Gang Activity in NoVA

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I imagine most of you folk have already seen the thread on this topic in the Maryland part of the forum, bu tin case you haven't I thought I'd post it here too.

I have a friend who used to work for Fairfax County, and she was on the team which wrote the Fairfax County VA Gang Crime Assessment last year. We were talking about it the other day and I asked her if it was online, and she very promptly sent me the link. This covers NoVa from 2003-2008, and I know some of you folks who live in NoVa are the sort that like to plow through this sort of report. It makes for some pretty interesting and educational reading. Personally, I can't see how ANYONE who reads this report and lives in NoVa could logically justify NOT carrying...

Go to thsi website:

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/

And click on the second link on this page--the one that says "Northern Virginia Comprehensive Gang Assessment 2003-2008 " It's a PDF, and is an exact copy of the official report as published in paper format.

When you read this, just remember your unfortunate brothers and sisters across the rivers in MD and DC. Remember that THEY have the same gangs there as well, but the "subjects" of MD and DC have been stripped of their right to OC, are systematically denied CC permits, and can't even own some of the fantastic firearms that you guys have access to.

As bad as this report makes things sound in NoVa, it could be worse. You could live in DC or Baltimore or PG County. :shock:

Count your blessings, Virginians--you are the only "freedom zone" in the Nations Capital Region that has any sort of meaningful 2A rights.

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NoVA is one of the MS hotspots.

A friend from high school was stabbed to death by a gang of them a couple years back. They threw a brick through his window, he chased them to find out who did it, and he ended up surrounded by a whole bunch of them.

They beat him and stabbed him and left him for dead, and he crawled in the grass until the next morning when someone saw him and called the police. He didn't make it to the hospital.

I think he was living in somewheres out in the Manassas area.

I believe it had something to do with marijuana distribution.

However, I knew the kid, and he was just a suburban stoner. Not a gang member, not a violent person. I doubt if he even realized he was dealing with MS and not of just a pot dealer who happened to be Salvadoran. What they did to him was obscene.

:cuss:

Every Virginian should be armed at all times until the scourge is eradicated, in my opinion. I know I am when I'm there.

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I have problems feeling sympathy for anybody in DC and the trouble spots in southern Maryland. There is a pervasive culture in DC, Montgomery and PG county that stops people from any sort of community involvement after a crime. I believe they call it “Don’t snitch.” After almost every shooting you see people on the street wailing and crying about some kid or person who got shot; but when the police approach them to get a statement or eyewitness account, they clam up. They’re always quick to blame guns and “these kids got no respect” but they won’t get involved or take a stand to do the right thing. Sure they’ll hold vigils and flock when they see TV cameras so they can be on the news. . .but ask somebody to come in and give a statement or gather en mass to demand the right restored to defend yourself lawfully. . .nothing.



If they won’t make a stand, won’t petition their elected officials to have the ability to defend themselves or take personal responsibility for themselves, and are content to blame inanimate objects rather than lack of parenting and social responsibility. . .they’re getting exactly what they deserve. As it stands we have the vast majority of crime contained on the other side of the Potomac where criminals know the population will bend over and take it and won’t do anything to change the status quo; thus leaving us who will defend ourselves and will stand up for the most part alone.



It’s a cold stance to take I grant you, but if they won’t help themselves there isn’t much I can do. Virginian's took that stand and petitioned our leaders to have freedoms recongnized which never should have been overlooked. It's an ongoing fight and one we're winning after alot of hard work.



If DC and MD want those same freedoms, DC and MD need to step up to the plate.

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There was a gang related stabbing at the HS I went to, I had the privilege of being in the building at the time, and having the responding officers armed with AR15s and shotguns escort us to a holding area and later released.

Though I haven't been able to confirm it, a friend who lives down the street from the school said someone was shot (survived) a block away during a drug deal.

Oh, and how could I forget the bomb threat earlier that year? Nothing like standing outside while watching state police bomb disposal trucks roll up and sweep the building.

And lastly, when I was in middle school, police arrested a gang recruiter who had parked his car out front with a gun in his car.

What fun...but oh no, NoVA doesn't have a gang problem at all! :banghead:

I'm just thankful I'm now old enough to take the necessary precautions to protect myself.

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Dreamer wrote:

As bad as this report makes things sound in NoVa, it could be worse. You could live in DC or Baltimore or PG County. :shock:

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Hey, I lived on the border of Anne Arundel County for a few months, you are telling me nothing I do not already know! :uhoh:

Count your blessings, Virginians--you are the only "freedom zone" in the Nations Capital Region that has any sort of meaningful 2A rights.

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Part of why I moved here.

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Dreamer wrote:

As bad as this report makes things sound in NoVa, it could be worse. You could live in DC or Baltimore or PG County. :shock:

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From the way I read it, NoVA is substantially safer than the average for the rest of the country. Not that it doesn't pay to be prepared, but this document doesn't quite support the picture you are painting.

