Gaithersburg struggles against crime, decay to recapture lost charm

Washington Examiner ^ | 06/20/10 | Brian Hughes

[freespirited]

And some insist that the transitional traumas Gaithersburg is enduring now will pass, and the city will stabilize.

Not likely without a change in policy.

[equalitybeforethelaw]

Gee, I wonder how Arlington and Alexandria were able to remain vital and desirable while Gaithersburg turned to sh#t? As a kid, Gaithersburg and Bethesda were very desirable locations to buy homes. That was 1970s. Now not so much.

[qam1]

I know, raise taxes on the rich and invest in green energy and that will surely solve all problems.

[Lockbar]

""Everything is old," lamented Ali Akbar at his once-bustling Olde Towne Cafe. "There is no future here. If I knew what I know now, I would never have come here.""

Hey Ali, whats stopping you from getting on the road?

[Clemenza]

Bethesda is still a very wealthy, very expensive towns. The towns in Montco that went downhill were those with alot of rentals (Gaithersburg, Silver Spring, amongst others).

Alexandria, Arlington, and much of NoVa have their own problems with the "illegal amigos." The "Amish" thugs seem to prefer going to PGC when they leave the district proper.

Of course, none of this changes the fact that housing costs in Montco and NoVa remain prohibitive wherever you decide to live relative to the rest of the country. Its the rentals where the problems are.

[Psycho_Bunny]

"Cops say most of the crime in Olde Towne is tied to Hispanic street gangs. "

Just doing the work white street gangs won't do.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

I thought “Diversity” was strength?

[Jack Hydrazine]

So why did those towns create a bunch of rentals? Did the owners find it too expensive and move out?

[Venturer]

What happened????? LIBERALS happened.

Payback is a Biatch.

You cater to trash the trash takes over.

So what? The rich liberals have plenty of money , they will just move and leave the stench they created, and go create another stench somewhere else.

[paul51]

I'm curious if it is a sanctuary city.

[Clemenza]

Because originally, those rentals were built for early career professionals. Eventually, the apartments got old, areas in the District itself grew more attractive for the younger professionals, and certain immigrants found that they could afford $1600 in rent if they moved in several folks to a room.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Of related interest...

Montgomery County Changes Sanctuary Tune

Montgomery Co. Cracks Down On Illegal Immigrants

Keep in mind that only two short years ago, Montgomery County, Maryland, including Gaithersburg, prided itself on its sanctuary county status.

The chickens are now home roosting, with illegal aliens overrunning the streets.

[equalitybeforethelaw]

Its the rentals where the problems are.

I heartily agree. Whenever a townhouse complex reaches about 40% rental, you are looking at a future slum. Check out Woodbridge, VA. When buying a home steer clear of developments that have townhouse complexes attached or planned. These things can really impact the resale of surrounding property when the rental rates fall. The worst part is all the Fed efforts to depopulate urban slums by subsidizing their abode in suburban apartment buildings. Check out US 1 around Beacon Hill, also Triangle and Dumfries. While Prince William protected themselves from the international workers they have been bombarded with Section 8 housing subsidies.

[End Times Sentinel]

"So what, there's a lot of Latino people here; there's a tendency to assign a negative karma to change. It's not right."

No, Brett, what's not right is the fact that you're so blinded by your politically correct ideology that you can't see what's happening around you.

You get a huge influx of illiterate, illegal aliens, still belonging to a culture that produced a third world hell hole, and yes, crime is going to go up. Housing values will go down because these same illegals think nothing of not having plumbing or a leaking roof, and properties like that will be a sink on the entire neighborhood.

But you go ahead and try to assign blame to "Long time residents" who are upset that rule of law has been discarded by you and your fellow travelers so they can feel "diverse" and "virtuous" about themselves.

[VeniVidiVici]

I spent my teen years in Gaithersburg in the 1970s. Hard to even recognize the place now.

[jimt]

The worst part is all the Fed efforts to depopulate urban slums by subsidizing their abode in suburban apartment buildings.

I just love the Fed compartment building in my neighborhood. It had been closed for some time, then the feds bought it and turned it into section 8. Now it's full of spanish speaking illegals who monopolize the park next door, and won't smile or greet their neighbors (unless they're spanish speaking). I suspect they're responsible for the big increase in crime and vandalism we've experienced since their arrival.

Defund this program immediately. Deport the illegal invaders and their anchor babies.

[La Lydia]

“... Check out US 1 around Beacon Hill ...” You are SO RIGHT on that one.

[freespirited]

Last I heard Gaithersburg was a sanctuary city.

This refers to the downtown area. Some places with a Gaitherburg address are not within the city limits. Those areas are not served by the Gaithersburg police, so are not subject to their policies, but rather the policies of the Montgomery County police. I know they had a sanctuary policy for a long time, but it may have changed recently.

[Hoodat]

But . . . but Gaithersburg is supposed to be a liberals utopia. High taxes and poor service - what more could you want? (Don’t look now, but these Marylanders are fleeing to NoVa so that they can ruin the suburbs south of the Potomac, too.)

[Oberon]

I'm originally from the mountains of northwest Frederick County. Whatever charm did Gaithersburg ever have?