Thursday, June 18, 2020

Signs of the times?


Francis Porretto, (Francis notes in a comment that it's not him, it's contributor Linda Fox), blogging at Liberty's Torch, has some helpful hints on post-unrest and post-riot "signs of the times" - or, how to tell if it's time to get out of your neighborhood.

I well remember the 70s, and the way the cities broke apart after the riots. Previously, Cleveland's neighborhoods had been generally clean, peaceful, and supportive of family life.

. . .

Shortly after the riots - neighborhoods such as Collinwood, Glenvale, and Hough were torn apart, burned, and left with few viable commerce (often literally 'food deserts') - the movement out of Cleveland, and particularly the downtown district, commenced. When leases were up, tenants left. Even lower rents couldn't persuade them to stick around - the reduced foot traffic made those deals not worth it.

In the residential neighborhoods, people scrambled to get PART of their investment out of their house, and move to the suburbs. Most sold cheaply; some converted their unsalable home into multi-family units, and became instant 'slumlords'. The city and the schools suffered from the loss of the tax base.

Arson grew in the newly depopulated neighborhoods - who knows how many of the fires were attempts to get the insurance companies to pay out, and give the owners some cash with which to start over?

Those who had choices, took off for greener, and less squalid, hills. Primarily those who were more stable - those having a family, a job, personal gumption - were the ones to leave. Those who were less mobile, those who had few resources to finance a move, those who were stuck in denial, and those that LIKED the "New Normal" - stayed. And watched the world surrounding them sink into barbarism.

If I owned property in the cities, I'd have my ear to the ground. I'd be very attentive to the signs of impending chaos. Many of us, before the cities fell in the 60s-70s, allowed the first signs of collapse to creep in, ignored by most.

. . .

The signs include:

  • Trash/litter - this has nothing to do with the city services available. Do the homeowners have to clean up trash on a regular basis, that was deposited by others? Do the multi-family homes take care of the area in front of their own place, or do they let it pile up?
  • Do the local stores put bars on their establishment? Are new buildings put up with limited access/few ground floor windows?
  • Are public parks safe to walk around in, at least during the daylight hours? Do you notice broken glass/smoking litter on the grounds?
  • Do the police take down the information for crimes, but do no more? Do you hear about or get notification of crimes (you can access the police reports/maps for crimes by date in most cities). For smaller communities, the local police blotter/sheriff's dept. reports are your go-to. But, remember that many crimes are never reported, so this is likely to be underestimating the problem. Sign up for the NextDoor app if you want to keep on top of your neighborhood locally. Or, join a neighborhood association, and attend the meetings. It's a good way to get to know your neighbors, and make some connections with those who you might want to have beside you should TSHTF.

There's more at the link, including more warning signs.  Very useful information, IMHO, particularly if you live in cities affected by recent riots, such as Minneapolis, Seattle and elsewhere.  If you do, you might want to consider relocating to someplace safer and more peaceful.

The reality of such situations is one of the main reasons why Miss D. and I left Nashville.  We now live in a part of the country that's a whole lot less likely to experience such social breakdowns.  Almost everyone here, of all races, is a lot more self-sufficient and self-respecting.  Long may it remain that way!

Peter

11 comments:

Sanders said...

One thing I always look for, when looking for a new place to live, is the oil stains in the driveways. This has to be checked out during the day, when most people are at work. The more oil stained driveway, usually the lower scale the demographic.

This theory even applies to apartment complexes - just drive through the parking lot.

NITZAKHON said...

A couple of years ago I finally sold my late parents' house smack in the middle of the "Peoples' Republic of Cambridge, MA".

I have a feeling the preening, self-important libs down there are going to be in for a shock.

Unknown said...

Hi Peter,
Just came from Kroger's. Two people open-carrying in small-town Troy ohio, in the grocery store. Like, WHY. If they were concerned for their safety, they'd have CCWd. This was more of a statement. They were NOT local. Not even sure what this is a harbinger of.
Also, we plan to retire to a small village in NC, middle of nowhere. Village pressured to permit a BLM rally/parade. The average age in the village is about 80. The marchers were all bussed in from somewhere. They spraypainted stuff, smashed a plate glass store front and stole bikes. In the intrim, the village has forbidden the Fourth of July parade, 'because of the coronavirus.' I can't wait till this nonsense blows over.

Francis W. Porretto said...

Peter, that piece was by Co-Contributor Linda Fox, not me.

kamas716 said...

Nextdoor is barely a half step up from Twitter. Even in conservative areas it's heavily SJW bs.

Peter said...

@Francis: Thanks. I fixed it.

kurt9 said...

Another tell-tail is yard maintenance. Is the lawn cut and well-cared for? Do the flower beds look good? Are leaves raked up in the fall? Another is the presence of "junker" cars parked on the streets in front of houses. As one person here mentioned, oil stains in driveways.

7916 said...

These signs are nice and careful, but litter didn't burn neighborhoods. Uncut lawns don't riot. Oppressive HOA's aren't declared sanctuary cities. Hoodies don't carefully plan 4GW campaigns and color revolutions.

The signs are found in people. Diverse groups of people in close proximity leads to war. If you prefer to live in peace, stick near your own people whoever they might be.

AuricTech Shipyards said...

What's wrong with open carry? Where I live, it's common practice. After all, why should someone need to hide the fact that they are exercising a Constitutionally-guaranteed right?

Admittedly, tactical considerations may make concealed carry more advisable, but that's an individual choice each person needs to make for himself.

Anonymous said...

My lady & I are on vacation, and we passed through Atlanta today. Traffic was a little backed up at one point--turns out it was a sort of parade. There 20 to 30 black Jeeps, nearly identical, all flying "BLM" and "I Can't Breathe" banners, doing under the posted minimum speed (40 on GA interstates), and ostentatiously standing up out of the open vehicles.
I wonder how much it cost to rent all those black Jeeps. More, I wonder where the police were--because there were none to be seen.
--Tennessee Budd

NITZAKHON said...

@Unknown:

It's smack your head obvious there's a lot of money backing these people.

How are they eating? How are they getting their "mayhem supplies"? Assuming they are getting arrested, where is the bail money coming from? And so on.