Is STX safe for young women?

Are there neighborhood watches? Or neighborhood committees that help combat crime? I'm curious what the community is doing about the issues.

The most common neighborhood watch will be watching to see when you leave. LOL Just lock up your junk, keep it out of view, look left and right a lot. Trim heavy bushes from near your doorway, stuff like that. Statistically, still, the odds are slim you will be a victim, unless you act lke one.

Are there neighborhood watches? Or neighborhood committees that help combat crime? I'm curious what the community is doing about the issues.

The most common neighborhood watch will be watching to see when you leave. LOL Just lock up your junk, keep it out of view, look left and right a lot. Trim heavy bushes from near your doorway, stuff like that. Statistically, still, the odds are slim you will be a victim, unless you act lke one.

Haha.. right. I just think that if everyone thinks the crime is bad, why are you bystanders. If it was my community I would take pride in it and do something about it. Has anyone sent letters to the United States government? I've heard a lot of people say they don't trust the people that represent that goverment in the VI... so why not get the mainland involved?

I'm a very street savy dude - I don't think I'll have a problem. I've lived in major cities my whole life. My only concern was my girl, she's small and cute. I don't want her to get kidnapped :X

I think the consensus is, even if you had clear video showing a crime taking place, fingerprints, and footprints leading to their door, police may be very iffy about whether or not to respond. They seem to be judge/jury/executioner all in one mindset. If they think your incident was not "copworthy" then you get zip, nada.

Give me a break!! Has she been kidnapped in any of the other cities you've lived in?

Lawdy, Lawdy, please save white womanhood from the big black islander.

whoa .. That was a joke.. chill out... I was laughing about how small she is :@)

Edit: Also.. I didn't say anything about race. Is it just me or is there a club of combative people on this forum?

Lawdy, Lawdy, please save white womanhood from the big black islander.

I see it more like "Is my girlfriend too naive and lacking in street smarts or self defense skills to live in a high crime area? I like her a lot and I want to move there, but I don't want to put someone in harms way just for my own selfish dreams of adventure."

OTS - Thank you.. which is exaclty why I'm going to move there for 6 months on my own to get a feel of the area. I'm sure I'll fit in just fine. Just want to make sure I'm not throwing my girl (and my cat haha) in to a situation they wouldn't be comfortable in.

I didn't read the whole thread- but I skimmed it.

I am a 26 year old female. It really doesn't matter, but for the sake of this thread- I'm short & white.

The ONLY time I have ever felt unsafe on STX is when I am alone, and I have put myself in that situation. For example- having a few drinks- then walking to my car at night in C'sted. Even then- the actual risk of being a victim of crime was most likely very low.
Once I had a truck-issue in a neighbourhood not known for being "friendly" . It was dark & I was alone- and will admit that I had some concerns for my safety (the lighting was terrible) within 5 minutes- two cars- passengers all young men- stopped and offered to a) help b) call someone 3) wait with me if necessary. I was also kindly offered a Cruzan smoke break while I waited. 😉

So- if you really feel your girlfriend is lacking in the common sense necessary to survive outside of suburbia- then I wouldn't suggest it. I haven't lived in any big cities- but I grew up in government housing & been solo travelling since I was 19.

I understand that you're trying to be considerate; in your situation it is probably appropriate. But just so you know- you do come off a bit patronizing. That might be where the snide comments came from. (Not defending rudeness- even if it does make me chuckle on occasion).

It might make you (or her) feel better if she took a self-defense course. A lot of places offer them for free or reduced price for women. If that doesn't work for you- buy a small thing of pepper spray. It is mostly a psychological security- but can be worthwhile if something does happen. Individuals (particularly women) have certain behaviours & attitudes that increase their chances of being victimized. Learn what they are- and change them. (ex. Walking slowly with your head down vs. Walking purposefully- head up & aware of your surroundings).

Hope that was helpful.

Dear amethyst

You need to stop making calm, intuitive comments here. You might spoil the reckless wildwest image that some posters love to wallow in.

Your name says it all. Amethyst= a quartz stone that has properties of mediation, peace and healing. A stone of spirituality and contentment.

I appreciate your well thought out viewpoint.

http://www.alleghenycandles.com/amethyst_properties.html

Thanks for the feedback. I don't think she is naive, or not street smart.. I was merely trying to get other peoples view points. I'm sorry if I come off patronizing... that's not at all my intent. I'm not really that worried, I was just playing devils advocate for the purpose of getting other peoples view points. I'm doing research and looking at all angles...

Once again thank you.

Thanks for the feedback. I don't think she is naive, or not street smart.. I was merely trying to get other peoples view points. I'm sorry if I come off patronizing... that's not at all my intent. I'm not really that worried, I was just playing devils advocate for the purpose of getting other peoples view points. I'm doing research and looking at all angles...

Once again thank you.

The problem is you can come into trouble even on Main Street at night. I have. Go ahead, ask me about it.

I'll bite. what happened on Main St. at night?

This is an email we received from our neighbor yesterday. This is crazy. She is an older woman.

I was just chased up the road by two men. I was walking my dog toward the beach. As I approached the intersection of the main road a white pickup stopped, both doors opened, and two guys rushed out and started running toward me. They were nice looking young black men and at first I assumed they had a question but as they kept running toward me, not saying anything, I said “What are you doing?” No answer. The closer one was sort of smirking. My dog started running the other way and I decided that it was a good idea so I started running too. They kept following. I had just passed a neighbors house and noted his truck was there so I called out his name and right away the guys turned around and left. Whew. This was about 4:30. They both had on white T shirts and long dark pants. I can’t believe this.
STX, Salt River.

Even though it was not in the title, somehow it has been inferred by most that the original poster was asking if it was safe for white women. The question SHOULD be asked, is it safe for any/all women, and if not, what could be done to make it safer. Growing up there, I had a classmate had to drop out of third grade because she was pregnant. Incest and rape was VERY common thirty years ago. Most of the sexual violence was directed at women back then, not sure if it swings both ways now or not. My sister was gang raped after school, in C'sted while walking to the library. I narrowly escaped a similar event by breaking off my pencil (above the paint mark) in one boy's arm, biting the crap out of another and screaming for help from a nearby house. When the man (luckily) stepped out the side door, the rest of the boys scattered, but they had me by arms and legs and were dragging me about twenty feet into the bush across from Pearl B. Larson school. I know for SURE that boys will be boys (or animals) down there. It is not about race. White boys did the same things. It was all considered "being bad" and most child rapes by other children were never even reported to parents, much less the authorities.

One night probably around midnight I left The Greenhouse to go to The Ritz on backstreet. I turned onto Main Street, on the right side, headed east toward the post office, and I see three young men walking toward me (west) on the other side of the street. They started to cross the street, so I crossed to the left side. They crossed back over to the left side as well. I crossed back over to the right side and they did as well. At this point they are pretty close to me, so I pulled my Charter Arms snub nose .38 special five shot revolver, that i kept 110 grain aluminum hollow points in, put my left hand over the top of it and cocked it. I said one thing to them - "Run" - and they did.

I had two other incidents just outside of the front of Yacht Haven. One night around 2 AM I was headed from Havensite to downtown. One man jumped from the side of the road in front of Yacht Haven and tried to stop me. I didn't stop and he had jump from the road into the bushes. Another time I was headed home at about 3 am from town to Havensite when two men on motorcycles tried to stop me by slowing down in front of my car. I hit both motorcycles, and they turned left at the circle near Yacht haven and I turned right toward Havensite.

The above happened in the late 1980s, and these are just a couple of incidents.