News From Bucolic SLO-Town

It seems like one of the romantic images of New York City is the grimy and crime filled metropolis with its ornery citizens ready at the helm with some kind of rude remark. There may be some truth to the stereotype, but while the people can be rude, they can also be friendly and gregarious, and, the truth about crime might be surprising. At the start of the World Series this year, the newspaper I read had a graphic comparing the City to Philadelphia; it was broken up into three columns, the center of which had the titles of the things in comparison (historical landmarks, mayors, celebrities born and raised, murder rate, etc.), and on either side they had the "answers."

The murder rate was the thing that got my attention. New York has lots and lots of people, but not too many murders, in either sheer number or percentage rate. The rate in NYC was around 1 murder for every 18,000+, while Philly had 1 for every 4,500+. While in our neighborhood catcalls and trash talking are facts of life, robbery or other more violent crimes don't seem to be too big a part of life. Murders are high out here in the Stuy (only relatively speaking), but they are almost exclusively between young black men--perpetrated by and against.

I noticed that my friend Ryan, still out in San Luis Obispo, had mentioned various places about a rash uptick in the amounts of larceny, home invasion and ransacking, being jumped in the street, and car-jacking occurring in that beautiful college town.

I'd imagine that petty theft, drunk-in-publics, minor drug offenses, and sexual assault would be unusually high in any college town, but it seemed like the new wave of crimes emanating from SLO county had a new flavor.

Here's a case in point: a young lady leaving campus in her car was approached by a pedestrian who asked her for directions. He proceeded to jump in her car, force her at knifepoint to drive him to her bank, demanded of her a withdrawal of money from her account (she ran for help while he stayed in the car), then he led police on a high-speed chase down to Grover Beach, eventually fleeing on foot and fading away into the woodwork, getting away. A write-up of the story from the local press can be found here.

Ryan has said that the feeling and the attitude of the town have changed in the few years since Corrie and I have left. Tony (he ultimately left before we did) has heard stories about punks (the homeless street kids I remember almost fondly) asking walkers for cigarettes and then pounding them as they go for their pack. Hearing this, I almost wanted to have a run-in with these little creeps...I'll show them what Brooklyn does to white kids.