Crime In Midtown

[TheNiche]

Further proof that people need to arm themselves against this urban street trash...

Agreed. And we need more affordable options for shotgun pistols.

[RedScare]

You'll need to start with making them legal.

Sec. 46.05. PROHIBITED WEAPONS. (a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally or knowingly possesses,

(3) a short-barrel firearm;

(10) "Short-barrel firearm" means a rifle with a barrel length of less than 16 inches or a shotgun with a barrel

length of less than 18 inches, or any weapon made from a shotgun or rifle if, as altered, it has an overall length

of less than 26 inches.

[jgriff]

I was walking around midtown Frday, not exactly the area where this occured, closer to the Greyhound station. I was amazed at the blatant drug dealing at 9:00am with cops less than a block away. Serisouly the cops were on the same street while a guy was selling drugs to some women in a car.

[brian0123]

I was walking around midtown Frday, not exactly the area where this occured, closer to the Greyhound station. I was amazed at the blatant drug dealing at 9:00am with cops less than a block away. Serisouly the cops were on the same street while a guy was selling drugs to some women in a car.

HPD is pathetic in that regard. Despite the blatant activity around Greyhound, I would routinely see 3+ officers running a speed trap on West Gray down the road. They were sure eager to write tickets to people in BMW's and Mercedes... yet ignore drug dealing and prostitution near the station.

[skwatra]

i walk from Taft down W Gray to midtown every other weekend or so, sometimes pretty late. I usually see other people about close to each end but there is definitely a void in the middle.

I'm glad Carnegie is going up to add some lighting to this stretch. Now we just need some of those empty lots to fill up with restaurants/bars or retail.

[LTAWACS]

Further proof that people need to arm themselves against this urban street trash...

I prefer the term "Replicants".

[TGM]

I prefer the term "Replicants".

Replicants look like (80's) Daryl Hannah and don't ask for change. They will however ask you for clove cigarettes at Numbers on Friday evenings.

The proper term is zombies.

I'm a little disappointed that we have not heard about someone in Midtown trying bath salts, stripping, and then attempting to eat alive that chicken that hangs out near NTB. I guess even our local Zombies can't compete at the national level.

Edited July 9, 2012 by TGM

[innerlooper]

Red you know very well that The Taurus Judge and The S&W Governor are not SBSs. Otherwise they wouldn't be unloading them by the wagonload at the GRB every other weekend. BTW I've tried them for skeet and couldn't hit anything.

"You'll need to start with making them legal."

Quote

Sec. 46.05. PROHIBITED WEAPONS. (a) A person commits an offense if the person intentionally or knowingly possesses,

(3) a short-barrel firearm;

(10) "Short-barrel firearm" means a rifle with a barrel length of less than 16 inches or a shotgun with a barrel

length of less than 18 inches, or any weapon made from a shotgun or rifle if, as altered, it has an overall length

of less than 26 inches.

[mkultra25]

You'll need to start with making them legal.

They already are. I believe that the distinction is that these are considered pistols that are chambered to fire shotgun shells, not rifles or shotguns that have been modified with a barrel length that would never pass muster legally on a longarm.

Taurus offers a wide variety of pistols chambered for .410 shotshells as well as .45 pistol rounds:

http://www.taurususa.com/gun-selector-results.cfm?series=41

[Fringe]

I was walking around midtown Frday, not exactly the area where this occured, closer to the Greyhound station. I was amazed at the blatant drug dealing at 9:00am with cops less than a block away. Serisouly the cops were on the same street while a guy was selling drugs to some women in a car.

Bet if you were to hold up a sign warning the drug dealers of the police nearby than you would get arrested.

[Marksmu]

Mklultra25 and Niche are both correct. These guns are not illegal. You can buy them, usually special order, from any number of legitimate gun shops. I had thought about getting one, but I never figured I would ever have an occasion to carry one....why not?

Well - its illegal to have a gun, even a conceal carry one, in a place that makes more than 51% of their income on booze - IE a bar...and bars are the only place I go that I may have to walk any real distance from the establishment to my car that I have a high likelihood of being mugged because I can not carry....every other time/place, a small concealed carry 9mm is a better choice b/c I can hold substantially more rounds or pack a more intimidating punch....the last gun Im going to pick up would be a .410 pistol if someone is in the house....Ill take my pump shotgun all day/every day in those close quarters....if nothing else, the sound of a pump shotgun chambering a round is enough to send 99% of the thugs and would be robbers running out the door....I will even choose my pump over my auto shotgun just for that sound.

[RedScare]

Red you know very well that The Taurus Judge and The S&W Governor are not SBSs. Otherwise they wouldn't be unloading them by the wagonload at the GRB every other weekend. BTW I've tried them for skeet and couldn't hit anything.

Actually, I did not know. I have never seen one before, and never had to decide whether to file charges on one before. While I find the sawed off shotgun rules antiquated, my gut instinct would be that these are shotguns. However, it appears that Texas uses the ATF's classification system as determinant of what a weapon is, and I am told that these are classified as handguns, not shotguns. I'll keep that in mind if I ever get a client charged with possessing one.

