LIKE MANY other folks, I happened to be out and about with friends this past Friday night in downtown Savannah. It wasn’t at all a particularly late night by local standards, and it was nothing but pleasurable. A good time was had by all.
But when I woke up the next morning and did the now-familiar modern morning ritual of checking Facebook, I confess to being shocked by what I saw.
Two men were shot in a gun battle at Congress and Bull within hours of the time I had walked that exact area, with a stretch of Broughton Street being shut down. As this column went to press, one of the men has potentially life-threatening injuries.
I kept scrolling. Earlier that night, a woman was robbed at gunpoint at Perry Lane and Lincoln.
As I scrolled, I got that now-familiar “there but for the grace of God go I” feeling that’s now common among Savannahians. The realization that you were just in an area right before someone got shot is shockingly common here these days.
If you’re a regular reader you already know the news here is that this isn’t news: Downtown is flat-out dangerous, every day and every night. It’s the new normal.
I don’t mean to be alarmist, and in a town full of alarmists I’d be hard pressed to go them one-better anyway. But the new normal is that downtown — the heart of the tourist trade — is unsafe.
If you go to The Blotter in this week’s print edition, the lead item involves a reward for information about several armed robberies in the Historic District within a five-day span — essentially averaging one a day.
June 28 just after sunset, a couple was robbed at gunpoint at Jones and Taylor.
Just a few minutes after that, a woman and some Girl Scouts were robbed at Whitaker and Huntingdon.
At 2 a.m. June 30 a man was walking down Habersham when two men on opposite sides of the street attacked him, pistol-whipped him, and robbed him.
At midnight July 1 a woman was walking down Oglethorpe Lane when she noticed two men behind her. One had a gun and the other snatched her purse.
And the two incidents I opened the column with happened within hours of that.
As of this writing there are no arrests in any of the cases.
Long story short—with no exaggeration or hyperbole needed—the downtown tourist/Historic District has been absolutely awash in violent crime all week.
Again, not to be alarmist, but that’s pretty much an objective summation.
It’s unacceptable, of course, but that’s where we are. And despite the best efforts of the police and many other community activists, it’s likely to continue.
At this point every serious person understands that the roots of crime are complex, that they involve deep-seated issues of poverty and race, and that it’s wrong to focus only on fighting crime in the tourist areas at the expense of Savannah’s marginalized communities.
I think most of us accept that now. I certainly do. The debate is less about that these days than it’s about more existential issues as a city, as a quantifiable commodity which benefits and enriches us.
While there is plenty of worry about how violent crime will affect tourism, the real concern is how it will affect the decision of residents whether or not to stay.
All of us have calculated our own individual cost/benefit analysis of why we prefer Savannah to other places.
For some of us, there’s little choice, as economic or other reasons mean we simply aren’t in a position to leave.
For those of us a bit better off, we make a conscious decision to stay here, deciding that the pluses outweigh the minuses.
The point isn’t that crime is more tolerable in some neighborhoods. The point is that if crime is out of control in our marquee, marketable Historic District—heart and soul of Savannah’s persona and what we present to the world —it must by definition be out of control everywhere else.
And that point is indeed a tipping point, at which many people with the means to pursue a life and livelihood somewhere else will decide to do just that.
The idea of picking up and leaving for a more safe and friendly locale seems almost inconceivable to those of us who’ve invested many years and whole lifetimes here. It’s a kind of sacrilege.
But Savannah’s just like anyplace else— people and businesses can decide it’s just not worth it anymore. Thanks for the memories, but goodbye and farewell, and good luck.
Your response might be well, OK, that means we can focus more on the people who want to stay and fight the good fight.
The cruel truth, though, is that the more people who decide to take their pursuits elsewhere, whether in business or education or the arts, the fewer resources will be available for those who decide to stay.
It’s a downward spiral. Up until now Savannah has been able to avoid it, due to our unique character and desirability as a tourist/vacation spot and mostly sound fiscal management. But once the spiral starts, it’s very difficult to stop.
