Does this area have as much crime as people say ..? People keep telling me this is crackhead central.

Submitted by shdwfknbnd t3_123782h in springfieldMO

I live in the Orlando metro area. Going to be moving to the Springfield area in a few months once my lease is up. I've lived in many different parts of FL (different towns/cities in central and south FL on the east coast. Never in the pan handle area), I've lived in NY (not long island), SC, and TX as well for short periods (~1 yr). I mostly grew up in NY and FL though. Been back here in FL now for about 7 years. It's just time for a change. I've mentioned to a few people that I'm going to be moving to the Springfield area. I've only been once.

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To me it really didn't seem that bad. I only stayed around the south part of the city. Around Republic, Battlefield, Ozark. Those areas. I didn't actually go into the city nor do I plan on actually living in the city. I'm going to be living in one of the small towns *surrounding* the city. One of the things I noticed was... there was a lot of beat up, old looking trucks on the road. But that was literally the only indication that I saw that the area may be kind of... "not as wealthy" as where I'm from/what I'm used to. It's not like I encountered crime or anything like that.

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So I gueeeesssss.... my question is. Why does the Springfield area get a bad rep? Is it really as bad as people say it is? Again, when I was there I didn't see anything *that* startling or eye catching. Maybe most of the people telling me the bad are sheltered? IDK. I can hold my own and feel generally pretty safe walking around anywhere in Orlando except maybe Pine Hills at night time. Even then I probably wouldn't get killed or anything like that.

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pizza1sgr8 t1_jdtjhob wrote

You’ll be fine. It’s pretty safe here, but don’t do anything stupid like leave your car unlocked w/ valuables in it overnight.

“It’s so bad!” Is relative- people around here have no idea about real big city crime. It can get a little methy in some spots, tho….

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Fantastic_Mind_1386 t1_jdtnhz5 wrote

Chances of crime go way up north of Chestnut. It’s not just people who leave their doors unlocked either. My truck was recently broken into in my well lit driveway with the door locked. They didn’t even try the handle. Nothing was taken because I don’t leave anything in my truck after it being broken into twice before… There’s signs all over town saying beware of smash and grab theft for a reason. I also manage a retail store and I can tell you that retail theft is super high here compared to other areas I have lived and worked.

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Wyldfire2112 t1_jduj48c wrote

I'd say even north of Grand, really.

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cdcemm t1_jdw6xd8 wrote

North of Sunshine. Phelps Grove Neighborhood gets hit fairly hard, too.

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BrilliantFunny3943 t1_jdttets wrote

yeah I was an idiot and left my wallet in my car with it unlocked :(, took my wallet, change, and spare car key lol

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GlacialAgenda t1_jdzmx4g wrote

They could have taken your car with the key

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BrilliantFunny3943 t1_je0aoa3 wrote

Glad they didn't, maybe they were too high to realize what they had, I bought a bar to secure my steering wheel as well

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Jimithyashford t1_jdtpjvv wrote

The petty theft and property crime rate is very frustratingly high. There are many parts of town where anything not chained down or locked up is going bye-bye. Catalytic converter theft, copper theft, car window smash and grabs, that kind of shit. It happens a lot.

But the city isn’t dangerous to your person. Like you aren’t at great risk of getting mugged or jumped. Not that it never happens of course, but it’s not bad. There aren’t really any neighborhoods where you get that “I need to keep my head on a swivel and be out of here by dark” tingle down your spine, the “I am not safe here” feeling.

So if you’re a bicycle or a catalytic converter, You’re fucked. If you’re human, you’re pretty safe.

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[deleted] t1_jdtqahz wrote

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dusthimself t1_jdvjafx wrote

You're from Orlando, you'll be fine, lol. I've lived all over Missouri and everyone that hasn't strayed far from the bible belt thinks their city is going to hell so don't let any alarmists get to you. Just be smart, know your neighborhoods like any other city you'd plan on living in, and you'll be fine.

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Marqueso-burrito t1_jdu0911 wrote

I’ve lived here for five years, if you have children or plan on having children soon don’t move here, I’d recommend the outer towns like nixa republic or rogersville. Missouri does have some beautiful spots but springfield is honestly so bad, not just cause of crime (although it is pretty rough here) I’m from the outskirts of pittsburgh, it’s not as bad here just a hell of a lot of meth heads. The real kicker is that the whole town is just utter shit, little to no night life unless you like hick themed clubs or hipster bars… or trashy strip clubs. I guarantee I’ll get downvotes from the people who lived here their whole lives but that’s cause they take it personal. Oh and there’s also a bunch of hate around here. Religious nut jobs claiming to regrow human appendages through prayer, people leaving racist flyers around town, ziploc bags with anti semitic messages in them, and most of the homeless don’t bite. I wouldn’t move to springfield if I were you. I’ve been stuck here and now that I have a daughter on the way all me and my old lady can think about is how much we don’t want to raise her here.

