Is Springfield, Mo really that racist?

[Readingmamma]

Springfield has a lot of problems, and the least of their troubles is racism. I don't see how some can say that there are no blacks living here. I live about an hour away, and I see people of all races in Springfield.
Meth is a huge problem in Springfield, and SW Missouri in general. The police are so overwhelmed with crime that they won't respond to accident calls anymore. I hear much more complaining about the drug dealers, drug users and the police who are too busy fighting with the county to do much about it. The county quit allowing the city to place people in the county jail, so most people are finger printed and released. One man was arrested, fingerprinted, released, and then a few hours later he shot an officer in the head.
Sadly, Springfield is a mess right now and it has very little to do with race and everything to do with meth.
Oh, and let's not leave out the aggressive pan handling. The Springfield news leader did an article that said they've moved from accosting people in store parking lots and demanding money, to walking neighborhoods and confronting people in their driveway. All while the police say they aren't doing anything wrong.
It all makes me so thankful that we never moved into Springfield. I think Springfield has the crime of much larger cities, but a small town police force. A little girl was kidnapped with witnesses getting the plate number, a perfect description of the man and the truck, still, it took them hours to get an amber alert out. Hours after her abduction, police pulled into the truck owners driveway and found the little girl dead in his basement. I shook my head in disbelief. It seriously took them over four hours to run plates and track a man to his house in the same city??
It's all falling back to the crime spike they are in and the police who can't seem to keep up.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by Readingmamma

Springfield has a lot of problems, and the least of their troubles is racism. I don't see how some can say that there are no blacks living here. I live about an hour away, and I see people of all races in Springfield.
Meth is a huge problem in Springfield, and SW Missouri in general. The police are so overwhelmed with crime that they won't respond to accident calls anymore. I hear much more complaining about the drug dealers, drug users and the police who are too busy fighting with the county to do much about it. The county quit allowing the city to place people in the county jail, so most people are finger printed and released. One man was arrested, fingerprinted, released, and then a few hours later he shot an officer in the head.
Sadly, Springfield is a mess right now and it has very little to do with race and everything to do with meth.
Oh, and let's not leave out the aggressive pan handling. The Springfield news leader did an article that said they've moved from accosting people in store parking lots and demanding money, to walking neighborhoods and confronting people in their driveway. All while the police say they aren't doing anything wrong.
It all makes me so thankful that we never moved into Springfield. I think Springfield has the crime of much larger cities, but a small town police force. A little girl was kidnapped with witnesses getting the plate number, a perfect description of the man and the truck, still, it took them hours to get an amber alert out. Hours after her abduction, police pulled into the truck owners driveway and found the little girl dead in his basement. I shook my head in disbelief. It seriously took them over four hours to run plates and track a man to his house in the same city??
It's all falling back to the crime spike they are in and the police who can't seem to keep up.

I used to live in South St. Louis county, and St. Louis county in general is crawling with police. You have county police then all these tiny townships each with their own speed trap. You can't go quarter of a mile in Stl county without seeing at least one squad car putzing around and generally even in unincorporated Stl county they have very quick response time and multiple units arrive.

[RisingAurvandil]

Originally Posted by MOforthewin

I used to live in South St. Louis county, and St. Louis county in general is crawling with police. You have county police then all these tiny townships each with their own speed trap. You can't go quarter of a mile in Stl county without seeing at least one squad car putzing around and generally even in unincorporated Stl county they have very quick response time and multiple units arrive.

About Springfield...

I don't agree with this person(Readingmama). I lived in SW MO a couple years ago. None of Springfield felt dangerous, and only a small enclave around Kearney felt remotely questionable. Overall, it's a decent city.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by RisingAurvandil

He was talking about Springfield.

But anywho, I don't agree with him. I lived in SW MO a couple years ago. None of Springfield felt dangerous, and only a small enclave around Kearney felt remotely questionable. Overall, it's a decent city.

Which I find kind of shocking because it's a densely populated county (Greene) and you have Greene County Sheriffs Department and Springfield Police along with other nearby municipals. This is not St. Louis City that has an officer shortage or did at one time.

I live in Southwest Florida now and while my town doesn't have much crime, in general the region as a whole I feel less safe at times because crimes is spread out around the region, not isolated in a few pockets. At least in St. Louis metro you know what areas to stay away from such as parts of the city and county. I lived in South County which gets some crime too but I'd always be carrying anyway. Here in Florida I have to carry my mouse sized gun because no open carry and have to worry about showing. In Missouri Just slapped on whatever gun I wanted because open carry state.

[Springfield Citizen]

My friend lives in the Oak Grove neighborhood and they had shots fired last week. You never know where it's going to pop up.

And County stopped taking City prisoners because City refuses to pay for taking them. City helped County build the jail and thinks that amounts to a perpetual "free ride" in terms of prisoner housing. As a result, city officers are arrest happy. Lots of "status" violations and such that should be cite-n-release turn into jail time. A favorite excuse is "resisting arrest" which can mean whatever the officer wants it to mean so they "tune up" the perp then slap them in a cell. Happens more than anyone will publicly admit.

[MegiddoJones]

Originally Posted by sadgirl80

I'm also curious about racism that is prevalent in MO.
Nationally, it seems like it gets pretty bad press.

Missouri Hate Tweets: State Has High Rates of Homophobia, Racism, N-Word Usage (MAPS) - St. Louis - News - Daily RFT

Racist Missouri Looking for Another Dubious Title | Muck Fizzou (This one is particularly amusing.)

Missouri Half Way To Being Annoying Obviously Racist State Who Protends Not To Be ‹ Punching Kitty

African Americans Face Racism In Springfield, Missouri : blackmissouri.com African Americans in Missouri (This is particularly appalling.)

And we all know many racists are "in the closet", who are extremist white supremacist and nazis when they're engaged with their fellow white supremacists feeling free to be their true selves, and otherwise pretend to be normal human beings like the rest of us. One member of CD forum was discovered to be a Hitler lover and white supremacist. Where in Missouri does the South begin?

Could you possibly virtue signal any harder? You sound like you physically reside in California and mentally live on Tumblr.

[miquel_westano]

Originally Posted by BellasDad52

My job is moving out to Springfield, MO next year, at first I thought it might be nice to move from the busy west coast scene to a nice country type life style. But I see that Springfield is 95% white and I read a few articles on-line that Springfield is a very racist area. My family is hispanic and before moving out there I would like to get a better read on the area before we move. And I would also like to hear from people who live in the area directly versus news articles.

Springfield is a wonderful small town/midsize city with the usual problems, including a rise in property crimes and violent crimes. These are mostly due to drugs rather than racial issues. As more and more folks develop addictions and need money to fuel them, crimes rise. This isn't Springfield, it is America and likely the world.


I moved to Springfield in the late 1950's from Greenville MS and in those days it was Mayberry. But so was most of small town America. Now the small towns around here are being decimated by meth, opioids and a few other lesser used drugs. Even heroin is now sadly common. A lot of heroin addicts were prior prescription opioid users who were hooked, then made to go cold turkey by politicians and doctors. I feel for them rather than hate them. So many never intended to be addicts, and were sold into addiction by the pharmaceutical companies.


If you come to Springfield to be a good person, you will be met by tons just like you. But if you come looking for the bad side of the tracks, it is here just like everywhere else. If you come looking for racist, they are here too. But if you come looking for folks who welcome others regardless of differences, there are plenty of them. I doubt you will find Springfield near as hostile as you fear.