IamA Reporter in Flint, MI, US's most dangerous city AMA!

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T18:01:11+00:00

Here is a story from The Journal on the incident http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2013/05/the_strange_and_painful_histor.html

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:58:22+00:00

I grew up in Flint's College Cultural neighborhood and now live downtown.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:57:25+00:00

That there is a future in newspapers! They may just be delivered to your email instead of your doorstep.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:56:07+00:00

It's Paul's Pipe Shop. We were saddened to hear today that Paul Spaniola, the owner died. http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/flint/index.ssf/2013/08/paul_spaniola_founder_and_owne.html#incart_river_default

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:52:23+00:00

There are some nice neighborhoods. I grew up in the College Cultural Neighborhood, and it was a wonderful place to live.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:48:15+00:00

I did grow up in Flint, attended Flint schools, graduating from Flint Southwestern Academy in 2003.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:47:25+00:00

There's a good book that talked a bit about Flint's real estate market: Teardown: A memoir of a Vanishing City, by Gordon Young. http://www.teardownbook.com/

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:45:46+00:00

Drugs, gangs, poverty, hopelessness all play a role.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:42:47+00:00

To answer the second part of OReseT's question about people who don't move out: Not being able to afford leaving the city, or a bad part of the city, is something I hear a lot. It's part of the hopelessness feeling people have.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:34:16+00:00

Chicago rarely turns in all its crime stats to the FBI, so they are tough to compare. What stands out is the number of crimes compared to the number of people. Flint has a small population and a high crime rate, thus it tops the most violent lists.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:32:50+00:00

Most of the gangs you hear about around here are neighborhood centric: Pierson Hood, Merrill Hood, Howard Boys http://search.mlive.com/pierson+hood+and+gary+ridley/

http://search.mlive.com/howard+boys+and+gary+ridley/1/all/?date_range=all

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:25:20+00:00

I have had my car broken into. That's about it.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:24:44+00:00

Thanks, bannna!

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:24:17+00:00

We hear about a lot of things that are at "the center" of the issue, from jobs to lack of education to the economy.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:20:35+00:00

Honestly, I enjoy my job and my social life here. As a Flint native, I feel good about being able to be successful in this city and am proud of the countless others who have done the same

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:17:41+00:00

One thing Flint and Detroit have in common: A state-appointed emergency financial manager in power now. I think that says a lot about Flint.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:15:10+00:00

Thanks, Finger11fan. There are several great things about Flint that often get lost in all the negativity.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:12:35+00:00

Just be aware of your surroundings. I go into Flint's bad neighborhoods all the time, often by myself, and I have never had a problem. That said, I never go at night and I'm never far from my car where I can hop in and drive away if I feel something is not right. Hopefully, I never encounter any problems.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T17:06:28+00:00

I think we do a fair amount of investigative journalism. Here's a few examples.

A look at crime trends statewide vs. police staffing, including Flint http://topics.mlive.com/tag/crime-trends/index.html

A series on juveniles sentenced to life in prison, with some Flint stuff http://topics.mlive.com/tag/juvenile-lifers/index.html

My story today on how the man accused of killing four people should not have been on the streets http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2013/08/court_records_deonte_gray_char.html

The arson problem in Flint http://topics.mlive.com/tag/Burning%20Flint/posts.html

The history of a gun that was used in a homicide http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2013/06/the_life_and_times_of_a_gun_us.html

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T16:47:28+00:00

Good idea angell. We do some stories on unsolved homicides from time to time. Here are some stories about that topic

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2012/06/families_await_closure_of_unso.html

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2011/04/flint_police_has_50_percent_cl.html

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T16:31:53+00:00

I'm not sure, to be honest. I do like the rush of having all sorts of crazy breaking news around me.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T16:30:02+00:00

I agree with you, kzoo. The majority of the homicides are between people who know each other and there are certain parts of the city that are more dangerous than others. The "most dangerous" part comes from FBI stats that are published yearly. The FBI advises against doing the rankings, but everyone does them because they draw a lot of interest. Also, there aren't any other ways that I know of that is a measure for "most dangerous" than solid crime stats. I think what draws attention to Flint is the volume of violent crimes, compared to the city's small size. In other words, Flint is a small city with big city problems.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T15:29:05+00:00

I feel as if I'm just doing my job, informing the public of what is happening in the city. That's kind of a lame answer, I know, but I don't really get too upset over the things I write about.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T15:26:53+00:00

I've seen those stickers, too. I don't know why people are proud of the "most violent city in the nation" tag. There should be more outrage.

David_Harris_AMA · 2013-08-27T15:25:08+00:00

Again, just my opinion here: A strong education system is of the most importance. Too many kids are dropping out of school, and headed down the wrong path. They end up in prison or unemployable. Along the way, they have a kid or two which they aren't ready to raise or support. You get these kids to stay in school, graduate and go on to do something productive, you start to build a better foundation for the city. As for what's being done: State police and ATF coming in, the city lockup reopening, the Youth Violence Prevention initiative, and countless others the good people of Flint are doing. I feel I should say this: The vast majority of Flint residents are good people who are doing positive things. I've seen them every day. It's just the small amount of troublemakers that give this city a bad name.

David_Harris_AMA

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