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[deleted] t1_jduq7q3 wrote

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Marqueso-burrito t1_jdvqb2x wrote

Really? I’m part of the racism, homophobia and anti semitism? No I just spent too much time stuck in this shit hole. Get out of the city dude and you’ll see it’s not this bad everywhere, this place just sucks.

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[deleted] t1_jdvrfqc wrote

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Marqueso-burrito t1_jdvt282 wrote

Incorrect, I loved pittsburgh, I loved Salt Lake City (only lived there for a few months my asthma couldn’t handle the smog) if I could go anywhere it would be anywhere but here. I’m very happy in general however after spending time here I cannot stand this city. The politicians are dumb, and the school board candidates are dumber. When I was in high school I had to ride my bike to work so naturally since I lived on the north side, I worked on the north side, I worked at Culvers and when I ran food I got chased into the restaurant with a knife by a homeless man, a customer had a pistol and got the guy to back off. When I worked at Walmart I did online grocery pickup and had to deal with meth heads coming in the parking lot trying to bribe me to get them free groceries with meth. They upped the security. When I worked at wings etc I had to kick people out on the daily because they’d be shooting up in the bathroom. (That also happened at Walmart) I once had to tackle a guy at the gas station because he was beating the shit out of a woman, in broad daylight, nobody else did anything. Including calling the police, they just looked at me and kept walking. You should really look at springfield in a different light because I’ve seen both sides and to sum it up, the bad heavily outweighs the good in this town. That’s not just me either. People get stuck here, most folks I’ve met agree springfield is a black hole good things fall into.

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[deleted] t1_jdvub83 wrote

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Marqueso-burrito t1_jdvul4s wrote

No it happens in all cities, but not everywhere in all cities. You can’t get away from it here it’s just all over springfield.

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[deleted] t1_jdvv3ik wrote

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Marqueso-burrito t1_jdvwg3b wrote

Do you have data that you haven’t? All I can tell you is stories but it’s up to you to believe me or not. It’s happened several times in the family bathroom of walmart, it happened less often at wings but it did happen. Those are only the times I was there. See you tell me one good thing about springfield I’ll see 5 bad things. Whereas anywhere else (except chicago or philly) you say one bad thing I’ll show you 5 good things. I’ve been to almost every state, and I feel as though I spent enough time in those places to see both good and bad, not enough time to really judge them but to see the surface. Here I’ve been in the thick of it for a while now and I can’t say I’m happy ab it.

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[deleted] t1_jdvx7d1 wrote

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Marqueso-burrito t1_jdvxi8s wrote

Just open your eyes a little man, you’ll see what I’m talking about. Until then I guess this conversation is done. I don’t have the energy to waste trying to get you to see what’s so blatantly obvious.

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wetdeq t1_je44m50 wrote

Also I don’t really see any hateful messages around and I used to ride my longboard before I got my car all around town for years on national and battlefield which frequently have crackheads

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wetdeq t1_je44id4 wrote

Nah there’s a huge car scene at night on the weekends

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Complete-Soup-6001 t1_jdtnlr2 wrote

I live north Springfield, probably “a lot” of homeless to all the suburb people from the surrounding towns. Not too much violence there’s the occasional shooting, but compared to actual big cities there’s hardly any. The high crime rate is mostly property crimes cus these tweakers be boostin lol. My neighbors ride around like 24 hours a day on bikes bringing shit back. So basically just keep things locked up and don’t leave valuables accessible, I never feel unsafe though. But hey since you’re in missouri you might as well get yourself a piece 🔫🤠

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ChaosGoblinGoat t1_jdu56uh wrote

If you move to the northwest side (I'm a current resident here) near Kansas and Division, be prepared to play the "Are those gun shots or fireworks" game. Not really that bad as no one has bugged me or my family but I have absolutely walked out my back door into my fully fenced in yard to swat back there telling me to go back inside. That has also happened walking out the front door to see 12 SPD units searching the abandoned house catty corner to mine. 😂😂 Just mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy my dude.

