I've been following the
Straight Dope advice column for years and years. Never in those years did I think something I personally did would ever make this section of the Reader. But, this week it did.
..."blogs glorifying virtually every piece of bad news about the neighborhood ... gangs, crime, shootings, etc. You'd think it was the slums of Detroit or L.A. the way some describe it. How true is it all? Is it really the hellhole it's worked up to be?...."
And true to form....Cecil Adams responds....> "As you say, some people take a dour, nay, apocalyptic view of Rogers Park. One local blog, the Broken Heart of Rogers Park, can be found at morsehellhole.blogspot.com — that tells you all you need to know right there....."
Thanks for the plug, Cecil. And thanks for all those charts and graphs too. I feel so much safer now.
22 comments:
I thank Cecil at the Straight Dope for rendering a balanced picture of the neighborhood.
I also love his business idea. Voodoo dolls of Joe Moore.... how would those sell at the Glenwood Arts Festival, I wonder. I'm sitting here visualizing a whole line of them..... Joe, David, Annie, Douglas, and the rest of the gang. One of Da Mare, too.
Notice that Edgewater is only behind North Center and Lincoln Square in having the lowest violent crime rates in the city, and THOSE are the dullest places on the planet.
But Joe needn't pat himself on the back for our improved crime rates. Yes, I'll agree that crime has dropped through the past decade, but no thanks to his policies. Were it the efforts of local residents to combat crime and slumlords, we'd be as bad off as West Town. And the real estate bubble helped push a lot of middle class home buyers into this nabe by rendering LP and Lakeview utterly unaffordable- there's a silver lining to everything. And I don't think the buyers will stop coming, either, after the economy stabilizes, for people are going to have buy much cheaper homes relative to their incomes going forward, because more conservative lending standards are here to stay. No more 4X your income.
Lincoln Square is not dull - there are many more restaurants, stores and places to go than here. I'm not sure when you have last been there.
north coast, Lincoln Square has more to offer than rp does. They have nice resturants, bars, and parks that don't have gang bangers in them. But if you are talking about safety and shots fired, yes Lincoln Square is a pretty dull place to live.
Cecil's info makes "Broken Heart" seem like the "Chicken Little" of the RP blogosphere. Either that or Craig is a damn good drama queen.
You all are right, Lincoln Square does have a lot to offer, and it's cute. But it doesn't have the vibe that Andersonville or Lakeview have.
Craig is sometimes a bit of a Drama Queen, but he does get it out there that we still have some large problems in this area, notably a couple of really violent pockets owing to the tolerance of slumlords and gangs, and the tendency of our officials to ignore these problems despite an elevated body count and the entreaties of citizens who've committed to this area and do their utmost to make it a good community.
How much would you guys pay for a Joe Moore or Annie Sullivan voodoo doll?
When will I be able to order a voodoo doll?
And how exactly is Craig a drama queen, North Coast?
Just think how much shittier RP would be if billyjoe still lived here...
Oh, and no drama in those fourteen paragraph posts from the north coast, either.
And unfortunately "crime" is racist. I would not want to be young and black in RP. A breakdown of those charts on race of victim would have been very discouraging.
It's all you've ever wantend
gleafsentinel:
As opposed to being 'young and black in RP' I am older, white and female.
What do you, and stupid 'billyjoe of Evanston' for that matter, think MY chances are on the street?
What does the 49th Ward Committeeman, DAVID FAGUS, think of the crime situation? Or...are you him? And just spewing on behalf of Ald. Joe Moore?
Please, people of the 49th Ward, I think you pretty much understand Joe Moore has not done much for you, and certainly not enough to earn the bucks he receives ($110,556 + perks).
Get up off your arses and vote him out next election!
NO MORE Moore!
Could someone please explain how not having Joe Moore as alderman will solve the overstated crime problem in RP?
The phrase "overstated crime problem" indicates that your question is merely rehtorical.
So, the response then is to ask yourself: what should be the guiding principals be for community leaders whose responsibility is to steward a community where residents and families can live, work, play,and prosper without the constant threat of petty crime, crimes against children, and violence?
How about Moore No More!
Let me know where I can order my axis of evil of Rogers Park Moore No More voodoo doll!
Don't take other people's word for the scoop on crime...just goto http://gis.chicagopolice.org/CLEARMap/startPage.htm and track crime in your immediate hood. Then compare index crimes to other "safer" hoods in Lakeview and Lincoln Park. RP is not as bad as you think.
Crime is down. Crime is down. Crime is down.
There, crime is down.
I must get under a lot of peoples skin. I love it that all these internet trolls have to go to various websites denouncing my blog and defend Rogers Park as a safe neighborhood.
Yes, internet trolls like "Cecil Adams." Who the hell is that guy? He just popped up out of nowhere...20 years ago.
Joe Moore voodoo dolls had to be pulled from store shelves as their pants frequently catch fire. (liar liar)
You have absolutely NO business speaking of Detroit and this Rogers Park mess in the same sentence. Absolutely NO business.
You Edgewater fools wouldn't last 10 minutes in Detroit. Your ignorance shows in every step you make here in Chicago. Rogers Park vs. Detroit. PUH-LEEZE!
There is a very, very subconscious racist attitude here in Chicago because Detroit just happens to be all Black (I'm not).
Heck, at least Detroiter's know how to dress. I'll give them that. Detroit is pure class compared to the thugs in Chicago.
Come take a drive through Detroit with me. You'll come back with a new attitude about your RoPa digs.
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