That said, these are pretty lame looking weapons. Marksmu called it. The racking of a pump shotgun is far more fearsome, and a handgun is more accurate than this piece of crap. If you need your ammo to act like a shotgun shell, use hollow points.

[samagon]

if nothing else, the sound of a pump shotgun chambering a round is enough to send 99% of the thugs and would be robbers running out the door....I will even choose my pump over my auto shotgun just for that sound.

Granted I don't have a lot of data points, but I've chased a person out of my house with a rubber mallet. It's more likely just an intimidating voice and a blunt object in your hand that gets them running. Then again, while a rubber mallet probably isn't going to do as much damage as a ball-pein hammer, a well placed blow with the rubber mallet would probably put someone on the ground either way.

Regardless, I imagine the same rules apply to rubber mallets and ball-pein hammers as concealed weapons in a bar, they just don't say as much on the door, cause who's going to walk into a bar with a carpentry belt strapped to their waist?

[TGM]

When you walk those streets you need to do it with flair and confidence.

[kkirchemshk]

I was wondering how the other Neighbors feel about the Mobile drunk people cart that roams our streets on the weekends?!?!?! I like too flatten the tires of this Obnoxious beast!

[august948]

I've never heard Metro characterized that way.

[Charles Z]

I think it's great.  People should have a good time. 

[dbigtex56]

You're right. It would be so much more pleasant to have drunks cruising the neighborhood searching for parking spaces.

[kylejack]

Ahh, the Pedal Party. I endorse it.

[TheArtofCuring]

I don't think I would ever do this thing but it looks pretty fun and the people on it appear to enjoy it!

[kkirchemshk]

I hope a car hits it!

[HoustonMidtown]

I hope a car hits it!

 

With your ranting on this and the OTC post - it sounds like Midtown isn't for you -- maybe you should look at living in the burbs....

[kylejack]

Yeah, if you're wishing violence on people it's time to get a grip.

[Chi-Char-Hou-Dal]

http://www.khou.com/news/crime/Pedestrian-dies-after-hit-and-run-near-downtown-Houston-202921191.html

[Purdueenginerd]

Hit and Run Assholes. I walk and bike through there all the time---stuff like this pisses me off. 

Edited April 16, 2013 by Purdueenginerd

[Slick Vik]

Terrible

[rci2145]

I hate to say it but the crowd going out to Midtown bars has gotten sketchier over the past few months. Loud, drunk people from other neighborhoods are starting fights, playing excessively loud music in their cars, and driving way too fast on crowded streets. For a while, Midtown was dominated by neighborhood bars but now kids are coming in from the burbs like they did on Washington. There are empty beer bottles in front of my place almost daily and there never used to be. Some of the visitors have no respect for the residents. Very sad to hear about this poor woman.

[MidtownMan]

True! And whats difficult is to get the property owner of the club/bar to show some respect to nearby residents by curtailing the rowdiness, fights, etc. Plus, getting the police to do anything about the noise (not from the club) but from the patrons is like pulling teeth. Only criminal violations count. No zoning really causes residents and business to fight each other. Why can't they (patrons) just come and go peacefully. 

 

True! And whats difficult is to get the property owner of the club/bar to show some respect to nearby residents by curtailing the rowdiness, fights, etc. Plus, getting the police to do anything about the noise (not from the club) but from the patrons is like pulling teeth. Only criminal violations count. No zoning really causes residents and business to fight each other. Why can't they (patrons) just come and go peacefully. 

 

[RedScare]

No zoning really causes residents and business to fight each other. Why can't they (patrons) just come and go peacefully. 

 

Really? Now no zoning is the cause of loud drunks? 

 

I think I have now heard it all.

[Chi-Char-Hou-Dal]

I feel your pain regarding the clientele of the neighborhood changing but agree with RedScare - you knew what Midtown was and is when you bought here and zoning would do nothing to change the fact that Midtown is a booming neighborhood that people want to be in.

 

The crowds will change, bars will come and go and life will go on.

 

Think of the alternative - empty blocks and low valued townhomes and real estate. Not to call anyone out; but on other threads complaining of the bars and noise next to their property, I don't hear people complaining about the town-home they bought for $275,000 now conservatively valued at $360,000

 

There is a red-brick townhome off bagby listed for 485K and it will probably bring something in that range - two new monstrous townhomes behind Metro Midtown just went up both option pending they were listed at 629K!!!

 

There's always a quiet cul-de-sac in Sealy where you will inherit a whole new set of gripes i.e. Nosy mothers, kids skateboarding on your curb,  HOA's, rules of what you can and can't do and general "Pleasentville flurf"

 

I put this link here bc I too was outraged at a hit and run and a lady dying in the street and didn't like that no one was talking about it. Who knows for all we know it could have been a car coming off 59 making their way through Midtown.

 

I love Midtown and all the change that's happening here and with all the new apartments and development I'm excited to see what it turns in to.