War Zone On FM 1960?

[mrfootball]

Why don't you go start a "Bus" thread, Red? Isn't there a Metro board?

And since you seem to have the time, why not commission a non-partisan study?

[RedScare]

I've never been there. Is there an actual farm within this neighborhood? I'm not sure how there can be a horse in a stable within a neighborhood. Looks very peaceful and pleasant, but also very boring and gimmicky. If I'm going to live in one of kind of places like you see advertised in the Sunday Homes section, I'll take Harper's Landing. At least you have the Woodlands town center close by and not too far from Lake Conroe. Gleanloch Farms is about 8 miles from the Woodlands and about 8 miles from 1960, and it sounds like a brand of grocery products. I'd also take Longwood for the modest sounding name that doesn't have the word "ranch or farm" in it, and also for the excellent design of the neighborhood and the beautiful looking homes that are not cookie cutter like other neighborhoods of that sort.

Intuitively, I would say it used to be a farm. However, since my former next door neighbor's parents used to OWN that land, I can tell you without exageration that this land used to house an Arabian horse breeding stable.

[mrfootball]

Yes, that is correct. Gleannloch used to be a large championship Horse breeding farm. They have stables and riding pens and the whole setup. So its name, unlike that of many neighborhoods around town, actually does have significance relative to the land it occupies.

[west20th]

Yes, that is correct. Gleannloch used to be a large championship Horse breeding farm. They have stables and riding pens and the whole setup.

I always though Anna Nichol's late husband (forgot his name) owned that land. Suburban legend I guess.

[mrfootball]

I always though Anna Nichol's late husband (forgot his name) owned that land. Suburban legend I guess.

Suburban fact. The Marshall/Cullen family did own the land.

"Marshall's Show involvement centered around two of his favorite subjects -- cattle and horses. The Marshall ranch, known as Gleannloch Farms and located outside Houston, was renowned for its Aberdeen-Angus cattle and Arabian purebred horses. Gleannloch Farms became one of America's premier stables for champion Arabian horses."

Here's the link:

http://www.houstonhistory.com/rodeo/rodeo9.htm

[Marley]

Again. Prove that the busses caused it. I'll even give you a starting point. The Mac-10 Fest in the FM 1960 parking lot occurred on a Friday night at 3:00 am. METRO's 86 Crosstown stops running at 11:30 pm. How did those hundreds of people get there if METRO stopped running 3 hours earlier? And, how did they manage to clear out before the cops got there?

I've seen some of the "intuition" on this board, and it is hideous. Some on this board could not intuit their way out of a wet paper bag. I recall YOUR intuition in a Heights thread a few weeks back. You weren't even close.

Now, is anyone going to find that busses bring crime study, or am I going to have to rely on some of the brilliant intuition displayed on this board?

Note: I am not disputing that 1960 has seen its share of problems increase in the last 20 years. That video does not lie. I am specifically asking some of the rocket scientists here to show me where METRO caused it, as has been alleged. Because, frankly, all of these thugs in the video appear to have rides.

Can we just clear up that the plural spelling for "bus" is buses???

[millennica]

Can we just clear up that the plural spelling for "bus" is buses???

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, both buses or busses are acceptable as plural forms of bus.

Dictionary

bus |bəs| noun ( pl. buses or busses ) 1 a large motor vehicle carrying passengers by road, esp. one serving the public on a fixed route and for a fare : [as adj. ] a bus service. 2 Computing a distinct set of conductors carrying data and control signals within a computer system, to which pieces of equipment may be connected in parallel. verb ( buses, bused, busing or busses, bussed, bussing ) 1 [ trans. ] (often be bused) transport in a communal road vehicle : managerial staff was bused in and out of the factory.

[bachanon]

i think the precincts are too far apart. precinct 4 is based in humble and covers a very large territory. i'm not sure which precinct covers this area (1960 & i-45), but both precinct 4 and the precinct based near kuykendahl and cypresswood take calls that require extremely long drives through countless red lights, back roads and confusing neighborhoods. i'd like to see satellite offices along 1960.

[TJones]

Can we just clear up that the plural spelling for "bus" is buses???

Sure..... thanks for clearing that up millennica.

[bachanon]

There is a Precinct 4 constables office next door to the Mercer Arboretum on Aldine Westfield about a 1 1/2 miles north of 1960.

is it new. new to me would mean in the last 4 years.

[Guest Marty]

is it new. new to me would mean in the last 4 years.

According to the Harris County Appraisal District it was built in 1981 but the County bought it on 1-1-1992 Link at 22540 ALDINE WESTFIELD RD

[CyKat]

This clip might be apropriate for the subject.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_sn8dYyobM...ated&search=

Enjoy,

CyKat

[millennica]

Sure..... thanks for clearing that up millennica.

No problem, TJones. It's an occupational preoccupation that results from having to read, correct, and grade so many student papers.

[Jeebus]

Again. Prove that the busses caused it. I'll even give you a starting point. The Mac-10 Fest in the FM 1960 parking lot occurred on a Friday night at 3:00 am. METRO's 86 Crosstown stops running at 11:30 pm. How did those hundreds of people get there if METRO stopped running 3 hours earlier? And, how did they manage to clear out before the cops got there?