Violent crime is largely in decline across the United States. Despite the high-profile tragedies you see on the news, the country as a whole is way off its measured highs of reported violent crime.
There are about a dozen or so U.S. cities which the federal government has identified as exceptions to the trend, however. Among them are Chicago, Baltimore, Washington D.C., New Orleans, Oakland.
Savannah has the dubious honor of being on that list, and arguably we are by far the smallest metro area on it.
It’s a problem.
We are very good at very quickly building new facilities to house tourists and their vehicles and places where they can slake their hunger and thirst.
We need to bring the same sense of urgency to the mechanisms by which we can protect everyone downtown.
That may be a controversial, even offensive statement to you. I don’t intend it as such.
But the brutal, mathematical truth is that if we can’t even protect the Historic District, there’s literally no hope at all for those here who live anywhere else. We will have simply given up.
The truth hurts sometimes, but that doesn’t make it any less truthful.
This article appears in Jul 6-12, 2016.
Jim, Savannah is my favorite city in the world. I proposed to my wife on River St and also spent my honeymoon there as well. However, with all due respect Jim, why do you seem so surprised about the crime in the Historic District. Remember the Cover Story I did for Connect Savannah back in 2003 (?) – “Danger Zones in Downtown Savannah: A Statistical Analysis”. Pervasive and ongoing crime is the dirty little secret of Savannah and has been for decacades. You have the bad recipe of the highly affluent Historical District
An excellent editorial. And you are so right that as people give up and leave the Historic District, there are fewer resources. In our square there are only 3 properties with the owners living in them. All other homes are now short-term
rentals. So you’re right–there are no resources. There’s no one to go to. The houses, for the most part are dark now where families used to live, except on weekends.
What we have now is the Fifties,in reverse, in the HD. Instead of the buildings being destroyed, the buildings are staying and the people are gone. Too bad our leaders and preservationists are AWOL here.
In response to Gordon Smith, I would mention that your surprise at Morekis’ surprise is beside his point. I understand that you are appealing to a single aspect of his editorial but the larger picture remains and that is that crime is too frickin’ rampant. To be grouped with megalopolises like Baltimore and Chicago is and should have always been unacceptable. The reality of the situation and its history of such does nothing to change that. I think that what Morekis is touching upon is simply a result of what happens when a town gets progressively higher in profile…well, it’s attributes, both positive and negative will also get higher in profile. Sure, the crime might have always been here to differing degrees but now that the spotlight is upon it, does that do nothing for any sort of call to action?
Well written article. Sad but true. I left Savannah 15 years ago with hopes of returning someday. However, due to the facts in your article I never returned. I fear for the safety of my 3 children. Savannah is my home and I so miss the smells of the marsh and saltwater. The breathtaking views and sunsets are forever in my mind. I sit back often and think about how it used to be. I stay regularly updated on the local politics and news in town and it’s very sad to see the corruption of the local politicians. I pray that this city will get the leaders they need to bring this beautiful city to what it once was.
Let’s not forget, there are some who have been attacked and robbed and the attakee did not report it…for whatever reason…there are just as many unreported cases because the pure UGLY apathy of police able to respond and help is At ZERO level.
My last few trips to New Orleans I have noted a huge increase in police presense. Threw officers on every block on Burbon Street. Is it time to arm local veterans and provide vigilate care for our citizens since the government cannot?
Savannah doesn’t really take care of its actual residents like it does the tourists… it’d be no surprise if people started to up and leave. I know I will as soon as I can. I love Savannah and was born and raised here, but crime (along with other issues) is not worth it.
There is no law enforcement here. Policemen have told me point blank they cannot take the fight where it needs to go. Most of the crime is committed by black males, and to a large extent, they are untouchable. One cop told me, “They (black thugs mostly) have no fear of us. They know we can’t do anything.” That’s it.
Savannah is pretty nice, not fantastic. Have lived in better places. We would leave tomorrow if we could. We’ve lived in Baldwin Park for over a decade. About 70% of the people from other parts of the country left with their butts on fire. They couldn’t stand it, crime, the race situation. Some bailed out in less than a year, others maybe put up with it for a couple of years. Most were home owners so bailing so fast was not a casual decision.
