I'm so proud.

The FBI just released their national crime rankings for 2005, and Memphis came in second place overall for violent crime. If we work just a little harder, maybe we can take first place for this year.

It's been fun to watch the mayor and other politicians squirm. Would be MORE fun if they had any constructive ideas.

 

That's pretty startling stuff GT.....who was no.1?
Let me take a stab.. being an aussie and having never traveled to the U.S, i only know what i hear on the news and see on TV shows like david letterman etc...but i would guess either L.A or N.Y
My burning desire is to one day visit the land of opportunity, the U.S of A.
I am though, a huge fan of that southern sound (country music) and would love to see Brooks n Dunn live in concert!
sigh....one day i will get there, money and wife permitting!

 

Dallas always seems to be up there, I haven't checked lately. I tend to avoid the places I know could get me killed (come on car, don't fail me now!).

 

Dallas has a bad rep, but I am a frequent visitor of Deep Ellum and I haven't seen anything but a couple of guys asking for change. I say frequent, more like a couple times a month.

The businesses in that area are really having trouble, though.
I wish they could turn it around.

 

That's not the part that's having the most problems. Panhandling is up everywhere around here. Nope, I'm talking about the few times I've gotten lost and it looked like I'd wandered into gangland. Couldn't even tell you where it was, but I knew I didn't want to run out of gas. I'll bet every major city has an area like that.

 

Oh, ok. Maybe just south of downtown? I ended up there one time when I was trying to leave Deep Ellum and I felt the same way.

Yeah, even Fort Worth has an area I try to avoid.

 

OMG....Fedex sent my cell phones via Memphis too......from Dallas. There's no way I'll get to see them now.....

 

Atlanta, Ga. used to have the No.1 crime position. I don't know wether it still does. Been a while since I've been in the U.S..

 

According to WIkidedia:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cities_by_crime_rate

But I note that's 2004 stats, and for homicide. Could be that post-Katrina New Orleans, Louisiana is different now. Atlanta's supposedly slipped to No.5.

 

Shows ya something doesn't it?

 

Here's the main page. Links near the top for different crime categories. LOTS of data to drill through.

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/about/crime_summary.html

Here's Memphis, from the Commercial Appeal, Memphis' largest newspaper. It's been hogging the news for the last couple of days.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/cda/article_print/0,1983,MCA_25340_5012359_ARTICLE-DETAIL-PRINT,00.html

 

The world is a pretty sad place some times. Something should be done to lower the rate of violent crimes in the world.

Prozac for everyone!!!!

 

Obviously gun bans arent working as effectively as they are supposed to be

 

Gun bans never work as effectively as they're supposed to. Guns are tools, criminals are the problem.

 

They should be like Texas and carry more guns.

jk

 

Funny how cities that ban guns have more violence than cities without them
But I believe MA has proven my point.

 

I used to work at the Mid South Fair when I managed an over the road concession company, and the last sunday of the fair....is enough to scare the bajeezes out of any sane person!!

I'm sure GT has an idea of what I'm talking about!?!?

Roger

 

I can picture several nightmare scenarios. Which nightmare are you referring to?

 

After dark when the THOUSANDS of punk kids start rushing the crowd, and people get trampled, beat up, whatever, you name it!!

This only happens toward the closing of the last night of the fair!! As bad as I hate to say it...it is known throughout the community as "Black Sunday" and when it gets after dark and closer to time to wrap things up...it gets VERY rowdy, especially in the carnival area!! When it does come time to officially close...The mounted policemen put their horses side by side (so close you couldn't put a piece of paper in between!!) so they do enough horses side by side to go from one side of the street to the other (usually 7 or 8 horses) and they march down the street in unison and LITERALLY PUSH the crowd out of the gates, and lock the cyclone fence gates as quick as they can...then us vendors come out of hiding and start tearing down to leave town!!

It scared the living shit out of me the first year I was there!! I was the one who went from stand to stand to make register draws, and walking around in that with a fanny pack full of about 2000-5000 dollars at any given time...that's enought to raise anyones blood pressure!!!!

Roger

 

Menphis' finest, herding Memphis' finest. Yeah, I'd be a bit nervous doing the cash registers down there too.