I've seen some of the "intuition" on this board, and it is hideous. Some on this board could not intuit their way out of a wet paper bag. I recall YOUR intuition in a Heights thread a few weeks back. You weren't even close.

Now, is anyone going to find that busses bring crime study, or am I going to have to rely on some of the brilliant intuition displayed on this board?

Note: I am not disputing that 1960 has seen its share of problems increase in the last 20 years. That video does not lie. I am specifically asking some of the rocket scientists here to show me where METRO caused it, as has been alleged. Because, frankly, all of these thugs in the video appear to have rides.

I agree that METRO didn't cause this gathering/shootout, but I think that the METRO lines have facilitated the ability for poor minority families with family members that are criminals to move into the area & still be able to commute across the city cheaply.

I don't think that most of those shown in the video fall into said catagory, but rather into the: "My parents both worked so we could live in our 200k suburban McMansion, leaving me to tend myself while my parents smothered me with the wealth they didn't have growing up - which ultimately failed to teach me the value of a hard days work, leaving me to spend all the money my parents give me on the possessions rappers glorify: clothes, cars, drugs, & women."

These kids were just bored with nothing to do - just like the rest of America's suburban youth. Rap music is what makes that group so dangerous.

[Guest Marty]

The Metro bus route is a suburban myth, most of the crimes happen at the apartment complexes, stores and the subdivision's that they live in. Do they let you take 27' TV's on Metro Buses?

[TJones]

No problem, TJones. It's an occupational preoccupation that results from having to read, correct, and grade so many student papers.

UGH! And then you gotta come HERE and grade us. Man, where is that spellchecck buttoon ?

[mrfootball]

This thread is getting ridiculous.

To put it into perspective, there are over 1 million people living in the 'Great Northwest'. We're talking about an area the size of roughly two Loop 610's. If the GNW were a city in and of itself, it would certainly have crimes like these but it would likely have one of the lowest violent crime rates in the country for a city its size. This kind of garbage happens elsewhere in the metro everyday usually with bad outcomes. It's a big deal here because this kind of crap doesn't usually happen, nor is it tolerated (as evidenced by this thread). I went to HS in that area and I think it sucks that kind of garbage occured, I hate to see this happen over there but we're talking about a small portion of the whole area. Further perspective...the area in question is closer to The Woodlands than it is 249...and the GNW goes all the way to 529.

[Guest Marty]

This thread is getting ridiculous.

Why is this thread getting ridiculous is it because that your Metro Buses theory actually play's a small role in crime in the area?

[mrfootball]

Why is this thread getting ridiculous is it because that your Metro Buses theory actually play's a small role in crime in the area?

While it certainly isn't my theory, I stand by it. Those people and the developments that sprung up to serve them...mostly closer to I-45 (many of them gov't subsidized because the market wouldn't support them) wouldn't be there otherwise. The METRO service simply became a catalyst for this type of development, which (because of the lure of the area and the schools) attracted those who ordinarily wouldn't locate there. It played a significant role in the upsurge of crime on FM 1960 along its route (86 FM 1960 Crosstown), which is but a small part of the whole of the GNW.

Do you even live in the GNW Marty? If so, where?

http://www.ridemetro.org/pdf/routes/086-fm1960.pdf

The "86 Crosstown"

http://www.ridemetro.org/pdf/routes/044-acres.pdf

Willowbrook Mall would love to have this route closed.

[Guest Marty]

I remember when this fake fantasyland was nothing but cattle pastures from Tomball to Humble. When you got open borders and an influx of the bad apple's from New Orleans from a major disaster area your going to see crime rise substantially.

[PureAuteur]

Again. Prove that the busses caused it. I'll even give you a starting point. The Mac-10 Fest in the FM 1960 parking lot occurred on a Friday night at 3:00 am. METRO's 86 Crosstown stops running at 11:30 pm. How did those hundreds of people get there if METRO stopped running 3 hours earlier? And, how did they manage to clear out before the cops got there?

I've seen some of the "intuition" on this board, and it is hideous. Some on this board could not intuit their way out of a wet paper bag. I recall YOUR intuition in a Heights thread a few weeks back. You weren't even close.

Now, is anyone going to find that busses bring crime study, or am I going to have to rely on some of the brilliant intuition displayed on this board?

Note: I am not disputing that 1960 has seen its share of problems increase in the last 20 years. That video does not lie. I am specifically asking some of the rocket scientists here to show me where METRO caused it, as has been alleged. Because, frankly, all of these thugs in the video appear to have rides.

I could do some research, find the crime statistics, make some graphs, and report comparisons of crime before and after the introduction of the Metro route, and comparisons of crime during running hours and during non-running hours, but I'm just not that interested enough at the moment. To be honest, I don't believe there is any relationship between the Metro Bus introduction and crime increases in the area. At most, the bus route is a symptom of the urbanization of that area, which has undoubtedly led to more crime. (In the 70s and 80s, this was essentially a bedroom community, insulated from the grittiness of Houston, and the apartment boom had not yet materialized.) It is possible to say that the bus route was directly responsible for a specific incident of crime. Let's say a man from Acres Homes takes the 44 bus to the Willowbrook area. After getting off at a stop somewhere around 249, he walks around and eventually winds up in someone's front yard and decides to break into the house. Unless the person had an agenda, the crime would not have occurred, since they would likely not be in the area were there not a bus route to get them there. Still, this does not mean that the bus route is responsible for INCREASES in crime overall. My own intuition tells me that many crimes in the area, since the area began to decline, have been committed without the assistance of the Metro bus route.

