Posted on 12/07/2005 10:53:13 PM PST by texasguitarslim
MSNBC.com Most dangerous city? Ranking says Camden N.J. city's mayor blasts report; "We're doing so many nice things now"
The Associated Press Updated: 9:24 a.m. ET Nov. 21, 2005
CAMDEN, N.J. - For the second year in a row, this destitute city has been named the nation's most dangerous, according to a company's annual ranking based on crime statistics.
Last year, the distinction seemed to hurt city boosters' feelings more than it harmed revitalization efforts. This time, city leaders are offended by the ranking, calling it unfair.
"We're doing so many nice things now. It's unfortunate that somebody always wants to bad-mouth Camden," Mayor Gwendolyn Faison said.
The city took the top spot last year from Detroit, which remained No. 2 in the most dangerous city rankings, to be released Monday....
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
It's too bad that Mayor Gwendolyn Faison thinks people are trying to "bad mouth Camden." I just want to bad mouth the writer. "The city's aquarium doubled in size and a new library and technology center were built. Tourism continues to increase along the river, home to the aquarium, an amphitheater, a minor-league baseball park and a retired battleship." Wow! And the police are using computers to solve crimes.
Why is the crime rate so high in Camden and the other cities listed? "By most measures, it is also among the nation's poorest." That must be it.
Here are some boring statistics courtesy of the 2000 Census. I will list each city from the AP's top and bottom ten then show some percentages of the population by race (not that race could have anything to do with high or low crime rates).
Camden (53.3% black – 16.8% white); Detroit (81.6% black – 12.3% white); St. Louis (51.2% black – 43.8% white); Flint (53.3% black – 41.4% white); Richmond (57.2% black – 38.3% white); Baltimore (64.3% black – 31.6% white); Atlanta (61.4% black – 33.2% white); New Orleans (67.3% black – 28.1% white); Gary (84% black – 11.9% white); and Birmingham (73.5% black – 24.1% white).
The safest cities listed are: Newton, Mass.; Clarkstown, N.Y.; Amherst, N.Y.; Mission Viejo, Calif.; Brick Township, N.J.; Troy, Mich.; Thousand Oaks, Calif.; Round Rock, Texas; Lake Forest, Calif.; and Cary, N.C. The respective percentage of population that is white is 88, 79.9, 89.3, 83.2, 93.8, 82.3, 85.1, 76.8, 76, and 82.2.
Again, I'm not saying that race is or is not a cause of crime but I think it is a crime when a news organization eliminates facts from a news story or does not look for the facts in the first place.
The problem with Camden must be the 29.9% of the population from Mars.
I was born and raised in NJ.....and as soon as I was raised had the good sense to spend the next 30 years in Alaska and never go back. One thing I thought of when hearing this story was how even 20 years ago Camden NJ was referred to as the "Plywood covered storefront capital of America". What a dump, but then sop is the rest of the state.
You are pointing out statistical fact that will none the less not endear you to many here. Some folks would prefer not to talk about this.
Good luck
Personally, I like statistical facts. Even if the facts are not what I want to see, hear, observe. Facts are facts. Some folks live in a dream world, others prefer not to; and like to deal with reality.
How dare we call them dangerous, they wrote a childrens book
I'm with you but some here get really loud when this is pointed out and some folks get nervous
and ..well....you know the rest
Looked at other ways, you could say that "danger" is directly linked to poverty, educational standards, etc. Also, if you look closely at the list, you'll note that all those cities are declining "smoke stack" cities the white population fled in search of jobs or lifted their kids out of the blue collar life.
If it's about poverty then why aren't the worst murder rates in Appalachia?
African Americans commit more crimes per person than other groups. That is a fact.
Not only that, if you watch your local news and they show an arrest for a crime, ask for help in locating a criminal caught on tape, or show a court room conviction for a crime, more often than not, that person is an african american.
Even in prosperous areas like Silicon Valley near Palo Alto, the most dangerous areas are the ones populated by african americans.
Maybe it is because no matter who you kill, you would be killing a relative ? Just kidding.
It's not just about poverty, but also geography etc. Appalachia doesn't have the population density that urban areas have. However, I'm not an expert on Appalachia. But I have been in impoverished sections of rural communities that were just as dangerous as urban areas with alot of the same pathologies, i.e. drugs, out of wedlock births, and low educational standards.
Racist...your dwelling upon fact is very disturbing.
You must report to the re-education camp immediatley...
I can tell you that I feel much safer in Harlem than some trailer parks I've been in. Though that might be because I know Harlem pretty well (at least where to eat) and not very many trailer parks.
actually...I blame a culture of serial illegitimacy and young men raised w/o a decent male lead
the rural South where I grew up was very black in the Delta for example but the danger rate was very low. i never feared black communities much down here until very recently, but i knew 30 years ago that parts of NYC or DC were hostile to crackers who talked funny....like me
i think Southern blacks who moved North en masse between the world wars and did not all find the dream they had hoped for got bogged down and picked up bad urban habits they had eschewed in a moral rural setting
Atlanta, Richmond and NOLA are not smokestack cities but those rustbelt cities already have crime reputations going back even to before the Great Society. And it all really picked up steam with the 60s race riots.
i think the poverty is a symptom of a broken culture as much as the murder rate is
and I don't have the answers aside from hoping they all miraculously adopt the nuclear family ideal but I'm not hopeful since serial illegitimacy seems to have spread over the entire American culture...and the West for that matter
Amen to those who pull themselves up and get out....I know it's not easy
folks with a strong sense of a patriarchial family can weather poverty and prevail and behave responsibly....my own ancestors did....and so did most black families too
I'm not Appalachian lol
I'm Mississippian and never married a cousin but I did have a few that were FINE.
It is not race or poverty that causes crime. It is culture period...
I agree that being poor in an urban crowded environment is worse. Maybe it's psychological.
I would prefer to be poor rurally no doubt....I think, though it could mean a lot of walking versus public trans.
But this conversation makes me remember first visiting Compton back in 87 or so. I expected serious ghetto like the South Bronx or Cabrini Green.
Instead, it looked like where I grew up. Lower middle class blue collar looking 1000-1500 sq foot faux prairie or stucco or craftsmen homes
A lot of black folks who moved North between the wars and even as late as the 50s/60s really got screwed over, by blacks and whites. If you talk to old black people up in Harlem they have nothing but disdain for the southern blacks who moved north (attitude similar to Okies in California).
p.s. -- I love southern cooking, Harlem is the last place to get the real thing in NYC.
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