Raise the Hammer

I do not like Upper James and avoid the area. Too much traffic. Our community struggles with poverty but the focus of that issue is downtown but it is all over the city.

As the song goes: "pave paradise, put up a parking lot"

"Neighbourhood Watch programs in the adjacent communities should be extended to include commercial districts where possible and volunteer forces should monitor commercial areas."

oh my god.

Feasible. Please, sign yourself up and start patrolling the streets.

Was your bike chain really heavy duty? May I ask you specifically what model chain and lock?

bikes do get stolen everywhere, but it's an interesting take Chris has in this article.

My bike is worth less than the lock I have on it...

Maybe the new 20 A-Line, with a frequency of once every Half Hour, will supply Upper James with the needed Pedestrian Traffic!?

With an Express Bus with Such Amazing Frequency (Every Half Hour) zipping up -- 85% empty -- to the Airport, how can crime NOT improve in this area!?

sarcasm alert

Seriously tho... where's your source for this: "Further proof comes in the statement released in January of this year by the Hamilton Police. It stated that, whereas car thefts across the city have declined, three areas in particular saw major increases: Upper James, Limeridge and the Meadowlands. " ?

for what it's worth, I absolutely feel less safe walking through empty suburban neighbourhoods than I do walking through areas considered less than desirable with lots of people around. There's definite truth to the fact that eyes on the street is necessary for a safer environment. The only time my bike was ever stolen was in my youth at Limeridge Mall. I've locked up hundreds of times in Gore Park during the day and at night without a problem.

Obviously crime happens everywhere, but I've never looked over my shoulder as much as the times that I took a night bus to my folks suburban neighbourhood without a soul in sight.

Suburbs are becoming the new Ghettos. For Prime Examples, look no further than Toronto; specifically Malvern. Meant to be a suburb far away from the core (for obvious suburban reasons), the Neighbourhood is now so disconnected from the City, making it one of the cheapest places in Toronto to live -- HELL, it's even more expensive to buy in Regent Park now.

This cheap neighbourhood makes it attractive for low-income families, who sadly, are most likely to get involved in Gang activity.

Will Upper Stoney Creek or Faux-Ancaster (aka Meadowlands) become Hamilton's Malvern or Jane/Finch? Who knows!? I do know that TransitCity Toronto is building two LRT lines to Malvern, and two more to Jane/Finch. So I'm assuming HAMILTON will become Toronto's only-remaining cheap housing stock!

You do not have a clue what you're talking about. I live in the Meadowland's and I feel safer than in the lower city. When I lived down there I did not feel unsafe at all. I lived there all my life and felt very comfortable. I am a very out going person and I know more of my neighbours now than I did in the old hood. They are friendlier! I see more people walking and biking than in the old hood. Yes they drive and have 2 or more cars but that is not a crime. And the best part, they all have jobs! That is why on some days there is no one around. They are all at work. I do not now who started the fallacy that the suburbs are cold and inhospitable, but they have never been there to know what they are talking about and anyone who say so is just talking nonsense. It is like the people who say downtown is nothing but decay, bums, hookers and pigeon poop. They do not know what they are talking about.

I'm just merely giving my own experiences, although that doesn't mean it's the same for everyone. I know someone who moved to the Meadowlands, hated it and got out in a hurry upon realizing they couldn't hang clothes out to dry, neighbours would plaster signs on their front door if a single weed appeared on their lawn and nobody was friendly. Obviously your experience has been much more positive and that's good to hear.

Also, I've lived in the suburbs for 23 years of my life and downtown for 9.
Cheers and welcome to the site!

I'd love to patrol my store's parking lot! Its every student's dream, so how about hamjam comes patrol it with me! Bonding time, whoot!

And I'm not exactly sure about the worth of the whole ensemble since it was all a gift from my father a few years back. He told me the lock was heavy duty so I believed him.

