I used to live in Moss side years ago. It has probably changed nowadays but i still feel qualified to comment on this. When people here of "gunchester" and moss side they assume there are firefights in the streets - it isnt like that.

But it is a case that you must use a lot of common sense. Ie. you drive with your doors locked, dont have valuables next to you in a car, dont leave your boot unlocked, dont get out if someone crashes into the back of you, dont walk down the street with a mobile next to your ear or some white ipod headphones around you neck. Those things are just asking for trouble. Another obvious one is if you find you are in an area and are the only white person around, then you are definitely in the wrong area and should leave immediately. Its not racist, just common sense. Thats how the place works.

I heard a fair few gunshots in the night but didnt see anything. I actually heard more in Whalley range when i lived there. The closest trouble I came to was a 15 year old kid was shot in the head by a gang about 200 yards away behind the swimming pool when i lived whilst in Levenshulme. From what i heard on the street, he kinda deserved it. But we did have a violent breakin in Whalley range one night. They kicked the door in, came in the bedrooms and said stay under the bed as they rifled through our stuff. My flatmate smashed them with an electric guitar when they entered his room and they legged it.

Ultimately, if you live in these areas for a number of years you will experience stuff but a lot of commonsense will protect you. I'd disagree with this article about it all being fabricated.

I've lived in the area for a while as well, and I dunno where you get that idea about having to make yourself scarce if you find your the only white person around - that's nonsense!! I've never heard of anyone being attacked simply for being white. I've been attacked a few times in the past for sure, and it has always been white kids!

Or do you equate non-caucasian people with theft and violence?

Also, I think the article isn't saying that all the talk of violent crime is fabrication, but that it's an exaggeration, and an exaggeration for political gain at that.

The mainstream media seem to be incapable of even a small amount of basic fact checking and seem to have been easily fooled by the fake  http://mayorofbaltimore.org/ website (with a Twitter and YouTube account for added "authenticity")

See The Register

 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/28/the_wire_hoax_hoodwinks_hacks/



Hacks hoodwinked by hoax Baltimore mayor's website

When The Wire and Midsomer Murders collide

By Kelly Fiveash
Posted in Bootnotes, 28th August 2009 15:18 GMT

A fake website linking cult US television show The Wire to not-so-cult Blighty TV drama Midsomer Murders has hoodwinked several newspapers into reporting what they believed were the reactionary views of Baltimore mayor Sheila Dixon.

The Guardian and Independent were both caught out by the hoax planted by political blogger and sometime Labour Party fancier Alex Hilton AKA Recess Monkey.

It would appear that RM has been on his ollibobs in Maryland, Baltimore where he spent some time and effort pulling together a somewhat convincing spoof website that apes Mayor Dixon’s online home.

And quite a few newspapers, including local rag The Baltimore Sun, swallowed the story without first checking their facts.

[...]