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powerfulspacewizard t1_jdukp9l wrote

The people who say it’s bad have never lived anywhere else. They moved from Billings or where ever there is no crime because there is no people. Then they moved somewhere with people. KC and STL are more crimey. There are places there that you actively should avoid going to. There is no bad part of Springfield. North side is not bad. It’s worse than the south side

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CrazyUncleCharlieBoy t1_jdxdslv wrote

Came here to say this same thought by my twist- I’ve lived both KC and STL. There isn’t anywhere around here I wouldn’t walk unarmed with my wife and kid any time. Not true of the other two places. People have no idea.

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WendyArmbuster t1_jdtkt6u wrote

Our crime rate is high because our official city limits are way inside of what you would think of as Springfield city limits. You'll be right in the middle of a neighborhood and there will be a "city limits" sign. Of course all of our older neighborhoods with lower owner-occupancy rates will have higher crime rates than our newer neighborhoods with higher owner-occupied rates. Our newest neighborhoods are all outside of our official city limits.

Even our "high crime" areas are not all that bad, and random violence is rare, and most victims of violent crime know the perpetrator.

I will say that it feels like rural crime rates are on the rise. I work in a surrounding county, and it feels like drugs and desperation are causing more crime than it seemed like it has in the past, but I don't have any data to back that up.

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malevolentk t1_jdv34bf wrote

I agree with this - I live in a very safe neighborhood and folks are often surprised that we aren’t in city limits because we are basically surrounded by city limits

My neighborhood never wanted to be annexed I guess

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CelestialJackope t1_jdvbjoh wrote

I live in one of the rougher areas of Springfield, and the only crime I've experienced is petty theft. Got a ladder and 2 gas cans stolen from me. They went through my car, too, but I don't keep anything valuable in my car for a reason.

That was a few years ago. The police presence has increased in my area and the results have been showing. I'm not a fan of cops either, but at least they seem to be trying.

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4myolive t1_jdtslyl wrote

Meth is called 417 for a reason.

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ChewML t1_jduowda wrote

What circles you running in? I have never heard that shit... Been a while since I have conversed with meth users.

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MachineContent t1_jdx2lcm wrote

Back at it again with the fake news dayyyum

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wetdeq t1_je44u2v wrote

Nah it was called 417 a while ago my dad knew about it and he’s like 60 you prolly just aren’t old enough or out of touch with drugs

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MachineContent t1_je4spy4 wrote

It’s called a lot of things man. I’m just saying the world would be lost if you said 417. Most people just call it meth.

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wetdeq t1_je95lvd wrote

It’s a old term but was still called that due to where we live being the biggest producer of meth in the USA or atleast was when meth was bigger

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MachineContent t1_jeb1q8g wrote

You keep saying was. Like it’s not commonly called that anymore

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GrilledAbortionMeat t1_jdv4xyn wrote

Maybe for bumpkins who've never experienced real city life. But I suspect it will seem calm and safe coming from Orlando.

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Demmetros t1_jdtqkzn wrote

It's pretty meth'd up around here

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Super-Preparation878 t1_jdvlro8 wrote

I think it’s mostly people are comparing it to surrounding areas and towns that gives such a bad view honestly. Drugs and theft are really the big ones but all three towns you listed are pretty decent midwestern towns, I’m a little closer to Lake of the Ozarks but spent 8 years in Springfield if you’re not looking for trouble most likely you’ll have zero problems just be sure to lock your car doors the meth heads are scavengers.

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SomethingClever2022 t1_jdvu56y wrote

Our police chief admitted to throwing away rape kits several years ago. One of those kits was on a 4 year old victim. I’d say our crime is not any worse than anywhere else in the region-but our law enforcement definitely sucks.

The sheriff also has a major ego and no one will run against him. His current hatred is for the unsheltered.

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existentialkush t1_jdvlw6s wrote

north side your catalytic converter is in danger, but not you. south side is all around pretty chill

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ciennaj t1_jdvs9s9 wrote

I live in the republic area and I think you will be fine. I like to joke that this part of Missouri is just the midwest version of Florida

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Zigihogan t1_jdvtgrd wrote

Bums on every corner waiting for a hand out, bums and meth heads clogging any convenience store with slot machines, and this is on the south side (the nice side). Can't imagine the state of the north side.

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prettytimemachine t1_jdvyh05 wrote

It's not dangerous, just kinda druggie in some areas. All in all, better than Florida, but you'd definitely rather move anywhere but here .. try Colorado or Washington state, unless you're a Trumper, in which case Springfield is perfect for you...

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shdwfknbnd OP t1_jdybzhs wrote

meh Fuck trump and fuck biden. Fuck politics altogether. Who gives a fuck. I'm trying to have fun with my life and do my own thing...

