Downtown Peabody is quickly becoming a cess pool. The Mayor is wasting his time and tax payers' money trying to revitalize this area. There is NOTHING down there worth going to. It has become a haven for illegal immigrants, crime is on the rise, and it is definitely not a safe area for people to walk around in at night. The police have been called in numerous times for fights breaking out inside and outside of Oliveira's restaurant, with 16 documented incidences in a span of four months, ranging from fights to underage/after hours drinking. In August, there was a stabbing outside of the Portuguese American Club. All you have to do is read the police line each day and see how rampant drug activity is becoming in this city. I realize things like this are happening in other cities, but I think that lately Peabody has more than it's fair share of crime. The Mayor needs to focus on cleaning up the downtown area of crime before he puts more time and money into any downtown revitalization effort!

So sad to me. I lived off of downtown growing up and was able to walk everywhere at 10 years old. Maybe even younger. I used to walk down Foster street to the end at the service station on the corner (across where DD is now) and visit Duke the dog. It's sad what can happen in 30 years.

I agree that it is very sad Kendra. Unfortunately, Peabody has always been touted as being the city with the 'lowest taxes on the North Shore' (with the exception of Lynn). It's always been about keeping the taxes low. Schools were neglected, the downtown has been neglected and what ends up happening is that property values decrease and that attracts the wrong element to the city. It's a shame that past administrations didn't recognize this. We are all paying for it now!

Kathleen you are a racist . I live in downtown Peabody many years I am more worried about my house in basement flooding than I am about walking around at night. how would you know if somebody with an illegal immigrant or not? attracting an unwanted element? why don't you just say what you mean you don't like people that aren't white living in Peabody. I've lived here my whole life went to school here in raising my family here. Peabody is better now than it ever has been.

its people like you that are ruining the city

Peabody is also a place where hard working families can live because the property taxes are low. Hard working families that are here legally, do not participate in illegal activity, volunteer in the public school and participate in the vibrant civic life that still exists in Peabody. I am thrilled that the mayor is "wasting" his time trying to bring back life to the downtown - that he is trying to bring Peabody back to the city I remember. And there are drugs everywhere - visit Marblehead high school some day - but if you look at programs in Peabody, such as the Peabody Healthy Collaborative and the Above the Influence Campaign (which is nationally recognized) you may have some Peabody Pride again.

I figured someone would accuse me of being a racist. I am far from a racist Adam. I am a realist. Just read the police line and see for yourself what is going on in Peabody. I find it hard to believe that Peabody is better now than ever. Do you check out the MCAS/SAT scores of our schools? Do you see how many empty store fronts there are downtown? Read the police line and see for yourself. I'm sorry if you are disillusioned.

Does anyone know anything about the shooting??

Kathleen is right. I moved my family out of peabody because I didnt want my kids at the higgins or the high school. Nothing to do with race...

Adam your out of touch. Get yourself a police scanner and listen to the crap peabody police has to deal with. Between all of the drunk vulger bums that sit at the end of foster st. To the illegal brazilians driving non licensed, non registered cars. The OD's I swear there is one a night. By listening you hear the patterns, same names same addresses. I have lived here most of my life. I remember hard working familys. Mostly greek and portugese neighborhoods. Do your self a favor talk to some elderly people in this city you could learn alot of peabody history. It wasn't perfect but wow is it bad rite now.

But the things that Phil and Kathleen are talking about are not "Peabody" issues. If you listen to police scanners in any city you are going to hear the same things. That is why investing in the community is as important as hiring more police. Create an active downtown and you bring stores back - create jobs - invest in education - bring families back. You have to start somewhere.

you're kidding me right I live off of foster street . and I do own a police scanner. in for someone that claims to be a realist you're awfully out of touch with reality. I have close friends and family that are police officers firefighters in teachers for over 20 years in Peabody. and as far as drunk people drinking on the streets this stuff like that in every city. if you are so great what do you suggest we do to solve these problems. if you're not part of the solution you're part of the problem.

yeah I remember the old peabody corrupt politicians corrupt police department leather factory stinking up the entire city oh yeah that's the great Peabody that I want back

I moved out of that city years ago to raise my kids in a safe environment. Kathleen I do agree with you. I also agree I see it spilling into danvers now as well. It's sad so sad. At one point long ago Lynn was nice, then Peabody was nice, and now danvers. I would not walk downtown slobs at night myself unarmed.

