight and someone calls 911 and the police show up and those involved in the fight are gone, it's 'unfounded.' If someone hears gunshots and calls 911 and the police come and don't see or hear anything, it's 'unfounded.' As much as some don't want to believe these things are happening - they're happening - and frequently.
Some of the crimes do show up in the news.


I only post the stories that actually happened. I'm not posting "Forty men with knives at 8th and Chestnut."


There's no Right-wing conspiracy to bring the city down.


If I post anything that's untrue, correct me.


Thanks.

[LiveFrom215]

Center City is unfortunately seeing a measure of what many other parts of the city have been experiencing for quite some time.

Folks out in the neighborhoods are often ducking gunshots in their own homes, to a degree I can't recall since the most out of control days of the 80's/90's.

My main observations:

1) I tried to take a wait and see attitude with Krasner, and give him a good faith chance, even though I had serious reservations about him and his ideas of "reform" from day one. I'm definitely on the left of the political spectrum; but frankly it's the D.A.'s job to aggressively prosecute violent criminals, illegal weapons traffickers etc, and other threats to public safety: and to advocate forcefully for the victims of crime.

Krasner, by contrast, seems to regard his role as celebrity defense attorney for the city's criminals.

(Watching the trailer for his PBS profile: at one point he says to police (quite rightly): "maybe you shouldn't shoot unarmed people in the back!" Excellent point. I wholeheartedly agree. But many of us are wondering why he seems reluctant to apply the same standard as aggressively to vicious carjackers and brutal drug gangs?

It's not that he doesn't address very real systemic problems in criminal justice: it's that his "solutions" (like many "progressives", regarding many issues) are as over-simplistic and ham-handed as the over-policing, mass incarceration, and police militarization and corruption to which he (again, rightly) objects. Just in the opposite direction. With predictable results.

The practical effects and human consequences that his ideological tunnel vision has on quality of life in the city seem almost totally irrelevant to him. Certainly less relevant than currying "progressive" cache with the likes of Susan Sarandon.

He's been a disaster. Even worse than I would have predicted. The prototypical arrogant, self-righteous, out-of-touch, limousine liberal. And again: I'm a liberal.

I don't know much about Carlos Vega, but from what I've read so far, he does seem to understand the job, and have the will to do it right. Definitely want to hear more from him.

2) Center City is one of my favorite areas of Philly, and I'm truly saddened to see it trending (at least to a degree, in some respects. not entirely, thank goodness) toward the state it was in during it's lowest ebb days in the mid 70's-early 90's, when people often felt physically unsafe in many parts of the area. I noticed signs of this well before the covid pandemic, coinciding with Krasner's office implementing his laissez-faire doctrine, and simultaneously; more brazen open criminality gradually returning to the area in a notable manner for the first time in years. I had hoped it was just it a blip. Unfortunately, it was not.

But, having said all of that, one of the most disheartening phenomena I've noticed from some Philly posters on city-data over the years is the indifference of (some) commenters from more affluent areas of the city/region, to the plight of poor neighborhoods that have been subject to this kind of violence for years:

"Those neighborhoods don't matter. Just don't go there, and you'll be fine."

Is there "gentrification resentment" in black and brown neighborhoods? Absolutely. Is there also an attitude of dismissive condescension among gentrifiers towards those same communities, which they often arrive in with a colonial mindset, and then proceed to price out, or otherwise treat as expendable, exploitable populations ("Philly Fighting Covid" ringing any bells?): often while blithely spouting trendy social justice hashtags, with no irony or self-awareness whatsoever.

That mindset, of refusing to regard the city as a whole, of the concerns and well-being of the law-abiding citizens of the mostly black and brown working/poor parts of the city (who aren't criminals, thugs, or "animals" and mainly just want the same sense of security and opportunity others take for granted) as being relevant, or even worthy of serious consideration, is a huge part of what has kept this city from reaching it's full potential.

Now that it's spilling in to Center City etc again for the first time in many years, people are taking notice. This would be a fine time not to turn a blind eye to these issues again, once the affluent and/or gentrifying areas of the city feel secure once more, and to begin to create a renewed Philadelphia, whose long neglected poorest neighborhoods finally see some of the tangible benefits of capital investment and improved city services they've been told (for decades) would be arriving any day now.

In my view it's an obvious win-win: healthy, prosperous neighborhoods, in addition to a healthy, prosperous Center City etc (and healthy, prosperous suburbs) only enhance the long-term prospects and viability of the city/region as a whole.

