Albuquerque Metropolitan Area Crime Discussions (South Valley, Estancia: club, gardens, Wal-mart)

[aries63]

Originally Posted by ognend

That dude was me.

For your information I have lived through a war (back in the Balkans). I also have lived in Canada and all over United States (from Missouri to New York to Florida). Have travelled through the country too.

I don't scare easily. However, I am not stupid either and can sense when a place is a place where I would let my wife walk around by herself or when we should probably stay in the car and just "move on".

Been to East St Louis too (a pretty violent place). Got lost in a few places in New York City where you don't want to get lost.

I can tell you that Espanola was one of the creepier places I have driven through. Same goes for some parts of Albuquerque.

Heck, we drove through Chimayo (were looking for a house and got off the beaten path). In the middle of nowhere all of a sudden this car comes out, two dudes in it, bold with bandanas on and tattoes all over their face with the tear tattoed under one guy's eye. They drive by, look at us funny, it's a beat up old car, they don't look like they are up to any good..

Anyways, my point is - a place like Chimayo should not have that, you would expect folks in a small village to be farmers, artisans, blah-blah. Not look like they just sprung out of jail (which they probably did).

When you say that you were laughing when "some dude was scared to drive through Espanola" - anyone who looks up its crime states (1000?!) - can see how ignorant your statement really is.

I suspect that you live in a nice part of town and move around in a nice part of town, perhaps daily and this is where you are coming from.

My $.02

I'm just a middle-class worker, who lives on a middle-class street in a painfully middle-class neighborhood in Albuquerque. I grew up near NYC and used to go into the city by myself as a teenager, that is my reference point. My folks never had any qualms about lending me the car to do so, or I took the train. Have also lived in a large city in South America (teenager) and Mexico (early adult) and walked everywhere, usually alone. Was never "scared."

The worst thing that happened to me in Española was that I ran over a dog, at night, across from the Sonic. Every time I drive through there I remember the happy cocker spaniel face in my headlight before I hit it and cross myself. Otherwise I have never had a problem there in 22 years of passing through and occasionally gassing up so I think it is just fine for you and your wife.

Maybe the people you saw in Chimayó wanted to intimidate you, I can't say I blame them. People in small towns get around. They have cars and go to the city, like I used to. There is less distinction than ever between urban and rural culture especially in people under 40. You just don't find Juan Valdez and Johnny Hayseed that much anymore.

[ognend]

Originally Posted by aries63

The worst thing that happened to me in Española was that I ran over a dog, at night, across from the Sonic. Every time I drive through there I remember the happy cocker spaniel face in my headlight before I hit it and cross myself. Otherwise I have never had a problem there in 22 years of passing through and occasionally gassing up so I think it is just fine for you and your wife.

Maybe the people you saw in Chimayó wanted to intimidate you, I can't say I blame them. People in small towns get around. They have cars and go to the city, like I used to. There is less distinction than ever between urban and rural culture especially in people under 40. You just don't find Juan Valdez and Johnny Hayseed that much anymore.

So what is your comment on Espanola's crime stat of almost 1000? A clerical error? I guess crime there happens to some unknown entity or maybe it is a pure lie since you "gassed in there a few times safely"?

Look, people survive wars - that doesn't mean war is good or that someone will tell someone else not to worry about a war because "look, I survived it".

Same thing about crime, most people do not intentionally look for crime, quite the opposite. However, when you have a statistic indicating that you are three times as likely to be a victim of a crime, two conclusions come to mind: a) either the statistic is bogus (a typo, counting wrong things as crime...) or b) the place is crime ridden . In every situation, bad or good, there is always someone who can say "well, it didn't happen to me" but numbers don't lie. In a place with a crime index of 100, crime is the exception to the rule. In a crime index of almost a 1000, crime IS the rule.

As for the folks in Chimayo, my point was that you are not safe even in a small village in NM, the whole state is crime infested and drug infested. There are many other states that have quaint villages where you will never see types like I described. So, what is the difference and why?

OD

[Guitarplr]

I spend a lot of time on Central, long story short it breaks my heart to see so many disenfranchised people.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by sweat209

Where is this International District in Albuquerque? What was the name called before?