Alone I meant

N

Hello ppl I agree with Adam it unlike this in every country

City

Idno if any of u realize but hey do u think our wonderful economy is Wat destroying the city's ???

Instead of pointing the finger at immigrant which I am I the son of 2 hard work Portuguese. Parent that came to this country with nothin but there papers and now do very well so instead of just pointing fingers at people it people like kathleen that I bet wouldnt want to come together with the quote immigrants and try to help fix the city in stead of bashing the city that I love

Wat does being able to spell a sentence a 100 percent proper have to do with it?

First of all, I thought the story was about someone being shot in an apartment on Washington St. Not one of you has mentioned anything about that. Additionally, the story did not mention anybody's race or ethnicity. Kathleen and Company are jumping to conclusions. Who cares what race the person is???? HOW ABOUT THE HUMAN RACE!!!!! It's time to put things back into perspective . Let's be realistic....there are good and bad people in EVERY city in America!.. I lived in Peabody almost all my life and moved to Florida 17 years ago. The stories are EXACTLY the same . The only thing that is different is the location. Every morning my elderly mother reads our local newspaper and says the same thing. " The most terrible things happen here in Florida" . and I tell her the exact same thing.." you think that because all you are hearing and reading about is your local news, but these terrible things are happening everywhere" . My point is , life EVERYWHERE in this country used to be better but it is up to ALL OF US to try and make it like it used to be.

And that Wat I was saying if u read it ... Instead of bashing the city try and fix it come together and if u read at the very top it says the the victim had non life ending injurys

And pretty sure Leann. Just want to it to b Known she can spell properly!

Thank you Silva .....and I'm proud to say that I was educated in the Peabody school system ! My neice, nephews and grandchildren are currently being educated in Peabody also. They are all happy, well adjusted productive citizens of the great city of Peabody! Oh, and by the way they are all descendants of immigrants!

No problem and I could talk about these issues all day because I'm a realist that is down in the quote cess pool of Peabody square how dare somone say that!!

peabody is full of sluts and drug dealers. this whole city and the kids are disturbed.

It doesn't matter if you come from a meager background or if you happen to come from a family of wealth and influence, what does matter is how you live your life and how that life touches other people around you.... I grew up in the project in Peabody and I wouldn't change one little thing about the way I was brought up. The things I would change however, are the ways that children are brought up these days with a sense of entitlement. That is where we, as a society are taking a wrong turn.. Kids are looking for the easy way out..Don't want to put in the time or energy. Just want the rewards... Rewards come from hard work, respect......especially respect for your elders, honesty and accountibility. Nobody wants to admit when they f'd up...Always want to put the blame on others. If you screwed up own it, fix it , learn from it and move on! See, now I'm the one getting off topic! LOL In all seriousness, I hope the poor person that got shot tonight makes a full recovery whether he was a bad person or a good person nobody deserves to get shot.

Everyone has racist in them..Everyone judges, Everyone stereo types. People talk bad about their co-workers, their neighbors, and their family members....People stop COMPLAINING! How is your life? Are you over weight? How is your marriage? Are you unhappy at work? The problem is no one is taking care of their own life! They want to try to fix others because they know that they can't fix theirs. Get rid of Facebook and start fixing your own life! Be at peace with yourself and the world around you. Go skydiving! Go skiing! Join a freaking gym.! Fill your mind with the beautiful things in life! And you will create balance in your life!

Peabody is ten times worst then ever.. I lived on walnut St my whole life till about 10 years ago and I don't even recognize the area. Drugs are rampant to the point people from Lynn come here to get them..its sad but have u been to store 24 now tedischis lately? Its a haven for drugs. Think what you want but the BODY is changing...

Not saying anything but first reports were 2 Hispanic males fleeing the scene. And I guarantee this is over drugs..

