Mayors of Once Great Cities

14 comments

• Deetest

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  a year ago

  Have you been to these cities recently or are are you basing your view on News channels? It’s a shame how the media can influence opinions in both directions. I have spent a lot of time in NY and find it be a vibrant enjoyable city. I have spent 100s of hours in all parts of NYC And have never been approached or threatened by a homeless person. Not to say it doesn’t happen because it certainly does. Note that I was in Nashville recently and was approached by several strung out people asking for money (no threats) both during the day and evening. I am not disrespecting Nashville. I enjoyed the visit and will visit again. I am just pointing out my experience. I also visited Chicago for a week in the Fall and no such issues. In my view, all big cities in the US have their challenges.
• dha

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  a year ago

  Nashville is no wahere comparable to these large cities. For obvious reasons, you should know better being so well traveled.
  
  Sure, blame the media. Seems like you are a victum of your own accusation.
  
  I have lived in one of those cities and visit all of them frequently. They have all morphed into pools of shit compared to what they once were. Hard reality softy.
  
  Maybe you should get out and about more when you visit these cities. On second thoght, it would be safer for you to stay within the confines of the happy, lilly white bubble you are living in.
• wld4tatas

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  a year ago

  Warped perceptions by right wing programming
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2jaMScg…
  
• misterorange

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  a year ago

  I can't speak for places outside of the New York metro area, but having grown up in NJ about 10 minutes from the GW Bridge, I can tell you that NYC (crime-wise) was worse back in the late 70's / early 80's.
  
  That said, if you think of overall quality of life as a cycle, NYC (in my lifetime) has gone from rock bottom (6 o'clock), to growth phase (9 o'clock), to genuinely one of the safest and cleanest and most enjoyable cities in America (12 o'clock), and is now at roughly 3 or 4 o'clock, headed for 6 again.
  
  I suppose you could blame (or credit) different Mayors for the changes, but really it comes down to the people voting. There will ALWAYS be some politician who tailors his platform and messaging to whatever will get him elected. When things are at 12 o'clock, there will be a HUGE amount of people that aren't wealthy enough or cultured enough to partake in the wonderful things the city has to offer. When it's at 6 o'clock, those same people are fed up with bullets flying through their windows at night, and then vote for a change.
  
  Sadly, it will probably be another 10-15 years before cities like NY, or LA, or San Fran, or Chicago, have had enough of the bullshit before they decide to change. When billionaire trophy wives can no longer walk down Rodeo Drive or Madison Avenue without soiling their Christian Louboutin's in human excrement, it might be a leading indicator.
  
  But first they'll try to promote little snow plows on the front of their shoes to push the shit away.
• dha

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  a year ago

  MSNBC. ha ha ha ha
  Great choice for objective reporting. Kind of like watching a FOX report on the 2020 uncontrolled riots and looting of New York City stores.
  
  I wish you were right my friend and all the New Yorkers and people from those other cities who moved to Florida for a safer environment, would MOVE THE HELL BACK where they came from.
• twentyfive

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  a year ago

  I moved to Florida in 1989, from Long Island safety wasn’t a consideration when I moved here it was purely a feature of warm weather, being able to be outside to enjoy, golf, fishing, and swimming, spending time at the beach, and running around in a 30 foot boat all year long.
  Never worried about safety, still don’t think about it very much, not even when I visit family in NYC, there are some things that we do which might be considered a precaution, but overall I don’t give it much thought.
• ilbbaicnl

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  a year ago

  Look for self-reinforcing cycles to understand how things are. You have an area with a lot of poverty (so people have less reason to play by the rules), and/or a lot of predatory people. The government starts to write it off. Increasing poverty, and making it more comfortable for predatory people. Rinse and repeat. So you have to address the poverty, and make it clear that if you're a predatory, you'll end up being the prey. We argue that we only have to do one or the other, not both. And people are poor due to a combination of back luck and bad choices. Addressing poverty is a little different with each poor person.
• dha

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  a year ago

  Not all poor people are bad and not all rich people are good.
  
  But, addressing predators and dealing with them effectively, decisively, and quickly sounds like a great idea.
• motorhead

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  a year ago

  “I also visited Chicago for a week in the Fall and no such issues”
  
  Consider yourself fortunate. I travel to Chicago frequently on business and have had close encounters with the homeless the last two visits. I will typically give a less fortunate person a buck or two but when they get in your face and say “C’mon man, I know you have more than that” I wish could go all Daniel Penny on him but I know I’d be arrested and thrown in jail.
  
  And I guess you missed all the stories at Christmas about the gangs of hoodlums harassing and assaulting shoppers along the Magnificent Mile
• docsavage

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  a year ago

  Personal opinions are somewhat subjective. Many of our big cities have more people moving out than moving in. That's an objective fact. I don't see any way to interpret that other than these cities are becoming increasingly unpleasant to live in.
  
  The ratio of police officers to total population has been dropping for fifteen years. With fewer police officers, you are bound to have more crime. Soros installed prosecutors in big cities have also been charging fewer people with crimes so that encourages criminals to commit more of them. How safe people feel is a major factor in evaluating quality of life in a large city. If cities can't improve in that area there will continue to be a flow of people out of them.
• skibum609

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  a year ago

  In the 1979s New York mafia and drug dealers got killed. Now its civilians. In 1964 I was 7 and permitted a 10 block circle for play by my parents...in the Bronx. We used to ride public transit for fun later on, on visits back. Gave up on the city during the George Floyd terrorism period. Same with Minneapolis and everywhere in California. Unless you're a liar, you know they are dangerous shitholes
• crsm27

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  a year ago

  Well all cities go thru a progression or "re construction" type of thing. IE: crime, drugs, etc happen... people move out and then a developer or city comes in.... "revitalizes" certain areas to get people to move back in. DET is a classing example. Look at how they brought back around the stadiums and what not. Attract younger people to move in and the like.
  
  Now I can comment on DET because had family live there. Now I can talk about Minneapolis right now. It is becoming a shit hole. Drugs, homeless, etc. The DA's are weak on crime. Let people run back out. BTW... before all of this DT Minneapolis was thriving night life, rents were sky rocketing, etc. Now things are still high... but many dont want to go out down town because of some of the things I am talking about. It will "die" and a developer will come in and what not. Just wait and see... in about 5 years it will "rejuvenate".
• JamesSD

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  a year ago

  The biggest problems with those cities is traffic and home prices. Both caused by too many people wanting to live there.
• dha

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  a year ago

  Unfortunately, everyone wants to live in the places that have the most to offer like cali, NY, and FL. And, as a result, like you said, people move there and it gets over crowded.