Mothers feel their daughters are safest with them, Riss, so it’s not surprising your Mother worries about you. She may have heard things that linger in her mind, for at one time Mt. Hope had a reputation. It’s a different community now, and those of us who live here love it. Our community organization consists of people of a dozen different ethnic backgrounds. We have a member, Matt, living on Rochambeau, and a number of members living around the corner on Camp and Woodbine and Evergreen. We’d love to have you as a member of Greater Camp Concerned Citizens. Walk around Mt. Hope and what you see is what you get. More and more houses are getting fixed up each week. Mt. Hope is a community on the rise. You can walk down to the District 8 Substation and talk to our community policemen and women. They can supply you with the crime stats. Car break-ins top the list. I have not heard of any assaults, rapes, or other types of violent crime. Still it is an urban environment and you should take precautions to avoid becoming a victim, like locking your doors and not leaving a laptop on the front seat of your car, buddy up when walking late at night. You should be safe in Mt. Hope. Still, I wouldn’t know what to say to your mother to make her stop worrying about you. Good luck with that. I’m sure others will have more to say on the subject.

Hi Riss,

Welcome to the neighborhood. My name is Ellen and we have 4 kids. People’s perception of Mt. Hope is one that Mt. Hopers like to call a misconception. No you should not feel afraid or unsafe about the neighborhood. In the past five years it is much improved and a safer area to live. We do not have any “horrible crimes” in the area, just the normal ones every neighborhood has to an extent.

We moved from Morris and Sessions and had more things happen to us and our neighbors there then we do over here on this side of Hope Street. The people that are renting over there cannot afford houses so they find them here. We are clean-cut people with good intentions.

Truth is, we do have some more work to make it cleaner and safer. There is a crime watch program in effect. Neighbor watching neighbor and helping each other.

So when your mother says that about Rochambeau show her our website. Ask her to come down and see how it has changed for the good.

You and your Mom can come to the next GCCC Meeting (I think it's July 20th) as my guests, and see what the rest of the neighbors have to say and not just me. You can see what we have on our Agenda and what we are trying to accomplish and what we have accomplished.

Dear Riss,

Please tell your mom not to worry too much. While the Mount Hope area is often painted as a tough neighborhood it is not all bad and it is certainly changing for the better. I also live on Rochambeau between Camp and North Main and have found it to be a very nice place to be. Please come to the next GCCC meeting and meet some of your other neighbors. One way to feel comfortable about where you are living is to know the people that live around you. There is a growing sense of community here on Mount Hope and I'm glad that you are a part of it.

Sincerely, Your Neighbor,

Matt Stone

Welcome to Mt. Hope, Riss! I live close to you on the lower part of Woodbine Street. I was also told, after I bought a condo here, that it is a tough, dangerous neighborhood. I have to agree with the other posters that it is a misconception about Mt. Hope. I don't know where you are moving from, but it is always helpful to keep in mind that this is a city. Living in a city *is* inherently different than living in, say, the 'burbs, which is where I moved from. John had some great advice about not leaving things in your car, forgetting to lock your doors, or walking by yourself at night.

That being said, and as others have pointed out, Mt. Hope does have crime. It is primarily drug dealing and the other crimes that are associated with it: car and home break-ins, abandoning stolen cars, etc. There is no violent crime: no drive-bys, no gangs, no rapes, no random assaults. I am a single mom with a young child. If I had witnessed any of this I would not still be here.

I enjoy living in Mt. Hope. It is a great, diverse neighborhood and I have met a lot of wonderful people on my street and through the GCCC. I suggest, as the others suggested, coming to the next meeting. There are many people who felt exactly as you did and are working to get that last little bit of crime out of Mt. Hope and make it an even better place to live.

If all else fails with your mother, you could try this: technically speaking, Rochambeau Avenue is part of the Summit neighborhood. ;>)