Never even new that there was apartments above Dorsi's. lol

Random shootings are happening everywhere in this country this is the second one in a year and within a mile of my house in Peabody. Drugs were a factor in the first one and I am willing to bet it played a part in yesterday's shooting. Let's face the facts when drugs are for sale people are going to get shot. Don't get carried away and say Peabody is turning into Compton CA. these are isolated drug related shootings that happens when your in the drug business. I'm not moving and I'm not scared. The mayor is doing a great job he can't control this nonsense. So stop hating on Peabody and if not get real mad and move and you'll run into the same problem somewhere else..

Anne
Me either!

I moved to Peabody about 15 months ago and I would just like to say that for a city the size of Peabody there is too much violent crime for a city this size. I am not saying it's the police not doing their jobs, but I would solely place the blame on the mayor for lack of a public safety concern in this city. Too many shootings, too many stabbings and just another side note too many pedestrians being struck by automobiles (seems like every other day). Just take a look back over the last year. If it takes hiring more police or opening police sub stations in bad areas that is something the mayor should be doing for everyone's public safety that is his job....

Downtown is nothing more than chelsea with trees. Go up and down washington, main, foster, walnut street and the side streets there and you will see why this "beautification" project is a waste of money and time. It has nothing to do with race or citizenship...it is now the way of the world and this element has invaded the pristine little bubble we call peabody. Its been here for a while now. Maybe if parents spent more time educating and nurturing their kids instead of putting blinders on and blaming schools and pols it would be better. Drugs, guns and crime is here to stay...sad but true and its only getting worse. Pray for the public safety men and women because it is not if...it is when will it get worse.

I've read a lot of these comments, and it strikes me that most of what people have written here is anecdotal at best. We'd all like to see a totally crime-free city, but the reality of the situation is that Peabody is way too large and much too economically diverse to be Mayberry, NC.

We need to look at the facts, here, and realize that Peabody's rate of violent crime is statistically VERY low, and pretty similar to the violent crime rates in Salem, Danvers, and Beverly.

FBI crime statistics in 2011 showed that, for Peabody, there were 2.4 violent crimes per 1,000 citizens. In Beverly the number was 2.31, while it's 2.25 per 1,000 in Danvers. Salem was at 2.86.

Comparing Peabody to places such as Lynn and Chelsea when it comes to crime is ridiculous and outrageous. In Lynn, according to the FBI date, there were 8.85 violent crimes per citizen in 2011 (more than three times Peabody's crime rate), while in Chelsea it was a whopping 17.43.

By most indicators (actual statistics), Peabody is a fairly safe place to live when it comes to crime. Is it perfect? Of course not, and it would definitely be good to see the mayor come up with a vision for cleaning up our drug problem, which definitely exists.

But come one, people: when you look at the real facts, we don't live in a violent hell hole.
http://www,eyeonpeabody.com

Bob the reason for me comparing Lynn and danvers to Peabody is because Lynn used to bd a wonderful place to live. Until criminals and drugs ran the city rampant. Peabody had been filled with immigrants for many many years which is how Lynn also was when it was nice. The difference is more and more immigrants are moving here and do not wish to fit into society. They do not want to change their ways of living to become Americanized. We all come from immigrants but our parents grandparents were of a different hard working era. Of course there is some immigrants who are productive to society but more and more they are not. I saw where peabody was headed years ago when kids were dying left and right from heroin and OxyContin. It is a fact crime has risen in Peabody in the past ten years and a lot of it is drug related. When we sold out home there were several home break ins our cars were broken into and a swat team was dispatched to our neighbors home. We lived on a quiet circle and used to leave our doors unlocked. It's very sad

Tab, I agree with you on some of this, and it's probably time for our mayor to start looking at how we can alleviate our drug problem. I just don't want people to go overboard here. FBI statistics show that we are still, by comparison to other places, a fairly safe community. L.J. saying that downtown Peabody is like "Chelsea with trees" is a ridiculous statement based only on his/her opinion, and not the real statistics.

"Downtown is nothing more than chelsea with trees"

I absolutely disagree. I both lived and worked in Peabody and it has it's fair share of crime but nothing more than any other city. I also worked in Chelsea. Peabody is absolutely NOTHING like Chelsea in regards to crime. Let's not lose our heads here ..

I never had any fears about going out in the daytime or nighttime anywhere in Peabody. Been doing so without a problem for quite some time now.