This is what we decided 13 years ago: Savannah is a train wreck and nothing will change until laws are enforced. Same as it ever was.
Savannah officials should hire Rudy Guilianni to teach them how to be tough on crime. He did it in NYC. Furthermore, the black leadership in Savannah needs to come down hard on these criminals, as well. Everyone in Savannah has a stake in keeping the historic district (and Savannah) safe.
After reading this article and the comments, I almost feel like I should cancel our vacation to Savannah. I didn’t realize that crime is soo rampant in your beautiful city.
Until the historic district got in the spotlight with these crime incidents, no one gave a flip about the not so affluent areas of this city. This includes the Chamber of Commerce and the other individuals/organizations of influence. Someone on this forum suggested hiring Rudy Guilianni. Rudy’s “stop and frisk” policy won’t play here and would land with a resounding thud. Another poster said “most of the crime is committed by black males” and police cannot take the fight where it needs to be. If this is so, then Savannah has a agency trying to pass itself off as a police department. Who’s being protected and who is being served? Really astounding how black males have become convenient scapegoats for perpetrators of crime. The news media both television and print jostle each other to focus on this phenomenon. Black leadership in Savannah abandoned the black youth and young adults. They have no clout with them and no connection to the power brokers downtown.
You have human warehouses on both sides of the Historic District until you get rid of the public housing you are not going solve any problems. Scattered public housing should be used as an alternative.
I was thinking of coming to Savannah with my family but the ignorant, bigoted comments on this thread have discouraged me. I’m sorry your city seems to have so many holdovers from Jim Crow.
When the libT ard LEFT continues to reward and pay single illiterate mothers to breed 5+ chilRENs only for a Welfare Check and slothful existence,,
then you will CONTINUE to have this problem.
o No fathers in the household cuz it ruins the welfare sistence
o No stressing Education to get job skills
o Rampant easy-money rock-slinging results in young men being shot down in the street or in jail for life
o Huge # of 14 year olds becoming pregnant just like momma
o Black leaders being trashed for uttering the words: ACCOUNTABILITY, EDUCATION, SELF-SUPPORTING, RACE-CARD EXCUSES, OBEY THE LAW, ETC
Last year, The French Quarter in New Orleans was experiencing a crime wave in areas where normally it did not happened often. Sidney Torres, a resident and local investor of the FQ, created an App called ” The FQ Task Force” where anyone who downloads it can report a crime as it happens. In the first month of use, about 50 people were caught in crimes. This guy has money, and he pays for a private officer to handle things quicker than the local police. But, I heard recently that the Louisiana Attorney General liked the idea so much, that they will now use their agents as well. Please take a moment to review. Thanks!
I was born and raised in Miami and moved to Savannah for exactly one year. I feel MUCH safer in Miami than I do in Savannah. Crime is no joke in Savannah. I feel the city does everything they can to hide all of this from tourists rather than actually combat it. I lived on the outskirts of the historic district on Bull street and heard more gunshots in one year than in 27 years in Miami (including areas like Little Havana, Downtown and Miami Beach) Savannah is beautiful to visit…but that’s just it, visit. Every long time resident I met acts like gunshots are no big deal and crime is just something you deal with. No way. My spouse is from NYC and didn’t feel as scared as she did in Savannah.Local government needs to stop trying to sweep crime under the rug and fix it asap before it ruins this little city.
Also to respond to these disgusting comments, yes racism is alive and well in Savannah. Don’t be fooled by the presence of SCAD. White and straight reigns supreme here. Bigots are everywhere and I personally was disgusted by everyday comments I heard about other races, ethnicities and sexual orientation. Still very much a southern cesspool of racist ideology.
This is sad to hear and I hope things improve. Downtown Savannah is really beautiful and I really want to visit there and I’m even checking on https://www.visitsavannah.com/ for accommodations already!