Do I Feel Safe In Albany?

What's going on in the city of Albany?  Violence is up, residents are angry, local leaders are blasting each other on social media, and nothing is getting resolved. I live in Albany, I love Albany, and I'm trying to help raise my 3 year old son here.  I don't like what's going on.  Someone recently asked me if I feel unsafe living in Albany.  I wouldn't say that, but I would say I feel uncomfortable.  What's the solution?  Hell if I know, but whatever it is, I hope it gets resolved quickly. The amount of beggars, drug addicts and homeless people wandering around Center Square has seemingly doubled in the past 5 years. That's a bad sign for sure. I know that the Albany Police are doing the best they can (while being understaffed) but it seems like unless they're responding to a call, they don't make the rounds quite as much as they used to.  Their presence is sorely missed.​

What bothers me the most is that people who hardly ever venture into Albany actually believe that anywhere, anytime, you might get robbed, stabbed, kidnapped, or shot which simply isn't the case.

The 'dangerous' Albany stereotype exists and people believe what they want to believe.  Has there been a shit ton of crime in the last month, the answer is yes.  Have I personally seen anybody get shot at robbed or beat up on the street?  No I have not.  But the data is the data and it suggests that Albany has been incredibly crime-laden over the past month.  While I'm not exactly in a hurry to move out of Albany, sadly it has recently crossed my mind.

So what the heck is going on in my city? I don't know what the answer is but I can tell you this: whatever Albany is facing now won't be solved through Facebook battles, fake outrage, or the blaming of one particular person aka Mayor Sheehan.  And it won't be this way forever either.  Somehow, someway this will get straightened out.

I feel bad for the residents who don't feel safe ,and I feel worse for the good policemen and women who are trying like hell to make it safer for them.  In the meantime, things in Albany remain quite - uncomfortable.