The statistics definitely prove that to be right, Mike. Following this debate today, there's some more about this in the Eye on Peabody: http://eyeonpeabody.com/2013/01/04/random-incidents-aside-peabody-is-safe-community-when-it-comes-to-crime/

Bob, I would just like to point out that the crime statistics you can see are from 2011. I am pretty certain that 2012's figures are far worse than the FBI's 2011 figures just from reading the news. Possibly the editor could give some better figures of 2012's violent crimes.

I don't know, John. Would be a good comparison. The stats probably aren't available yet for 2012. But we shall see.
http://eyeonpeabody.com

Been here all my life, and the downtown hasn't change much except 1) it looks more like Lawrence every day, 2) the gang colors are unmistakeable, 3) crimes appear to be more repetitious than random, 4) anybody who says they can walk anywhere, anytime in Peabody and not feel afraid must live at the Mall.

I would agree with you bob, comparing our fine city to chelsea would usually be ridiculous and it is my opinion. But my opinion is based on actual experience. Drive down broadway, carter, shurtleff streets in chelsea and go into the apartments as I have and tell me what you see and hear. Then do the same in downtown peabody...I bet you a crisp 100 bill it is the same. I wish it was only a ridiculous rant...but sadly its based on street fact. Violence, od's, homelessness, crime are all increased and I hope the fbi stats prove me wrong.

But L.J., while that might be true, it doesn't automatically mean that Peabody has as much crime as Chelsea. We definitely have an issue with illegals, but most illegals are not committing violent crimes in Peabody. If they were, then it would show up in the crime stats. It's not a crime to be poor, or to be homeless. It is a crime to be an illegal alien, but again, not a "violent" crime.

I feel that the biggest issue with illegals is 1) them illegally getting welfare benefits we pay for as taxpayers, and 2) them driving without licenses and insurance. A lot of illegals are dangerous because they're out there causing traffic accidents.

Personally, I've had a bit of a change of heart when it comes to the illegal immigrant issue. Those who come here illegally just to get welfare benefits should be rounded up and shipped back home. But ... I'm not sure I care that some poor guy from Mexico is working his tail off on some landscaping crew just so he can send some money back home. Not sure those people are hurting anyone, and as some of those landscapers or restaurant owners will tell you, they need those jobs done and no one Americans want to do take those jobs.
http://www.eyeonpeabody.com

If any group or ethnic peoples want to show how they are against crime and the related drugs in the city then the leaders of each should get together and bond in doing it. Each should tell these trouble makers that are making their own people look like they want to tolerate unlawful things to happen. They should be told they will get a one time chance to stop or face consequences not to their liking. This could be done by addressing gatherings every where ,homes,the media, houses of worship,clubs,schools ,etc. When I grew up in the east end we were the Greek,Portuguese,Italians and Irish people who got along very well with one another and we took pride in looking after one another. When there was a problem we let one another know and we did some thing about it,if you get my meaning. If we got in trouble with the cops we not only got the legal punishment deserved we got the parental punishment before hand as well . It is time to to make things like caring for one another with understanding, respect , and courtesy, as a mainstay that seems to have been all but forgotten about . When I look back I see that the getting along with one another was the best of things .Among those things were the understanding and exchange of our ethnic back rounds . It brought about friendship and marriage within the multi ethnics that gave us some well known notables in all of our present and past daily lives. It is time to reach out to one another to make these wanted goals become reality

The problem with Peabody is the Cops. They are a joke and all the residents know it. They spend more time cheating on there wives and comming across as "cool" to there buddies. They don't protect the city they harass residents they don't like and are simply just morons. The Mayor is not to blame he hasn't even been in office long enough to recognize how sever the problem is. And race doesn't play a roll here. If the PPD would get there shit together and act like real police officers the crime rate would drop and the value of Peabody would rise. And no I'm not an ex cops wife I just know a few of the officers and they disgust me.

For the most part, the conversation here has remained civil despite some passionate opinions on all sides and I thank those of you who have weighed in on this discussion without the express purpose of attacking each other or demeaning each other's character. Calling each other names, tossing insults and making unfounded accusations against another's character violates our terms of use policy and those comments will be removed.