"Seriously tho... where's your source for this: "Further proof comes in the statement released in January of this year by the Hamilton Police. It stated that, whereas car thefts across the city have declined, three areas in particular saw major increases: Upper James, Limeridge and the Meadowlands. " ? "

http://www.thespec.com/article/470547 (Though I must correct myself, that was when I printed the article...it was in November of 2008 when they released the study's findings, my mistake)

Type "crime, upper james" in the search bar of thespec.com, and you get 112 results. Take a gander fur urselves, if ur all up tuh it!

Oh, insomnia, how I loathe thee :)

Two stabbings in the paper this morning. One on Upper James and one in Dundas. Nice change from the usual downtown stabbings.

Disclaimer: I was Born & Raised in a very suburban suburb (Uppr SC) where I spent 18yrs and have been Downtown for about 5yrs now with a cpl years in St Catharines/Montreal/Toronto for school in between.

My observations

Suburbs: Drive-ways instead of porches kills neighbour interaction (besides a faux hello), and takes eyes off the street which could potentially lead to crime, or an eerie 'unsafe' feeling (which is how I feel). East End: Porches gallore with residents sitting/talking/socializing, keeping eyes on the streets which could make it feel safer.

Suburbs: People drive everywhere, talking or texting on their cell, or just not paying attention which could also lead to an eerie desolate feeling. Not to mention having to always look around to ensure you're not going to get hit by a car (Mud St was turned into an Expressway just before I left the hood). Downtown: People walk everywhere, adding more presence on the street making it seem like a people-friendly place, therefor more safe (Safety in Numbers).

I could go on as to why I personally feel Urban Areas are safer than Suburban ones, but I'm sure Suburbanites could do the same.

Fact is those who choose Suburbs either a) Don't know any differently, or b) Prefer to be private/anti-social. I only ever ran into neighbours in Parks in my old hood, Downtown I see friends as I walk to Tim's or the Hasty Market. I love stopping for a chat in the middle of Augusta St -patios & people & laughter OH MY!

But with the way the world is going -dwindling oil supply/re-localization of the economy-, Suburbs will FAST become the new 'ghettos' as they will become increasingly difficult/expensive to access -Again, such as Malvern/Jane-Finch.

Very good points all.

"Suburbs are becoming the new Ghettos"

This is hardly a new story. The history of LA street gangs is a goldmine for this kind of urban analysis. Then there's the story of the Bronx after the construction of the cross-Bronx expressway.

The east mountain has had problems since the late 80's.

I've lived close to Upper James nearly all of my life. It's a long road with several different communities strung along its length. The experience of crime is always subjective and for many, tucked into these areas it's sometimes easy to forget the murders that occurred at Limeridge Mall and at Upper James and Brucedale even if the got fairly heavy news coverage at the time and since.

Whether crime rates are high or low, it's good to consider whether community design can help to reduce them. Chris E makes a few suggestions (Poor lighting, fast-moving traffic, wide-open spaces with few permanent residents and a very feeble sense of community all contribute to the epidemic of crime plaguing one of the Mountain's commercial cores) as to causes of crime, but I wonder if there's support for this or are they just his opinion. And how might they apply to Upper James? I mean, UJ and LR might be highpoints for car theft because that's where the cars go. Might have nothing to do with nearby community cohesion at all.

I think it's worth looking at crime from the standpoint of community planning. I'm glad Chris brought the subject up. There's a lot more to it than comparing neighbourhoods, however.

Bottom line, crime is everywhere. Sadly, developers sold a false bill of goods to innocent unsuspecting naive mothers. They promised paradise and delivered pavement. The lower city at one point had more people residing than the mountain. Now it's the opposite. More people, more crime. You can run, but you cannot hide.

I think all areas have their problems. I lived in the suburbs for 20 yrs of my life and had my bike stolen out of my garage. Children's toys would get stolen on Friday nights if they were left outside. When I moved to west downtown, I couldn't get over how my neighbours wanted to know all about me. There is a guy on our street who can tell you everything that went on this week. When I'm at work, if anthing suspicious happened during the day, I'd hear all about it that afternoon. There are kids playing in backyards, patio furniture left out all summer on front porches, great place to live.