Here is a boundary map:



The original map in PDF can be obtained from this page: International District Sector Development Plan — City of Albuquerque (http://www.cabq.gov/council/current-projects-and-studies/international-district-sector-development-plan - broken link)

Originally Posted by sweat209

What was the name called before?

It is a combination of several areas. At least six areas/neighborhoods are shown on the map. Some areas might have been divided. Some appear to be on the map, not sure which offhand.

The "War Zone" was never an official designated or specifically identified area.


Rich

[aries63]

Originally Posted by ognend

So what is your comment on Espanola's crime stat of almost 1000? A clerical error? I guess crime there happens to some unknown entity or maybe it is a pure lie since you "gassed in there a few times safely"?

Ah, I lost track of this thread. Start an Española thread if you want to, this is an Albuquerque thread.

When looking at crime stats in general you have to consider that they tell you nothing about your risk as an "innocent bystander" who is not linked to the criminal world. Do you think a high crime stat means that you personally are going to be a victim? When you see that the average burglary rate, for example, in the US, was 700 out of 100,000 people in 2010 and in Albuquerque it was 1000 out of 100,000, does it scare your pants off? And in Española it was 3000 out of 100,000 (or 3 out of 100), that is an "infestation" the way you look at it?

And then if you ever have been a crime victim, what happened? Was it the end of the world?

I experienced several burglaries, vandalism, and an assault in New England before coming to Albuquerque. But I'm no worse off for it. I suggest you do something to get over your paralyzing fears and give the rest of us a break.

[NMHacker]

Originally Posted by aries63

Ah, I lost track of this thread. Start an Española thread if you want to, this is an Albuquerque thread.

When looking at crime stats in general you have to consider that they tell you nothing about your risk as an "innocent bystander" who is not linked to the criminal world. Do you think a high crime stat means that you personally are going to be a victim? When you see that the average burglary rate, for example, in the US, was 700 out of 100,000 people in 2010 and in Albuquerque it was 1000 out of 100,000, does it scare your pants off? And in Española it was 3000 out of 100,000 (or 3 out of 100), that is an "infestation" the way you look at it?

I was looking at the FBI's website the other day and came across this on their site about a warning wrt to Crime Ranking. Made me think about this issue some.

Caution Against Ranking

Variables Affecting Crime
Each year when Crime in the United States is published, many entities—news media, tourism agencies, and other groups with an interest in crime in our Nation—use reported figures to compile rankings of cities and counties. These rankings, however, are merely a quick choice made by the data user; they provide no insight into the many variables that mold the crime in a particular town, city, county, state, region, or other jurisdiction. Consequently, these rankings lead to simplistic and/or incomplete analyses that often create misleading perceptions adversely affecting cities and counties, along with their residents.

Consider other characteristics of a jurisdiction
To assess criminality and law enforcement’s response from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, one must consider many variables, some of which, while having significant impact on crime, are not readily measurable or applicable pervasively among all locales. Geographic and demographic factors specific to each jurisdiction must be considered and applied if one is going to make an accurate and complete assessment of crime in that jurisdiction. Several sources of information are available that may assist the responsible researcher in exploring the many variables that affect crime in a particular locale. The U.S. Census Bureau data, for example, can be used to better understand the makeup of a locale’s population. The transience of the population, its racial and ethnic makeup, its composition by age and gender, educational levels, and prevalent family structures are all key factors in assessing and comprehending the crime issue.

Local chambers of commerce, government agencies, planning offices, or similar entities provide information regarding the economic and cultural makeup of cities and counties. Understanding a jurisdiction’s industrial/economic base; its dependence upon neighboring jurisdictions; its transportation system; its economic dependence on nonresidents (such as tourists and convention attendees); its proximity to military installations, correctional facilities, etc., all contribute to accurately gauging and interpreting the crime known to and reported by law enforcement.

