10 Most Dangerous Cities in the US

[nevermore]

We're number 8! We're number 8! We're number 8!

Seriously, though, Baltimore is two cities all jumbled together. There's the Wire part, which is, well, like the Wire and where like 95% of the murders happen amongst smack dealers, gang members, and the innocent bystanders who happen to live there and actually go outside; and there's the John Waters/Barry Levinson part which is awesome and quirky, has great restaurants and bars, a vibrant arts and music scene, tons of development and huge research and educational institutions.

Basically, it's a pretty awesome place to live if you have the means to stick to the latter part; if not, good fucking luck, and stay off your stoop.

 

[RoJoHen]

We're number 8! We're number 8! We're number 8!

Seriously, though, Baltimore is two cities all jumbled together. There's the Wire part, which is, well, like the Wire and where like 95% of the murders happen amongst smack dealers, gang members, and the innocent bystanders who happen to live there and actually go outside; and there's the John Waters/Barry Levinson part which is awesome and quirky, has great restaurants and bars, a vibrant arts and music scene, tons of development and huge research and educational institutions.

Basically, it's a pretty awesome place to live if you have the means to stick to the latter part; if not, good fucking luck, and stay off your stoop.

Yeah, I visited Baltimore once with a friend who insisted that we drive around and find The Wire.

 

[Goji]

As soon as I saw the thread title, I knew Oakland would be on the list. Practically every night some murder or other violent crime from there makes the news. It's just next door to Berkeley, where I went to school, and a number of my friends work there now. Including my girlfriend, who may end up living there before the end of the year. I haven't ever felt unsafe there, myself, probably because the areas where my friends work aren't as bad as some others, but it's still a little unsettling.

 

[nevermore]

We're number 8! We're number 8! We're number 8!

Seriously, though, Baltimore is two cities all jumbled together. There's the Wire part, which is, well, like the Wire and where like 95% of the murders happen amongst smack dealers, gang members, and the innocent bystanders who happen to live there and actually go outside; and there's the John Waters/Barry Levinson part which is awesome and quirky, has great restaurants and bars, a vibrant arts and music scene, tons of development and huge research and educational institutions.

Basically, it's a pretty awesome place to live if you have the means to stick to the latter part; if not, good fucking luck, and stay off your stoop.

Yeah, I visited Baltimore once with a friend who insisted that we drive around and find The Wire.

Please tell me you didn't.

Funny story. My buddy (a white guy from Annapolis) was the location scout for the Wire. He used to rent an old beater and wear his Wire gear when he scouted smackland, and that was usually enough to get the corner boys to point him in the right direction for particular sets, and also not mug or carjack him. When someone was helpful, he would give them an extra card to come and do background work for a day (which is why a lot of the background extras were so authentic - they were actual corner boys and such).

So, one day, he talked to a dealer, who pointed him toward a vacant lot that might work for a scene, gave him his extra card and went to check out the lot, which was just around the corner. About 10 minutes later, he came back around the corner and this same guy was on the ground, being fucking curb stomped by like 4 cops. I mean, this guy was getting the living shit kicked out of him. So, my buddy drives off, thinking "Woah, I guess he won't be using that extra card".

Couple days later, my buddy is on set grazing at the craft services table, and there's the same dealer, all messed up, arm in a sling, face all bruised up, eye swollen shut, stitches, the whole 9. He'd apparently managed to post like $10,000 bond to get out to do the shoot. And because he was all beat to shit, he got to be a featured extra, and actually told my buddy that it was totally worth it. I guess that says a lot about the lives these people lead, none of it good. But I still think it's a neat story.

 

[Gryffindorian]

Posted by Goji:

As soon as I saw the thread title, I knew Oakland would be on the list. Practically every night some murder or other violent crime from there makes the news. It's just next door to Berkeley, where I went to school, and a number of my friends work there now. Including my girlfriend, who may end up living there before the end of the year. I haven't ever felt unsafe there, myself, probably because the areas where my friends work aren't as bad as some others, but it's still a little unsettling.

Go, Oakland! I work for a utility company in the downtown area, though we have locations in other parts of Oakland and the Bay Area. There have been times when our security department has sent out a slew of e-mail alerts asking employees to be careful around the neighborhood in light of a reported mugging, shooting, rioting, etc. In fact, a security guard (from an external vendor) who worked at one of our facilities was fatally shot in a random drive-by shooting years ago.

I'm surprised Richmond, CA, didn't make it to the list. It's like people need to wear a bullet-proof vest just to take out the garbage.

 

[Terengo]

Rockford is a total shithole.

It really is. There's nothing redeeming about that "city," outside of the Rockford Register-Star, which is really one of the better-run print operations around.

I've enjoyed several shows at the Coronado and enjoyed my stay in the city, too.