Unfortunately, while the city/region are (thankfully) much less parochial than they have been in the past, the old narrow mindset of indifference (if not outright hostility) to the world beyond petty local fiefdoms of a few corners and front stoops, has by no means disappeared entirely. It's sad, because a modest adjustment to a broader perspective (on the part of all stakeholders) would, imo, yield a massive ROI, over the long-term.

I've lived here my whole life, so I'm not exactly expecting it to happen overnight.

But the first step towards positive change, is making the statement.

[thedirtypirate]

Originally Posted by rowhomecity

I encourage you to read the article and delete the app. It is just a fear mongering tool.

100%. Citizen's is only accurate for like fire calls.

[thedirtypirate]

Originally Posted by LiveFrom215

Center City is unfortunately seeing a measure of what many other parts of the city have been experiencing for quite some time.

Now that it's spilling in to Center City etc again for the first time in many years

any statistics or facts you can share? I am curious if that's true. I have spent plenty of time just walking around Center City in my over year of 'working from home' so far. I mean it's the same old same old with the bums near the convention center. I don't go down into the patco tunnel ever, but I heard it's been mucked up by people camping. Life is pretty normal outside of that from my own observations, but maybe I am missing something.



Outside the obvious massive surge in gun violence, I do find the rise in auto thefts to be concerning.



I decided the other day, I was going to vote for Vega.

[Hedonism]

Originally Posted by thedirtypirate

100%. Citizen's is only accurate for like fire calls.

Like really, it isn't.


A guy didn't get stabbed up on a SEPTA shuttle bus early this morning in Northern Liberties.


There wasn't a fatal shooting in Wissinoming last night, either.

[LiveFrom215]

Originally Posted by thedirtypirate

any statistics or facts you can share? I am curious if that's true. I have spent plenty of time just walking around Center City in my over year of 'working from home' so far. I mean it's the same old same old with the bums near the convention center. I don't go down into the patco tunnel ever, but I heard it's been mucked up by people camping. Life is pretty normal outside of that from my own observations, but maybe I am missing something.



Outside the obvious massive surge in gun violence, I do find the rise in auto thefts to be concerning.



I decided the other day, I was going to vote for Vega.

Fair point.

I don't have time to dig in to stats right now, but perhaps I should have more accurately said "the perception that crime, particularly violent crime is on the rise in Center City"; given the rioting over the summer, and recent high-profile violent robberies and other incidents around Center City, and attacks on commuters and workers in the underground concourses etc, attacks on Asian-Americans in an around Chinatown, shooting in Old City, etc.

Combined with the rise in gun violence, there is a perception that (at present) Center City, and the city in general are more unsafe than they've been in recent years.

This is by no means a Philly-only phenomena. Most large cities are experiencing these issues, to a similar or even greater degree.

I'm on my phone, rushing. I hope that makes sense.

[ilovephilly79]

Originally Posted by LiveFrom215

Fair point.

I don't have time to dig in to stats right now, but perhaps I should have more accurately said "the perception that crime, particularly violent crime is on the rise in Center City"; given the rioting over the summer, and recent high-profile violent robberies and other incidents around Center City, and attacks on commuters and workers in the underground concourses etc, attacks on Asian-Americans in an around Chinatown, shooting in Old City, etc.

Combined with the rise in gun violence, there is a perception that (at present) Center City, and the city in general are more unsafe than they've been in recent years.

This is by no means a Philly-only phenomena. Most large cities are experiencing these issues, to a similar or even greater degree.

I'm on my phone, rushing. I hope that makes sense.

It makes perfect and complete sense. A rise in shootings, carjackings, and homicides are all pretty indicative of a reduction in safety. I certainly feel less safe because of it. There is also an unsaid vibe that I get that I did not get five or six years ago in Center City.

[selhars]

This is by no means a Philly-only phenomena. Most large cities are experiencing these issues, to a similar or even greater degree.

And? I don't live in those other places. I live in Philly.

[moneymkt]

Originally Posted by ilovephilly79

It makes perfect and complete sense. A rise in shootings, carjackings, and homicides are all pretty indicative of a reduction in safety. I certainly feel less safe because of it. There is also an unsaid vibe that I get that I did not get five or six years ago in Center City.

what part of center city? The area from JFK starting at 17th to 20th and toward the parkway is still the same. What is that area called?

[LiveFrom215]

Originally Posted by selhars

And? I don't live in those other places. I live in Philly.

Uh. OK?

Congrats on your GPS working, I guess?