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mysickfix t1_jdw3ju8 wrote

Coming from a major city (Houston), what we have here is petty dope head crime.

Book and release is a major part of the problem.

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mightymeltar t1_jdx3f1v wrote

It's not crack so much as crystal meth. And it's a pretty severe problem. And seems to be getting uglier. I moved here 20 years ago from a pretty sketchy part of Philadelphia, so the north side of Springfield isn't super intimidating, there is a lot of poverty and drugs, but mostly genuinely good-hearted people experiencing bad luck.

Those south towns you mentioned are nice. Nixa has fantastic schools, Republic is growing a lot faster than its infrastructure was prepared for, but it's also a great town.

Battlefield is a wonderful tiny town, and Ozark has a lot to offer.

If you can, while most of the north side folks are good neighbors, I'd still choose to live south of Sunshine.

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Cosmonaut-Crisis t1_jdx4llo wrote

It’s fine just done be dumb, I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve never been a victim

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pr1moispfat t1_jdyc6h2 wrote

Lived in Orlando for about 6 months years ago when I wanted to get away from here. Found my self right back. Majority of people who complain have never left the state. It’s not nearly as bad as people make it out to be.

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shdwfknbnd OP t1_jdyrt2d wrote

glad to hear. I'll be there in a couple months or so. Just tying up loose ends here and then I'm out. IDK how long ago you were in Orlando but my goodness... this place absolutely SUCKS out loud now. I first moved here back in 2003 (I've bounced around quite a bit admittedly...) and it was nice then. I'd say around 5-7 years ago was when it started to get noticeably shitty, to me atleast. Now... now it's just a ticking time bomb. I'm not even kidding. I want to live a simpler life. Go hunting, fishing, own some land, that sort of thing. I miss the change of seasons.

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Florida is fascinating to people who have maybe lived up north their entire lives. As in... they were born and raised up north (or somewhere where it snows). Even then I bet a majority of those people are going to get burnt out on FL in 3-5 years. Some will have the means to move back to their home states or somewhere like the Carolinas, others (the unfortunate ones) will be stuck here in the rat race because of student debt or just debt/low funds and work for Disney or the other theme parks for years to come.

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I used to love FL. I mean I was born here... it looks good on the surface. But once you start seeing everything underneath that.. Sorry. Rant over. lol...

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hushabyesecret t1_jdu0q3k wrote

Property crime is more common here like other answers have said. I'd avoid commercial street and that entire neighborhood. It's known for violence, break ins, drugs, and prostitution. I live near battlefield and 65 and it's a pretty good neighborhood.

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Nasaltron t1_jdxks9d wrote

With all due respect, this is antiquated advice. Commercial street has all the best spots in town for food, antiques, and drinks and it's no more dangerous than downtown, which is to say, not really dangerous at all. It's reputation may have been deserved at one point, but not for the last decade.

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greensparklyyy t1_jdve8bi wrote

most of the crime is property crime. just be smart about your surroundings. also, if you’re staying in republic/battlefield/ozark then yeah, you’re not going to come into contact even with the property crime.

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krillozian t1_jdvvdtv wrote

Coastal transplants will find that Springfield is pleasantly low crime as compared to their home. We only have a handful of killings and driveby shootings a year now, but that didn't use to be the case, to people who have lived here longer than 5 or 10 years crime is skyrocketing. The low cost of living invites people from big cities, and with poverty comes crime. In five years it'll be much worse, we had our first gang shooting at a high school recently, and it was from a St. Louis gang banger who moved here. I expect now that there has been one, there will be more.

Anyway, if you're moving here from out of state and have any money you wont be in places where you have to worry about crime (yet). North of Grand is the current big crime dividing line.

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KTfl1 t1_jdzsn9b wrote

If you have money.

Springfield feels like a free to play, pay to win game to me. Northside cheap housing and high crime. South side, more expensive homes, nicer neighborhoods, less crime. Fortunately, it seems like there is plenty of work available here at the moment.

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LilSisterCumGutters t1_jdwe99f wrote

I live down town. You couldn’t pay me to go out after dark. Best case you get shook down for money every block

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baby_got_hax t1_jdwohyo wrote

Northside=Meth

Here's a test... Go to a gas station on the Northside n try to air up your tires. You can't bc the tweakers have stolen the brass ends to recycle them.... For meth, not crack lol

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Ok-Inflation-6312 t1_jdyc6pr wrote

Its number 5 in the nation for property crimes per capita and number 10 for homicides last I checked.