How The Region Compares Nationally

Violent Crimes against People Northern Virginia experiences about a third the number of violent crimes against people - homicides, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults - as would be expected based on national crime rates published annually in the FBI’s Crime in the United States series. The national crime rate in 2007 was 467 violent offenses per 100,000 population. In Northern Virginia, the figure was 141. In Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, the rates were 103 and 91 respectively, one-fifth the national average. No Northern Virginia locality exceeds the national average. With few minor variations, this is the basic pattern that can be observed when comparing violent crime rates in Northern Virginia with national statistics over the past five years.

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VaLiberty wrote:

Dreamer wrote:

As bad as this report makes things sound in NoVa, it could be worse. You could live in DC or Baltimore or PG County. :shock:

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From the way I read it, NoVA is substantially safer than the average for the rest of the country. Not that it doesn't pay to be prepared, but this document doesn't quite support the picture you are painting.

How The Region Compares Nationally

Violent Crimes against People Northern Virginia experiences about a third the number of violent crimes against people - homicides, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults - as would be expected based on national crime rates published annually in the FBI’s Crime in the United States series. The national crime rate in 2007 was 467 violent offenses per 100,000 population. In Northern Virginia, the figure was 141. In Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, the rates were 103 and 91 respectively, one-fifth the national average. No Northern Virginia locality exceeds the national average. With few minor variations, this is the basic pattern that can be observed when comparing violent crime rates in Northern Virginia with national statistics over the past five years.

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NoVa has more violent crime than the rest of the state - that is what I think was being said.

Yata hey

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Grapeshot wrote:

NoVa has more violent crime than the rest of the state - that is what I think was being said.

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That's fair

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VaLiberty wrote:

Grapeshot wrote:

NoVa has more violent crime than the rest of the state - that is what I think was being said.

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That's fair

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Fair, but maybe not accurate.

FBI Violent Crime stats for Virginia, 2008:

Total: 13,198

In descending order of number of violent crimes:

Norfolk1,951

Richmond 1,588

Newport News 1,235

Virginia Beach 1,043

Chesapeake 969

Roanoke 745

Portsmouth 719

Petersburg 615

Hampton 472

Lynchburg 347

These equal 73% of all violent crimes in VA in 2008.

Next comes Alexandria (11th on the list), with 324

Then Suffolk, Hopewell, Danville, Charlottesville, then Manassas (#16) 148

Looking at the stats by murder, you get to a total af 82% before your first NOVA location (Manassas), 14th on the list.

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I think that the numbers for NOVA are off, Fairfax County will have many different sub-communities (i.e. Springfield, Burke, Reston, etc.) that way Fairfax County never really shows up in a lot of stats.

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The numbers from Fairfax County:

Crime
Jan. – Dec. 2008
Murder - 22
Rape - 95
Robbery - 450
Aggravated Assault - 386
Burglary - 1,438
Larceny - 16,244
Motor Vehicle Theft - 1,288
Total - 19,923
Total Violent Crime - 953


Source:
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/news-releases/2009/040709violentcrimedownin2008.htm

Edited for format - :X

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streetdoc wrote:

I think that the numbers for NOVA are off, Fairfax County will have many different sub-communities (i.e. Springfield, Burke, Reston, etc.) that way Fairfax County never really shows up in a lot of stats.

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All murders are listed for all towns & cities, to include locations such as Bedford, Appalachia, Bristol, etc.

Only one murder was listed in the FBI statsin all of Ffx County for 2008, that was in Fairfax City.

Here's the link to the FBI stats in case I've misread: http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/data/table_08_va.html

Exceptthat the Ffx County Police website lists 22 murders in the county for 2008??? http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/news-releases/2009/040709violentcrimedownin2008.htm

Hmmm...the Ffx County Police website also states that in 2008 there were 953 violent crimes. I cannot get anywhere near that number with the FBI report.

Maybe you guys are right, add in the other counties/cities and NOVA is creeping up near the top of the list.

Unless the FBI stats for the other areas are likewise understated.

Sorry, I thought that I was going to shed light on the issue, and it seems that consistent facts are not to be found.

Lies, damned lies and statistics, huh?

eta: raftgyde, you beat me to the Ffx County stats.

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Glock27Bill wrote:

eta: raftgyde, you beat me to the Ffx County stats.

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Only cause my black alarm clock got me up at 6:30. Kept hitting the snooze button,

[align=center]

[/align]but all I got was a wet hand.

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I'm not surprised the county data is more accurate. Probably because the Fed's aren't called to help on most of the cases, so they probably don't count for the Fed's list. Or it could be something else entirely. Either way, the local papers and the daily news reports ought to be proof enough of what is going on in your community. Or the police helicopters flying over head