Please Dont Move to Roanoke!! War In Innercity!

[RVAbornandbred]

Watchful,

Thanks for the reply. Maybe it was just an odd night....like I said, I'm not going to say "Roanoke sucks" b/c of one experience. But I do think we agree that perhaps the RPD could have a little more visible presence downtown.

[Watchful]

Originally Posted by RVAbornandbred

Watchful,

Thanks for the reply. Maybe it was just an odd night....like I said, I'm not going to say "Roanoke sucks" b/c of one experience. But I do think we agree that perhaps the RPD could have a little more visible presence downtown.

Yeah in my experience with UBER driving, the police visibility is MUCH greater from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., as most of the folks on the streets downtown have been at the nightlife places, and the gourmet dinner crowd is long gone! By and large, they seem to do a good job at being visible to help prevent problems! But your story is a reminder that one negative experience can be remembered for a long time.

[NomadStephanie]

Originally Posted by RVAbornandbred

My wife and I visited the city for a weekend getaway in 2013. On a Saturday night, we had a nice dinner and then decided to walk downtown to get a feel for the city.

I'm not one to say, "My one experience is indicative of an entire city", but.....I will say that it was a very uncomfortable feeling. We were approached by a number of beggars. We also saw two men fist fighting on the sidewalk. We were also approached by a group of teenagers who shouted various insults.

Originally Posted by Watchful

Roanoke does have a homeless shelter that is considerably larger than you might expect for the size of the metro area. (Sometimes folks in rural poverty will gravitate toward somewhat larger cities for employment, transportation, etc.)

The Roanoke Rescue Mission - a homeless shelter so large that other cities all up and down the East Coast literally "bus" their homeless residents there - is an easy walk from downtown Roanoke. The mission of the Rescue Mission is very much focused on religious conversion and not psychosocial rehabilitation. As someone who did social work for a few years in Roanoke, I can tell you that the Rescue Mission draws people with addiction problems and the seriously mentally ill, but I have only very rarely met people who healed or were rehabilitated there. A lot of these folks either do not want to be rehabilitated or are too ill--I've seen many of them cycle through the mental health crisis system and other social programs repeatedly.

Roanoke also has a high rate of civil commitment; we have three locked psychiatric inpatient facilities, including two private hospitals and a state hospital, that serve the metro area, and which stay pretty full. One of those - RMH Rehab - and the ER from which people are admitted to Rehab - Roanoke Memorial - is also walking distance from downtown. People can be admitted to Rehab for everything from voluntary treatment for depression to involuntary treatment for psychosis. The ER is where a lot of people go when they don't know where else to go - and if they do not meet hospital admission criteria, or are "frequent fliers" ER staff not longer take seriously, they are often discharged right back onto the street.

A lot of people with schizophrenia and other thought disorders and disproportionately represented in the homeless population, the Rescue Mission, the psychiatric units, and the jails (the City Jail is also walking distance from downtown). There are numerous homeless alcoholic residents of Roanoke who are under what is called "interdiction" - which means that basically, they've been arrested for Drunk In Public so many times that they are automatically arrested for trespassing as soon as they show up at certain places under the influence. These folks are usually held only briefly, and then released - I would imagine often right back onto the street. A lot of these folks are also mentally ill. Another place where you will find a lot of people who are homeless and/or mentally ill is the Roanoke City Public Library - which is also walking distance from downtown - and which closes up its doors about the time people start heading to downtown restaurants for dinner. The Rescue Mission does not allow people who sleep there to stay there during the day; a lot of those folks head to the library, others wander downtown. Some intentionally avoid the Rescue Mission after negative experiences there and find other places to sleep until they are made to leave.

Based on what I've experienced living in other (larger) metro areas, I believe problems of homelessness and serious mental illness are disproportionately high in Roanoke. There are a lot of good-hearted and charitable people in Roanoke who feel it is their mission to help people who are homeless, addicted, and/or mentally ill. The problem is that the causes of these issues are more complicated than can be addressed through simple goodwill and charity. Roanoke has more resources for these kinds of folks than other much smaller rural towns in the surrounding area (which also draws people from outside of Roanoke into Roanoke for these resources), but not enough. I can tell you that city police are out there 24/7 dealing with these issues, and I have been impressed with the compassion I encountered from police in many situations. But, again, it's not enough.

A lot of people admire the Rescue Mission, but I'm on the side of people who regard it with skepticism. It draws more homeless to the area than local resources can bear, many of whom are mentally ill, and who often lack the resources to get out of the area once they are here. The Rescue Mission focuses mainly on overnight shelter, meals, and religious services. They have only very limited psychiatric services and what case workers they do have mostly refer out to other local resources--which are frequently overwhelmed by the number of people needing help. I don't know what the answer to this issue is, but it amazes me how profoundly this issue impacts Roanoke, and how many people here are blind to it, or only dimly aware of it.

[TyG_XCII]

Originally Posted by SWVA88

You literally just listed ALL the worst parts of Roanoke. What a stupid post, and I'm sorry if that sounds insulting but dude come on. Of course there's crime in those areas, it's always been that way. Everyone who lives in Roanoke knows there's crime in those areas. When I was growing up in Salem and I'd come downtown for something I knew to AVOID those areas. That doesn't make Roanoke a terrible city. Raleigh and Charlotte are amazing cities but guess what? They have some places you definitely want no part of too, just like any other city.

Never said Roanoke was a "Terrible" city I actually love Roanoke and actually compare everywhere ive been in upstate NY To "the noke" and so far nothing has met my criteria But why avoid those areas? Saying you avoid those areas is like saying you avoid all lower class people. That was always my problem those upper-middle class middle aged white folks always acted bothered or snobbish to deal with people who lack means. By saying you avoided those areas implies something hideous about your character, like youre too good to parlay with common people

[Diff1]

There is some serious trolling or pure hating going on, Roanoke is not that serious I have live in all the public housing in Roanoke it has its issues but by no means it a dangerous city. To be caught up in almost all crime in Roanoke that means that you are already apart of that lifestyle!

[Watchful]

Originally Posted by TyG_XCII

Never said Roanoke was a "Terrible" city I actually love Roanoke and actually compare everywhere ive been in upstate NY To "the noke" and so far nothing has met my criteria

Thanks so much for the update TyG.....still note that this thread (which I think you started) was labeled in a pretty "out there" way - "Please Dont Move To Roanoke!! War In Innercity!"

[Copanut]

My wife and I just spent a few days in Roanoke, staying at the Hilton. Loved the restaurants and did not feel like we were in any danger walking around. False sense of security?

[Veneficus]

Originally Posted by Copanut

My wife and I just spent a few days in Roanoke, staying at the Hilton. Loved the restaurants and did not feel like we were in any danger walking around. False sense of security?

Random violence is very rare here. When people draw blood here it's something personal and usually involves money.

[cam4vt]

Originally Posted by Copanut

My wife and I just spent a few days in Roanoke, staying at the Hilton. Loved the restaurants and did not feel like we were in any danger walking around. False sense of security?

Not at all. In fact most people in Roanoke experience the same thing you do. People are more likely to post and scream on the mountain tops about negative experiences as opposed to positive ones. Its human nature to be that way.

[Copanut]

We ate at Frankie's and 51, both were great. The first night there we walked around town looking at all the restaurants deciding which one. My wife stopped two guys for advice. This may be politically incorrect, but the guys were gay and fit the stereotype. They ran off a list of their favorite places so based on their recommendation we went to 51 the first night.