Why do people label some parts of town as bad when they have never even lived there?

Question

I live in San Antonio and I always here negative things about the "south side". Most people who talk about it have never even lived there!! Why are people so narrow minded?

I'd like to clarify that the south side of San Antonio stretches from the outskirts of the East Central School district to the Lackland AFB area over by the Southwest ISD. The southside has many great neighborhoods with little gang activity, good neighborhood associations, and good people. Murders, robberies and gang activity occur in all areas. The entire south side is not bad. I do read the newspaper......

Answer 1

I think you have the answer from the people above. However, if you look at the crime statistics from the different parts of the city you will find that while there is crime all over the city as you mentioned, certain types of crime are more prevalent in certain areas. If you looked at crime level numbers alone you might think the worst area in San Antonio is North Central above 410 and along 281. But a careful evaluation of the types of crime show that while that area is above the national level for crime it is significantly below the national and state levels for violent crime, and in fact in North Central the most significant crimes are theft, and a large part of that is shop-lifting. One of the frequent San Antonio contributors often notes about the area around Sea Worl being the lowest in crime but it is one of the highest areas of violent crime in the city, just low on theft.

SA is a large city and there is crime everywhere. There are good neighborhoods in every part of town. But the number of gangs, murders and rapes are higher on the east and south sides statistically.

Answer 2

I am curious about where some one is getting their figures or is it just that it bothers some to think that the sea word area is fast becoming what the north side was many years ago. every part of the city has it share of killings and share of violent and none violent crimes. The facts that I use are published in city data .com I didn't make them up. I have nothing to gain one way or the other I wasn't born here or raised here, but have lived here most of my life out side of the military. I choose to live here and I choose to live where I do because of how safe it is. There has always been two San Antonios one that most of us live in and the North Side. The northside has always come across the line to earn a living but after dusk they go back to their area and don't want you or I to come close to their homes. Some one said that the Sea Woeld area has a lot of killings, my goodness what have you been drinking or are you so shallow that you can't hear what is said on the news. A few months ago there was a body found in Atascosa County, It was a man from Houston. Houston gets the slap or Poteet gets the slap but the guy that did the killing was from New Braunfels, but no one wants to say that. We are still looking for another person that was just killed on the north side.
When and where was the last 5 killings in the Sea World area, oh how about 4, 3? how about the last one? The Sea World area has a super large medical complex being built now and in a few years it will rivel the current Medical center. I think that the Sea World area is a thorn in the side of North side.Another person that is a big contributer to these answers doesn't even know where he lives some days he lives in San Antonio and other days he lives in Austin. He is the same person that is very quick to disparage the Lackland area and yet his father earned a living there for a number of years, that is paramount to bitting the hand that fed you. Not only is the Sea World area growing and becoming more like the Old Noth Side but the South side is also and You are right there are a number of very nice neighborhood on the south side, the coming and now up and running of Toyota has made a big difference to the entire area of the south side. Two San Antonios?

Answer 3

Hello!!! Do you ever watch the news? You don't have to live in a bad area to know it's bad. I see it everyday on the news. Rape, murders, drugs, arson, gangs, burglaries, child abuse are always on the south side. Have you driven through there lately? It's full of rundown old houses, businesses, and A LOT of vandalism. There is other parts of town that are bad too. For example: West Side, East Side parts of the NW Side(Ingram, West Ave & Fredirckspurg roads inside 410), and NE Side (Rittiman, Walzem).

Note: ffperki says that I don't know where I live. I know very well where I live. I'm always in and out of San Antonio because my parents live there. It's still my home. So if I say my neighborhood it's because I grew up there and it's still me home. My father works at Lackland. You don't have a choice where a military base is located do you? NO. He goes straght to work and back home. Why would you want to hang out in the bordering area anyway? It's bad, I've seen it before.



Open your eyes.

Answer 4

I did live in San Antonio back in the 80s. I lived on the far north side, up 281 (inbetween 410 and 1604), but I still watched the news at night. We read the Excuse News and the Blight (sorry, Express News and the Light). It didn't take a genius to know what parts of town were less desireable. I also worked downtown and knew where not to go after dark, either.

Answer 5

I label most of Detroit as bad too

And nope, never lived there. However, I not only see it when I drive through it, I see it everyday on the local news.

Neglected properties, guys dealing drugs on the corner, prostitutes walking down the street, crooked and ineffective police and a tax rate that King George would be proud of.

You don't have to live somewhere to form an opinion of it.

And I am not saying there are no nice neighborhoods, or good people, there are both.

But I still label the city as bad, because it is.

Answer 6

You obviously haven't opened your eyes wide enough. You don't have to live there to know what it's like. That's what the news is for. The south side is filled with crime. They have the zip codes with the highest amount of child abuse cases in the city. They have vandalism on every single wall, pole, and creek you can find. Check the internet. They have the highest amount of high school drop outs, the lowest amount of college degrees, and the highest amount of welfare users. They have more kids so they can get more money from the government. The reason for having the highest amount of child neglect/abuse cases in the city. They can't even join 2 schools together without worring about kids fighting (When one of the school flooded last month)

Read the paper.

Answer 7

If you read the newpaper or watch the news, you can derive what areas are bad in a town, due to amount of gangs, violence, shootings. gehetto housing, drugs etc, You may also live in the general area of a town, and word of mouth gets around, to avoid certain areas, because of the formentioned conditions. Area's do not get a reputation, unless they are warrented. You may get someone who has only lived there for a short while, and does not necessarily no the ins and outs of a town. While you may have another person who has lived there 20-30 years, and for sure knows what is going on in the town and its surrounding areas.

Answer 8

I don't need to live on a certain part of town to know that the cops are always patrolling and the crime reports are through the roof. If I see drug dealers on the corner and porn shops and bars generally that will be the "bad side" of time.

Usually the south side of any town is where the "ghetto" is. I can't explain why but that has been the case in everyplace I have been.

Answer 9

We hear in the paper that 37 people have been killed in the area known as the Iron Triangle or north of 125th Street or the Tenderloin or east of the river.

I have lived in my neighborhood for 20 years and no one has been killed. Over in the next town, there is a place where people are killed every month.

I don;t have to live in a location to know it's bad

Answer 10

Hey Beatrice,

I know what you mean... I come from Kosovo and most of the Americans working here thought it to be Afghanistan or so in the beginning, but later on they decided to bring their families here as, I quote; "It's safer for my children to live in Kosovo than an other country I've worked before, or even back home". That's why I've been keeping an open mind on moving to East Timor. Every country is different.