Is Sumter a good place to raise kids?

There is absolutely nothing for kids to do here but get in trouble, there is not one place they can go and be kids! Crime is thru the roof and our police chief patty patterson and the sherriff anthony dennis are just in those jobs for the prestige and the retirement they will get...
I think last summer whites made the minority list, There are no jobs here...
Sumter made number 1 in crime and all patty patterson could say was the statistics werent fair because Sumter was compared to New york and Chicago..
The schools are really bad(50th in the nation) crime we are #1.
I went to Rafting Creek for elementary school and there were 11 whites in the school (4 of them were my brothers) we had to fight everyday in school on the bus you name it we had to fight. we got picked on beat up things taken DAILY.
You cant go to the fair after dark you cant go to the mall after dark(I dont go in the day light either..
The police force will not do a thing to help stop crime..They will turn their back in an instant..
We had a neighbor that moved in several years ago and we went thru 4 years of living hell because this guy was and still is best friends with a cop named det.bean, the guy finally moved and thats the only reason we got any relief!
The town is run from a golf course by crooked lawyers and crooked judges,
There are at least 4 crack dealers in the immediate vacinity of where I live(within a mile) and there are 3 deputies that live wthin a mile and ahalf...Someone asked a deputy about that and he said well we know about them..
The historic district of town is one of the worst places to live because of crime,and low and behold the police dept is right there and they even control that area!!!
A soon as I get a chance Im outta here,
Moving here is a gamble and if you want to gamble your life then move right on in, there are alot of homes for sale right now....

oh and the only reason the guy moved is becase a judge gave him the choice to move or go to court, and the asst da here told me face to face that it was good thing he moved because it would have cost a ton of money to prosecute the guy with the amount of charges he had filed on him by myself and I dont know how many other victims he went thru..
THE COPS WONT EVEN FILE REPORT UNLESS YOU MAKE THEM..and it takes several calls to get that done..

well wrote:

Duh, because not everyone has the money to get up and go! It takes money to start your life over, and even more money if you have a family to move.
I rest my case.
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I can see just from your response that you are upset about what I said about the move. Look at it this way, you might not have the money to move at the drop of a hat; I know that because I didn't have the money. I just stepped out on faith and prayed very hard to my God asking for help. It took me a while to get on my feet but I did it. I did it for the sake of my children. My secret was that I had a plan so I just saved and acted on it.
I only have opinions about certain things. I am only giving my view of how I see it, while I was there. I still have family there that have been living there for years. In fact, I am getting prepared to move back to the south. When I get there, I have many new ideas to help improve some things in education and business. I hope someday we meet on good terms because life is too short. I am not voicing my opinion to criticize people,places ,or things. I am trying to make a difference in my life by helping others in theirs.

Wish I could move wrote:

oh and the only reason the guy moved is becase a judge gave him the choice to move or go to court, and the asst da here told me face to face that it was good thing he moved because it would have cost a ton of money to prosecute the guy with the amount of charges he had filed on him by myself and I dont know how many other victims he went thru..
THE COPS WONT EVEN FILE REPORT UNLESS YOU MAKE THEM..and it takes several calls to get that done..

Do you want to move because of the crime or are you just tired of living in Sumter? I am asking because I had a reason for moving. Tell me what do you do for a living. Do you have a family? Do you own your home? What are your hobbie? You might wonder why I am asking all these questions. Well, sometines asking yourself certain questions can answer some of your problems. Where you live and what you do in your life can either break you or make you. Simple changes can help people in their lives. If you want to talk about it,let's talk about. Honestly, tell me what is going on. The man you wrote about was ordered to leave. You want to leave by choice. Let's make changes in your life. I will be waiting to here from you. Good day!

Wish I could move wrote:

oh and the only reason the guy moved is becase a judge gave him the choice to move or go to court, and the asst da here told me face to face that it was good thing he moved because it would have cost a ton of money to prosecute the guy with the amount of charges he had filed on him by myself and I dont know how many other victims he went thru..
THE COPS WONT EVEN FILE REPORT UNLESS YOU MAKE THEM..and it takes several calls to get that done..

After going back and reading the first part of your story, I do understand why you want to move. Where do you want to move? Do you want to remain in-state or just move out-of-state? Granted no matter where you move crime is everywhere. I know that you want a safe environment for you and your family. Had you thought about other areas in SC? If so, what are the areas? If not, what state? Whatever you decide; make sure that you do your research if you can? Take care of yourself and your children!

tamika wrote:

I recently moved here from WI-lived there my whole life (22 years) I have 2 young children 3 and 2...I do plan to Homeschool them. I live outside of Sumter--and feel happy in the community I am in. It less than 10 mins to Wal-mart (which I do not rec. going as it is always busy since it is the only place ppl can afford to shop). I can say I am scared to drive in down town sumter...it scares the hell out of me! The mall is a joke-and it kind of scary in the dark. I am a young white woman w/ no southern accent...and many black women look at me funny. I grew up accepting all races and never judging based on color-but they clearly judge me...I even had one girl say "Your name is Tamika, your a white girl, you know your white dontcha!?" and this was in a professional setting... She laughed as did I...but if I had said "your a black woman" she would have been very mad at me. My family warned me against moving to SC--as the poverty level is very high-but right now it is high every where! I would make sure you move into a nice area for sure-out of town-or in a gated community if you can. Have a dog or two-preferably large breed that will sound very mean when somebody comes to the door...and have a "Beware of dog" sign...as well as a home security system.