While intuition is a legitimate grounds for a perspective or an opinion, it really has no way of helping to prove something. Intuitive perspectives are best used in affirmative-type discussions in which you are talking to someone who shares your intuition about something, and by discussing it with someone else, it helps to clarify and affirm your perspective, either strengthening your intuition or exposing it as a false feeling.

By the way, I corrected my mistakes in that Heights thread. Go back and read my replies.

[mrfootball]

BTW, I think the other issue at play here is the fact that you've got Harris County Sheriff's complaining that they don't have 'resources' to police that area like it should, despite the fact that much of the county budget is derived from areas nearby. Further, with the City of Houston performing "limited" annexations along FM 1960 where they split the tax revenue with the local MUDs, yet don't any provide police, fire and EMS doesn't help things.

http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/Developm...s/2006_MTFP.pdf

Houston ETJ w/Limited Annexations

[hbcu]

lets blame the greedy (most likely white) developers for dropping and running...these same guys have brought down Fondren SW, Alief, Antoine and now 1960

[VicMan]

I was at F. M. 1960 to go to the Container Store to get a special board... Greenwood Forest looked like a Memorial in the northside.

Which stretch of F. M. 1960 is having the crime issues?

Also, I see this as an inevitable decline. Suburbs age, folks.

[musicman]

BTW, I think the other issue at play here is the fact that you've got Harris County Sheriff's complaining that they don't have 'resources' to police that area like it should, despite the fact that much of the county budget is derived from areas nearby. Further, with the City of Houston performing "limited" annexations along FM 1960 where they split the tax revenue with the local MUDs, yet don't any provide police, fire and EMS doesn't help things.

i think both entities are in denial as well because the area isn't as vocal as other areas. hopefully the story will shed some light on the problem. the annexations by houston have really hurt many areas.

[jgriff]

Criminals may not use Metro to get them to the crime scene but perception is sometimes as important as reality. The fact that a lot of people think that Metro bus lines increase crime causes them to avoid areas that have a lot of bustops. When I'm shopping for a house the first thing I want is to be as far away from an apartment complex as possbile, but the second thing I want to be away from is a bus stop. I'm sure there are a lot of people that think the same way. This can cause homes sales near bus stops and apt. complexes to slow and prices to drop which leads to more crime.

I now avoid Westheimer at all costs because of all the bums and drug addicts at the bus stops staring at me. There are good people who ride the bus too and I feel sorry for them having to sit next to the criminals. I had a friend over from Europe a few months back. He was appalled at the people hanging around the bus stops. I was embarrassed for our city. I made sure not to take him down Westheimer again. My wife will no longer drive our convertible with the top down... too many bums standing right next to the car staring at us from bus stops. We're going to sell it and probably won't get a convertible again.

[Vertigo58]

Rap music is what makes that group so dangerous.

[GovernorAggie]

The real question is do you people think that if the bus route was eliminated, crime would go decrease?

[mrfootball]

I was at F. M. 1960 to go to the Container Store to get a special board... Greenwood Forest looked like a Memorial in the northside.

Which stretch of F. M. 1960 is having the crime issues?

Yes it is very nice over there in Champions. Greenwood Forest was built by the same people who built many of the Memorial area neighborhoods. They're building million dollar homes in Champions and around Champion Forest as we speak, the whole area is just about built out, but what is going in is mostly $500K and above in Lakes of Sterling Gate, Falls at Champion Forest, Champion Forest, Champions (on the golf course), etc. If that's decline...well, then....give me more.

The area of FM 1960 that is having the most issues is a few miles North around I-45 and FM 1960. It is a far cry from crimes occuring in other parts of town, but certainly enough to stir the natives (as it should). Hopefully with the new initiatives for FM 1960, they'll be able to get a hold of it before it becomes more of a problem.

[GovernorAggie]

Yes it is very nice over there in Champions. Greenwood Forest was built by the same people who built many of the Memorial area neighborhoods. They're building million dollar homes in Champions and around Champion Forest as we speak, the whole area is just about built out, but what is going in is mostly $500K and above in Lakes of Sterling Gate, Falls at Champion Forest, Champion Forest, Champions (on the golf course), etc. If that's decline...well, then....give me more.

The area of FM 1960 that is having the most issues is a few miles North around I-45 and FM 1960. It is a far cry from crimes occuring in other parts of town, but certainly enough to stir the natives (as it should). Hopefully with the new initiatives for FM 1960, they'll be able to get a hold of it before it becomes more of a problem.

Doesn't 1960 have an actual name? I know SH6 is technically Addicks-Satsuma Rd. I'm thinking a new name would be good for the area.