Sunday, May 31, 2015

When the temperature goes up, violence escalates.

At least in certain Rochester's neighborhoods.
That is the norm here.
Yesterday was hot and humid.
A bar brawl on Rochester's southwest side ended with two people shot and one slashed.
Those injuries were not considered life threatening.
A mile away, sixteen hours later, a man was stabbed badly enough to be listed in serious condition at the hospital.
These incidents could just as easily have occurred on Rochester's northeast side, which is also violence-ridden.
Life in those neighborhoods is considered cheap. So cheap that I haven't heard about any marches being planned to protest these violent incidents.
They occur with such regularity that they merit only a brief mention in the local news media.
I am sure that plenty of ministers who cater to the residents of those neighborhoods will have something to say about it this morning in their sermons.
And there it will stay, because most crime victims in those neighborhoods know their assailants and won't snitch on them. At the same time, they will claim that the police aren't doing enough for them because of racism.
It's a worn out old tune.
This sort of behavior is bad for Rochester's reputation. It's hard to find investors to help develop neighborhoods where the lack of safety is a definite issue.
On the other hand, it occurs mostly in certain neighborhoods. It will affect only the people who either live there or find it necessary to be there.
The rest of us who don't live there are safer, regardless of the weather.
There's some kind of cold comfort in that.

4 comments:

  1. And yet you don't understand why (based on your own belief in their motivations) Charlotte doesn't want city residents coming to Charlotte en masse.

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    1. Not every Rochesterian is prone to violence.
      And whether or not the charlatans like it, they depend on Rochesterians to support their businesses, which are not self sustaining.

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    2. I did not say every Rochesterian is prone to violence, only that - as you point out in other posts - there is a large violence problem among the Rochester population. the annual riot/rumbles at Sea Breeze and the beach are not caused by people from Penfield, Churchville, or Webster.

      As far as businesses in Charlotte, in reality, I think most of the businesses in Charlotte are mostly patronized by people coming from the suburbs, not the City. Regardless, what difference does it make if they have City customers? Why does that instantly mean that the proposed project is a good idea? I'm not for or against the project, I just get a little tired of people immediately calling "racism" and casting stones when they disagree with someone else. Particularly when you recognize the city's crime problem, but then ignore it when it comes to this project in Charlotte.

      You talk about the crime problem in the City in various posts, but then pretend not to understand Charlotte resident's reasoning for not wanting to invite more city people to their area. It's trying to have it both ways.

      I'm generally against gov't "investing" in anything because the gov't tends to do a lousy job of it (see Port of Rochester, Fast Ferry, High Falls for some recent examples). And, when the gov't "invests" in one place, it is necessarily taking from someplace else (that money doesn't come from the air, tax abatement are not "free" - other businesses/rental units have to compete with those getting the deal).

      I don't know anything about the engineering concerns, etc., or any of the other concerns the Charlotte residents raise - I do know that screaming "racist" every time you disagree with someone is childish. You tend to have fairly thoughtful pieces here, so I am surprised by this.

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    3. You should never be surprised by anything.
      Perhaps disappointed, but never surprised.

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