The strength (personnel and other resources) and the aggressiveness of a jurisdiction’s law enforcement agency are also key factors in understanding the nature and extent of crime occurring in that area. Although information pertaining to the number of sworn and civilian employees can be found in this publication, it cannot be used alone as an assessment of the emphasis that a community places on enforcing the law. For example, one city may report more crime than a comparable one, not because there is more crime, but rather because its law enforcement agency, through proactive efforts, identifies more offenses. Attitudes of the citizens toward crime and their crime reporting practices, especially concerning minor offenses, also have an impact on the volume of crimes known to police.

Make valid assessments of crime
It is incumbent upon all data users to become as well educated as possible about how to understand and quantify the nature and extent of crime in the United States and in any of the more than 18,000 jurisdictions represented by law enforcement contributors to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program. Valid assessments are possible only with careful study and analysis of the various unique conditions affecting each local law enforcement jurisdiction.

Historically, the causes and origins of crime have been the subjects of investigation by many disciplines. Some factors that are known to affect the volume and type of crime occurring from place to place are:

• Population density and degree of urbanization.
• Variations in composition of the population, particularly youth concentration.
  Stability of the population with respect to residents’ mobility, commuting patterns, and transient factors.
• Modes of transportation and highway system.
• Economic conditions, including median income, poverty level, and job availability.
• Cultural factors and educational, recreational, and religious characteristics.
• Family conditions with respect to divorce and family cohesiveness.
• Climate.
• Effective strength of law enforcement agencies.
• Administrative and investigative emphases of law enforcement.
• Policies of other components of the criminal justice system (i.e., prosecutorial, judicial, correctional, and probational).
• Citizens’ attitudes toward crime.
• Crime reporting practices of the citizenry.

Crime in the United States provides a nationwide view of crime based on statistics contributed by local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies. Population size and student enrollment are the only correlates of crime presented in this publication. Although many of the listed factors equally affect the crime of a particular area, the UCR Program makes no attempt to relate them to the data presented. The data user is, therefore, cautioned against comparing statistical data of individual reporting units from cities, counties, metropolitan areas, states, or colleges or universities solely on the basis of their population coverage or student enrollment. Until data users examine all the variables that affect crime in a town, city, county, state, region, or other jurisdiction, they can make no meaningful comparisons.

[ognend]

Originally Posted by aries63

Ah, I lost track of this thread. Start an Española thread if you want to, this is an Albuquerque thread.

When looking at crime stats in general you have to consider that they tell you nothing about your risk as an "innocent bystander" who is not linked to the criminal world. Do you think a high crime stat means that you personally are going to be a victim? When you see that the average burglary rate, for example, in the US, was 700 out of 100,000 people in 2010 and in Albuquerque it was 1000 out of 100,000, does it scare your pants off? And in Española it was 3000 out of 100,000 (or 3 out of 100), that is an "infestation" the way you look at it?

And then if you ever have been a crime victim, what happened? Was it the end of the world?

I experienced several burglaries, vandalism, and an assault in New England before coming to Albuquerque. But I'm no worse off for it. I suggest you do something to get over your paralyzing fears and give the rest of us a break.

Hey, when you put it that way, it makes everything OK.... we should all just live like animals, burglarize and victimize each other and then "get over it" as if nothing ever happened... Good one.

[aries63]

Originally Posted by ognend

Hey, when you put it that way, it makes everything OK.... we should all just live like animals, burglarize and victimize each other and then "get over it" as if nothing ever happened... Good one.

I've suggested nothing of the kind. I believe that we can do things to reduce our chances of becoming victims of crime, but I don't live in fear of statistics and allow that to dictate my actions the way you apparently do. I know lots of elderly women in New Mexico and none of them are nearly as hysterical about crime statistics as you seem to be.

[GregW]

My cars are too old and decrepit to be worth stealing. My house is too cluttered with a couple of decades of books, magazines, maps and general junk for a thief to find anything. If I am traveling in a place I might be assaulted I am armed. I do not fear crime.

I do fear getting in a car wreck with a drunk driver busy texting his bookie.

[grannyjr]

What? I am a native New Mexican along with my entire family, and I am as white (Anglo) as they come. Been here all my life and have numerous native New Mexican friends who are also Anglo. Where did you get the idea that native New Mexicans are not Anglo?