Downtown Safer than St. John's Town Center?

[TheProfessor]

I've seen one of those in Phipps Plaza in Atlanta.  I didn't think St. Johns was that bad off though!

[mtraininjax]

They use those for Mardi Gras, seen them on Bourbon Street.

[Seraphs]

Terrible, terrible, ordeal!  I hate people who prey on others this way. Sad so many people are clueless to what's going on around them and these opportunistic parasites know it.

What's with the hating on Cheese Cake Factory, I love the place and when I go I spend my own money.  Free world you know!

[Timkin]

CCF is the bomdiggity!!! great food.  This issue has nothing to do with CCF...  It is a sign of the times ....the unsafe world we live in.

[Jaxson]

I agree with previous posts about how complacent we are in our supposedly-cloistered suburbs.  We would like to think that we can 'escape' wht blight and crime by retreating farther and farther out beyond the reach of the thugs and criminals.  We would like the think that these lowlifes are somehow tethered to the urban core, allowing us to lead perfectly crime-free lives.  Unfortunately, it does not work that way. 
And, as sprawl continues in our area, the city rots from the inside.  The 'nicer' communities of the 1950s and 1960s are falling prey to the same shady characters that scared us away from downtown.  Would it not make sense for them to 'follow the money' and look for easy targets? 

[Timkin]

Again I say,  a sign of the times.  It is too bad that it is this way but it is.  About the only way I know of that this could somewhat be curtailed is cameras everywhere.. at least the thugs could be tracked down pretty rapidly ... I think Singapore has video cameras everywhere and very harsh punishments for this type of activity. 

Who would think...St John's Town Center? ... but in reality,,it is everywhere.

[cityimrov]

Uhh, what is everyone talking about here?  SJTC has tons of people walking around with lots of money.  Any competent thief would realize that if you want money, you rob people with money! The richer Jacksonville get's the more interesting and complicated crimes we'll see here.

So far, SJTC had one incident out of the thousands upon thousands of people who visit it every week.  Not too bad.  Actually, pretty good.  What is this thing I keep hearing about "unsafe world" or "times are worst now then ever"?  I personally would prefer living in this period of time then in the past.  Crime is so much lower now then in the 90's, 80's, 70's, 60's, and so forth.  And we don't even have any shops limiting access to certain people of the right "race"!  I'd definitely prefer the crime rate now vs the riots of the 1960's.  

We even have media telling us about the rare crimes that occur!  That keeps me informed but why shock?  Isn't up to the minute information on when/where a crime occurs a good thing?  This is the real world, not "Leave it to Beaver", right?  

[Jaxson]

@cityimrov --- I agree about the battle between perception and reality.  The media, however, seem to be at cross purposes with themselves.  They tell us, on one hand, that the crime rate isn't so bad.  On the other hand, they tend to sensationalize the crime stories that they do cover.  I have stopped watching the local news regularly because of that approach toward journalism.

[Timkin]

I think if you became a victim , you might see the world differently .

[Jaxson]

I, for one, have been a victim of crime.  Thankfully, it was not of the degree that the local news turned it into their lead story. 
I believe that it is in our best interest to cover the good and the bad that happen in our city; I just do not agree with how we play up the negative at the expense of the larger issues that may be more 'boring,' but are just as necessary to cover.  Our city government, for example, is not the most ethical precisely because the local televisions stations are not as involved as they used to be.

[Timkin]

Agree Jaxson.  I also have been a victim....just not like was portrayed by the story.  I still go to Town Center and I always will.. I just do not carry cash or many CCs on me .