 

[RoJoHen]

We're number 8! We're number 8! We're number 8!

Seriously, though, Baltimore is two cities all jumbled together. There's the Wire part, which is, well, like the Wire and where like 95% of the murders happen amongst smack dealers, gang members, and the innocent bystanders who happen to live there and actually go outside; and there's the John Waters/Barry Levinson part which is awesome and quirky, has great restaurants and bars, a vibrant arts and music scene, tons of development and huge research and educational institutions.

Basically, it's a pretty awesome place to live if you have the means to stick to the latter part; if not, good fucking luck, and stay off your stoop.

Yeah, I visited Baltimore once with a friend who insisted that we drive around and find The Wire.

Please tell me you didn't.

Funny story. My buddy (a white guy from Annapolis) was the location scout for the Wire. He used to rent an old beater and wear his Wire gear when he scouted smackland, and that was usually enough to get the corner boys to point him in the right direction for particular sets, and also not mug or carjack him. When someone was helpful, he would give them an extra card to come and do background work for a day (which is why a lot of the background extras were so authentic - they were actual corner boys and such).

So, one day, he talked to a dealer, who pointed him toward a vacant lot that might work for a scene, gave him his extra card and went to check out the lot, which was just around the corner. About 10 minutes later, he came back around the corner and this same guy was on the ground, being fucking curb stomped by like 4 cops. I mean, this guy was getting the living shit kicked out of him. So, my buddy drives off, thinking "Woah, I guess he won't be using that extra card".

Couple days later, my buddy is on set grazing at the craft services table, and there's the same dealer, all messed up, arm in a sling, face all bruised up, eye swollen shut, stitches, the whole 9. He'd apparently managed to post like $10,000 bond to get out to do the shoot. And because he was all beat to shit, he got to be a featured extra, and actually told my buddy that it was totally worth it. I guess that says a lot about the lives these people lead, none of it good. But I still think it's a neat story.

This story disturbs me on so many levels.

My friend and I did drive around in an attempt to find "The Wire." I had never even seen the show before, so I just trusted that he knew what he was looking for. He eventually spotted a building that looked close enough to a building from the show, so we called it good.

 

[nevermore]

^Wait, are you saying you had a hard time finding boarded up rowhouses in Baltimore?

 

[MANT!]

Stockton's place on the list is mostly due to fallout from the Crystal Meth epidemic.. (California's Central Valley actually had factories that make the stuff).

http://www.valleymeth.com/

 

[RoJoHen]

I think he was looking for the police station.

 

[nevermore]

I think he was looking for the police station.

Oh. It's on Baltimore Street. Next to the strip clubs.

 

[RoJoHen]

Of course it is.

 

[farmkid]

Jeez, what a shock. Poverty and high unemployment in every single one of these towns. Imagine my surprise.

Well, the majority of those cities have ... low employment, poverty, ...

Actually they don't. They article says they do, but looking at the statistics, they actually don't. Being curious about it, I actually went and found the statistics, and then because I'm a bit of a nerd, graphed them:

Three of the ten cities are more than two standard deviations above the mean, and five are more than one standard deviation above the mean. Looking at the graph, I would only call Stockton and maybe Rockford and Detroit outside the normal range. The average of these cities is certainly higher than the overall average, but you certainly couldn't draw the conclusion that high unemployment is the cause based on these data.

Poverty is harder to examine this way because you need to take into account regional differences in standard of living, social programs available, etc.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I'm actually surprised Newark isn't on the list.

I know Camden used to appear on lists like this.

 

[Thestral]

Yeah, I was surprised and glad not to see Camden on that list. Way to fail Philly and South Jersey, guys!

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I'm actually surprised Newark isn't on the list.

I know Camden used to appear on lists like this.

Yeah, you'd expect to see at least one NJ city on the list, wouldn't you?

 

[Alex1939]

Why are the crime rates so high in these cities? It can't just be a result of poverty or unemployment? Tasmania's median income is lower than some of these cities, though our unemployment rate is lower than all the cities.

I'm no expert on Tasmania. But I'd say a major difference and reason is diversity of population.

 

[Gaseous Anomaly]

I have lived in 6 of the 10 cities and didn't think they were that bad, not saying I'd take the wife to any of them though.

 

[Misfit Toy]

I'm actually surprised Newark isn't on the list.

I know Camden used to appear on lists like this.

Yeah, you'd expect to see at least one NJ city on the list, wouldn't you?

NJ gave the world "Jersey Shore". That is criminal in and of itself.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I know Camden used to appear on lists like this.

Yeah, you'd expect to see at least one NJ city on the list, wouldn't you?

NJ gave the world "Jersey Shore". That is criminal in and of itself.

I am forced to agree.