Review of Santa Ro,

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Santa Rosa crime

- 7/10/2014
I don't know what Santa Rosa a lot of you grew up in or are living in. Over in Bennett Valley or Rincoln Valley it maybe a great community but as someone who grew up in Roseland and Indian Village I see it in a much different light. Back in the 80's and 90's Santa Rosa was a wild town compared to what it is today and I believe it's because they've bloated the police force due to the wine industry and tourism that has grown exponentially in Sonoma County. They fought tooth and nail to make this town presentable for the yuppies plus They have feds downtown now. Gangs didn't start with Hispanics here either. If you knew anything that was really going on in this town you'd know that there was a huge migration of east African refugees that settled here decades ago. Eritrean, Somolian and Ethiopian. Gang splinters migrated from Oakland up to Santa Rosa back in the 80's also which created a lot of tension between them and homegrown cliques, many hispanic. I lived in valley oak as a kid where people were getting dropped all the time. It was one of those streets you couldn't just mosey on through if you weren't known because you'd end up with bricks in your windshield. I barely got sleep as a kid because the stray cats fighting all night and the helicopters flying over head every night. Gun shots weren't rampant but they were common. The first time I saw someone shot was 5 years old. It's not the toughest town. I lived in Detroit for 2 years as a teenager and was already a seasoned hoodlum from all that I learned growing up here. It's easy to speculate when your on the outside looking in. If your not really involved in what's going on out here or you don't go walking through places like west 9th for an evening stroll then you should be alright for the most part though home invasions and robberies happen often out here. All I'm saying is don't downplay it like there's only a few wannabes out here because theres more going on than what you see at the plaza on a Wednesday night. The hoods and the gangs aren't as concentrated in certain areas as they used to be ever since operation black widow but they are still out here and run generations. A lot of guns on these streets though people are reluctant to use them with the vice grip that police have on the city these days. Not saying it's a bad thing, just felt the need to give my perspective. We don't all live in the hills or on the east side.
Lucas | Santa Rosa, CA