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Defdave t1_je82iay wrote

I've lived in big cities and small towns. Over my last 20 years of living in Springfield it has DEFINITELY gotten worse here in many ways, especially just over the last 10 years. If you are going to live in one of the surrounding towns, that is for the best. It used to be that the north side of Springfield was the "bad part" of town, but now it's even on the southside where I now live. We are looking to get out of here as soon as possible.

**Springfield police chief says gun violence is 'our No. 1 problem'**Dressed in a gray suit as he spoke to City Council in August, Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams broke down various categories of crime.He pointed to decreases in overall crime compared to 2021, including in the categories of burglary and shoplifting. Much of the chief's presentation had a positive tone until he pivoted to an issue that continues to be a major concern for his department."Having said all of that, I am going to point to what continues to be our No. 1 problem: gun violence," Williams said. "The number of shots fired calls continues to go up. Our shots fired calls are already more than we had for all of 2019."

There were 227 shots fired calls in all of 2019. The total spiked to to 337 in 2020, and 294 in 2021. The total for the first two-thirds of 2022 was already at 261.

"Those are not good numbers, and that's the one thing that continues to increase," Williams said. "The amount of gun fire and the amount of folks getting hurt is increasing."

"I was born and raised here, and it wasn't nearly this bad growing up," said Cavin Loderhose, whose brother, Colin Loderhose, was shot and killed this summer confronting a suspected thief inside his store, Anchor Tactical Supply."You would hear about these kinds of things here and there, but not like it has been."Springfield police chief says gun violence is 'our No. 1 problem'

Here are some statistics:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-city-rankings/most-violent-cities-in-america

https://www.safewise.com/blog/most-dangerous-cities/

https://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Springfield-Missouri.html

https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/mo/springfield/crime#:~:text=With%20a%20crime%20rate%20of,here%20is%20one%20in%2012.

https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-springfield-mo/

https://realestate.usnews.com/places/missouri/springfield/crime

https://www.news-leader.com/story/news/crime/2022/10/03/shootings-springfield-mo-crime-arent-slowing-down/69524635007/

Springfield is also statistically the poorest city in Missouri and tragically has high rates of depression and suicide:

https://www.ky3.com/2022/12/06/based-household-income-home-values-springfield-is-poorest-city-missouri/

https://www.ky3.com/2022/09/09/springfield-suicide-rates-are-higher-than-region-state-national-averages/

http://ozarkshealthcommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/CHNA-Final-Springfield-2022.pdf

BUT...at least there is a church on just about every corner here. That makes it a lot better, right? I mean most of them are doing the Lord's work in this town, aren't they? It seems like every day I'm seeing teams from 2nd Baptist and James River megachurches out there helping the needy and inspiring hope! Right guys?

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[deleted] t1_jdtqoov wrote

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cktk9 t1_jdu0f57 wrote

> My sibling almost got carjacked TONIGHT here in town

Where in town?

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King_Elrod t1_jdvgtpb wrote

This is a college town we have students from all over America and the world. So lots of out of state drivers.

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Low_Tourist t1_jdvj9og wrote

Plus it's spring break for a lot of places. Could be tourists passing through or visiting.

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22TopShelf22 t1_jdtmgq3 wrote

Downtown is on the decline. It sounds like you didn't go there, and aside of downtown, I think crime isn't too bad

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[deleted] t1_jdtndz5 wrote

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the_honeyman t1_jdtnpoo wrote

They're completely and totally wrong, btw. Downtown has been picking back up again after covid, and now it's starting to kick again. Plus, the city is dumping money into revitalizing it.

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Complete-Soup-6001 t1_jdtotqq wrote

I live a few blocks from downtown. Walk down there whenever I go to the smoke shop. It feels the same as it did years ago lol. Slight change is just very noticeable to some of these small town folk

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the_honeyman t1_jdtq1kx wrote

Venues are opening back up, established venues are spending money and expanding, crowds are staring to become more reliable again...

Honestly just getting back to where it was immediately pre-covid has been a miracle, but it's more than just "slight change."

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Complete-Soup-6001 t1_jdtqhja wrote

Well if we’re ignoring the pandemic that turned pretty much everywhere into a ghost town. I’d say practically nothing has changed about downtown.

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22TopShelf22 t1_jdyxwa3 wrote

Glad you got to see my post before some of the panhandlers & beggars on this sub saw it. There's a ton of violence, shootings, stabbings, muggings etc. downtown. It's a simple fact that a lot of crime is concentrated there. I just wouldn't ever get caught late there. Like I said, there's a lot of bias on this sub and a seemingly large number of homeless people(I didn't realize this was such a popular place for them until recently) and non homeless people that have their own opinions. To each their own!

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