Birmingham grapples with crime

**MSUguy** · April-23-12, 01:18 PM

Birmingham— When Trista Shulman, 30, moved to Birmingham in 2004, she said she could leave her car in the driveway, doors unlocked, keys inside and not think twice about something happening.
But last week, Shulman said she heard a gunshot outside her house. A couple of weeks before that, someone robbed one of her neighbors.
And with a woman firing two bullets in downtown Birmingham earlier this month and an 18-year-old man from Troy caught walking downtown with a loaded M-1 rifle, fear has started to set in for the mother of three.
"It's frustrating not to be able to leave the door open for my son when he comes home from school," said Shulman, who lives near Woodward Avenue and Maple Road, less than a mile from downtown. "He has to ring the doorbell to get into his own house. "I don't know what this world is coming to."

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...#ixzz1st9eW2tQ

**Zacha341** · April-23-12, 01:30 PM

Umm, I don't mean to be insensitive but who on planet earth leaves keys in a car, doors open and the like...?? I really hate the tired canard 'crime is everywhere' where in fact it's the percentage that makes the crucial distinction, rather than the 'everywhere' aspect.

BUT, for certain crime indeed 'can' happen ANYWHERE! Including er' B'ham!! For certain criminals count on the 'not where I live' naivete those who don't secure their property of personal space!

**MSUguy** · April-23-12, 01:49 PM

Originally Posted by Zacha341

Umm, I don't mean to be insensitive but who on planet earth leaves keys in a car, doors open and the like... I really hate the tired canard 'crime is everywhere' where in fact it's the percentage that makes the crucial distinction, rather than the 'everywhere' aspect.

But, for certain crime indeed 'can' happen ANYWHERE! Including er' B'ham!! For certain criminals count on the 'not where I live' naivete those who don't secure their property of personal space!

Yeah, the 'what is world coming to' thing just struck me as very odd. I'm mean c'mon give the kid a key

**BrushStart** · April-23-12, 02:04 PM

Guess it's time to move further north. Pontiac, here we come! Oh...wait... damn it all to hell!!!

**Zacha341** · April-23-12, 02:05 PM

Yeah like DUH! She was just being naive... son should be taught how to look out for his surroundings as well. I hated when my youth were that age with keys. Just hated it... but it is what it is with everyone working long hours.

Originally Posted by MSUguy

Yeah, the 'what is world coming to' think just struck me as very odd. I'm mean c'mon give the kid a key

**Zacha341** · April-23-12, 02:06 PM

No! Perhaps to planet MARS! Oops, wait they've cancelled funds to NASA funding so that's out too!

Originally Posted by BrushStart

Guess it's time to move further north. Pontiac, here we come! Oh...wait... damn it all to hell!!!

**Detroitnerd** · April-23-12, 02:23 PM

Dear Detroit,

For years, thanks to the stark lines of class and race, we all felt very comfortable because we knew we could count on you to hold all the criminals, mental defectives and psychopaths in the region. Up until recently, you have performed your job very well. But now we are experiencing a few robberies as well. Please try harder to keep all criminals within your boundaries, as we have enjoyed the arrangement very much thank you.

Sincerely,

Birmingham

**Zacha341** · April-23-12, 02:43 PM

Ahhh yeah, like the breakdown of the supposed hard-and-fast divide between politics and policies and actions of the right vs. the left, there's increasing permeability and leakage.

And in recent cases more and more burbs are experiencing mania and criminallity that is home grown: Cipriano - Farmington Hills, Brian Douglas White, Livonia etc.

Originally Posted by Detroitnerd

...now we are experiencing a few robberies as well. Please try harder to keep all criminals within your boundaries, as we have enjoyed the arrangement very much thank you.

**Bham1982** · April-23-12, 03:18 PM

You can thank our "progressive" city leadership for the uptick in crime.

Basically, they made it super-easy to get a liquor license [[in order to "stimulate vibrant nightlife"), so we're getting violence downtown at night.

There are basically two offending establishments. Hopefully they'll be shut down soon, and Birmingham can go back to being a "boring, soulless suburb".

**iheartthed** · April-23-12, 03:21 PM

Sounds like Birmingham's got big city problems.

**Zacha341** · April-23-12, 03:24 PM

As is the case with other 'burbs as I mentioned...

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Sounds like Birmingham's got big city problems.

**casscorridor** · April-23-12, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Sounds like Birmingham's got big city problems.

It makes sense considering Birmingham, along with Royal Oak, acts as an alternative to Downtown Detroit for our region. So if you want to be like a big city, with high densities, nightlife, and such you are going to have to deal with at least some of the problems associated with cities such as crime. Of course, it is still a suburb, and still rich, so the heightened "crime" is really only a news story because it is happening in a rich suburb.

**iheartthed** · April-23-12, 03:37 PM

Originally Posted by casscorridor

It makes considering Birmingham, along with Royal Oak, acts as an alternative to Downtown Detroit for our region. So if you want to be like a big city, with high densities, nightlife, and such you are going to have to deal with at least some of the problems associated with cities such as crime. Of course, it is still a suburb, and still rich, so the heightened "crime" is really only a news story because it is happening in a rich suburb.

