seamusTX, you seem to be a pretty resourceful and knowledgeable person when it comes to these things, so maybe you know if there's any truth behind this as i got the information second hand and have been unable to find any data that would verify or disprove this.
an acquaintance of mine (husband of a good friend of my wife) told me a while back that there was a study done that linked Metro bus stops with a general increase in crime. he said the data showed that, in general, when a Metro bus stop is placed in an area where there's previously not been access to public transportation, crime in those neighborhoods increased substantially. i guess the idea is that public transportation provides a convenient method of getting in and out of an area without worrying about things like people writing down a license plate number if they see a suspicious vehicle.
and to address the original post, i believe the general perception is that Houston is getting more violent because of the amount of attention that violent crimes receive on the morning and evening news. negativity and violence sell. there could be a hundred positive newsworthy occurrences in any given day and they would all be passed over if there were an armed robbery, aggravated assault, house fire possibly caused by arson, etc. much of the time it seems the media is in the business of selling fear and overplaying the negative while giving much less attention to positive news stories. i guess we can't blame them entirely though, because they're in the business of making money. higher ratings = $$$ and if focusing on crime and violence didn't bring in higher ratings, they wouldn't do it. as for me, i'll usually watch the news regardless just so i'm aware of these things, but as soon as Miya Shay comes on i have to change the channel.