Yeah. Could be worse. Not really even sure why this is news? It's still one of lowest crime rates in Oakland County, according to the article.

And 20,000 residents aren't what is supporting downtown Birmingham, I don't care what the median income is there. They know that. Birmingham's establishments are being supported largely by people who don't live in Birmingham, so I don't even know what the point is of making the distinction that the people committing the crimes don't live there.

**Flintoid** · April-23-12, 03:39 PM

So in the last few weeks we've seen the brutal family homicide in Farmington, a homicide in Southfield, a triple homicide in Redford Township, and this article. Perhaps people will realize that it's your own common sense that decides how at risk you are, not the fact that you may have a Detroit zip code.

**DetroitPlanner** · April-23-12, 03:42 PM

Suburban Communities are finding it harder to meet costs and often times lay off lots of police and fire to meet thier budgets. Criminals are not as dumb as they seem and will take advantage of this. There is not much left in the poorer cities around here to steal anymore. Who would rob a house in Ecorse if you have an equal chance of getting caught by robbing a house in Birmingham?

**bibs** · April-23-12, 11:03 PM

Perception is reality for most people. The woman from Birmingham perceives a wealthy community with nice houses to be safe and a lower income community with weathered housing to be unsafe. The reality is that her perception is total bunk and crime stats don't lie. What is more dangerous? Driving a car to grandma's or taking a plane? 32,000 people died in car accidents last year and I believe a hundred or less died in plane crash last year but don't hold me to it.

**ismoakrack** · April-24-12, 12:34 AM

This woman sounds like a total fool.

**Scottathew** · April-24-12, 05:42 AM

Originally Posted by ismoakrack

This woman sounds like a total fool.

True.

South Warren would be a third world country to her.

**rjk** · April-24-12, 07:15 AM

Birmingham grapples with local idiot should be the headline.
Her kids are smart enough to turn a doorknob, but they can't figure out how to put a piece of metal in the center of it?

I'm amazed by the number of people I know that will knowingly leave their unlocked car in their driveway. As far as people leaving their keys in their car, do they do this because they have a habit of losing their keys? I don't get it.

**DetroitPlanner** · April-24-12, 07:21 AM

Originally Posted by rjk

I'm amazed by the number of people I know that will knowingly leave their unlocked car in their driveway. As far as people leaving their keys in their car, do they do this because they have a habit of losing their keys? I don't get it.

My car is locked even when its in the garage! Leaving your car unlocked with the keys in it is idiodic. Its like the lady I saw at the 7-11 once with her car covered with recycle and greenpeace bumperstickers who left her car running while she went in to buy smokes! Ummm... lady if you really care so much about the environment, you should not be driving to the store to buy a pack of cigs.... and to leave the car idiling means added pollutants and wasted gas!

**Cincinnati_Kid** · April-24-12, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by Bham1982

You can thank our "progressive" city leadership for the uptick in crime.

Basically, they made it super-easy to get a liquor license [[in order to "stimulate vibrant nightlife"), so we're getting violence downtown at night.

There are basically two offending establishments. Hopefully they'll be shut down soon, and Birmingham can go back to being a "boring, soulless suburb".

One of those offending establishments wouldn't happen to be "South" would it? They've been in the news lately.

**Cincinnati_Kid** · April-24-12, 07:57 AM

Originally Posted by bibs

Perception is reality for most people. The woman from Birmingham perceives a wealthy community with nice houses to be safe and a lower income community with weathered housing to be unsafe. The reality is that her perception is total bunk and crime stats don't lie. What is more dangerous? Driving a car to grandma's or taking a plane? 32,000 people died in car accidents last year and I believe a hundred or less died in plane crash last year but don't hold me to it.

I'd still rather drive to grandma's, it's cheaper.

**iheartthed** · April-24-12, 08:50 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

My car is locked even when its in the garage! Leaving your car unlocked with the keys in it is idiodic.

It's completely idiotic. What if some kid in the neighborhood jumped in her car and decided it would be fun to go for a joyride? Just because she thinks she lives in Mayberry doesn't explain her stupidity.

**Bham1982** · April-24-12, 09:05 AM

Originally Posted by Cincinnati_Kid

One of those offending establishments wouldn't happen to be "South" would it? They've been in the news lately.

Yep, South is one of the establishments. It looks like a cheesy South Beach wanna-be club, and tends to attract a rowdy weekend element.

**poobert** · April-24-12, 10:05 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

It's completely idiotic. What if some kid in the neighborhood jumped in her car and decided it would be fun to go for a joyride? Just because she thinks she lives in Mayberry doesn't explain her stupidity.

I think that's what it is, since it defies logic. She may seem like an idiot - but there are millions more of her in the suburbs. Oddly enough I think it is a status thing - Biff and Buffy spent so much money on their house they feel they can leave keys lying around and everything unlocked in their little Mayberry. "Our suburb is SO great I don't have to worry about taking reasonable precautions to protect myself and my family!" Then you read about them in the paper. Birmingham can get over itself. This may be isolated but I don't see any indication that crime would decline anytime soon so they better get used to it.