Reading your story, I was very tickled because you said that the black women on your job, which supposed to be professionals, came to you and said what they said about your name. Just to let know, you are correct about if it was the other way around. You are something like me. I was born in the north but raised in a small town in the south. Even though you weren't raised in the south, we were both exposed to all races. After a couple of years in college in the south. I moved back to the north. I have been living in the north since 1996. You know as well as I do that southern people are already set in their ways. Any new changes may cause problems. All I can tell you is to keep your head up and stay focus on what you are trying to do. Everything else will fall in place. If you are looking for ideas in business, send a line or two. Have A Great Day!

mw baltimore wrote:

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After going back and reading the first part of your story, I do understand why you want to move. Where do you want to move? Do you want to remain in-state or just move out-of-state? Granted no matter where you move crime is everywhere. I know that you want a safe environment for you and your family. Had you thought about other areas in SC? If so, what are the areas? If not, what state? Whatever you decide; make sure that you do your research if you can? Take care of yourself and your children!

The reason I cant move is my kids and my ex, not so much my ex she could drop off the face of the earth and it wouldnt matter,but the way family court is here a man has a very hard time getting custody,whole nother story, I would like to move up in the mountains maybe Tennessee Nc or possibly the upstate. Our neighborhood went thru pure hell for a little over 3 years with a bad neighbor that moved in and did alot of things up to and including saying he was going to "kill me and take care of the rest of my family" and it wasnt just my family the entire neighborhood had restraining orders against the jerk(which he repeatedly violated), he was a convicted felon and was on parole/probation and he always got a jury trial for violation of probation we coudlnt get any help from law enforcement here we finally got in front of a judge that wasnt from around here and the guy was forced to move or do time. I dont feel it is safe here for my family but till I can get custody there is not much I can do..
On the schools I have yet to figure out why teachers are allowed to sell candy to the kids or why there is a groundskeeper at my sons school selling sodas before school, in front of the office no less.. at my daughers school the dividers between the urinals are almsot rusted thru and guess where they are doing the upgrades in the school, the front offices for the staff !!!! I will get some pics of that but dont think I can post them here..
Its a disgrace how they use education and children as a scare tactic to raise money...and bottom line is we are still near last in education and highest in crime...

Still wish I could move wrote:

<quoted text>
The reason I cant move is my kids and my ex, not so much my ex she could drop off the face of the earth and it wouldnt matter,but the way family court is here a man has a very hard time getting custody,whole nother story, I would like to move up in the mountains maybe Tennessee Nc or possibly the upstate. Our neighborhood went thru pure hell for a little over 3 years with a bad neighbor that moved in and did alot of things up to and including saying he was going to "kill me and take care of the rest of my family" and it wasnt just my family the entire neighborhood had restraining orders against the jerk(which he repeatedly violated), he was a convicted felon and was on parole/probation and he always got a jury trial for violation of probation we coudlnt get any help from law enforcement here we finally got in front of a judge that wasnt from around here and the guy was forced to move or do time. I dont feel it is safe here for my family but till I can get custody there is not much I can do..
On the schools I have yet to figure out why teachers are allowed to sell candy to the kids or why there is a groundskeeper at my sons school selling sodas before school, in front of the office no less.. at my daughers school the dividers between the urinals are almsot rusted thru and guess where they are doing the upgrades in the school, the front offices for the staff !!!! I will get some pics of that but dont think I can post them here..
Its a disgrace how they use education and children as a scare tactic to raise money...and bottom line is we are still near last in education and highest in crime...

Your story gets better every time I read your reply. I am so sorry that you are going through so much drama. Maybe, I can help you rectify one problem. The situation about the teacher and the groundskeeper selling to children is like a crime here for safety reasons. Since so many drugs are floating around, children giving other children anything is almost a crime. The schools feel that kids get harmful items from other people even children. You can't give a child medication on the premises unless a document is signed by a parent then goes to the school nurse. The school nurse will have a copy for distribution of meds. Now, if no documentation is signed and the nurse still administer meds and something happens to that child. Lawyers and police are being called. Now there is a law suit for criminal charges. Parents will be trying to sue the school and everybody else involved. It is sad but I can understand why the people here do what they do. You have to keep your family as safe as possible. What you can probably do is get a petition together and hold a meeting at the school. You can see where it takes you. If it is worth it, go further by writing a letter to the school. Send the letter along with the petition! Question! How long has this been going on? You use your judgement before you make that move. What kind of work do you do? Do you have a career? Think before you act!

Hi again MW, I have asked the principal about it and it was just talk, They have been doing this for years, I know about them not giving meds without a note from the parents.
Lets see, I am/was in construction as a welder,(the bail out killed construction here)and have alot of experience in industrial maintenance,
I have been thinking about moving for a long long time, unfortunately the ex will never let the kids move.My son however is old enough that a judge should here what he has to say and take it into consideration, I am currently looking at some jobs in the middle east and not real sure about going there, I just know I have to do something soon.
I know most of my posts seem negative but honestly I have seen Sumter go from a nice pretty much safe place to way up in crime,
So far just this year my son has been hit kicked spit on and even came home with the buttons torn off his shirt, I have to say the principals at Furman have handled every thing I have told them about as far as that goes. But its a shame that this kind of thing happens regularly,I hate telling my son that he cant pound some of these bullies to a pulp but these kids arent even allowed to defend themselves. and they shouldnt have too..
Trust me I have been thinking about moving long and hard and I had a job out west working on a dude ranch as a head wrangler but I backed out due to the kids, it was decent money too they provided a truck a house gas all I had to do was show up with my horses and me lol,

Oh I have been thinking about up towards the mountains, I have some family up there and those mauntains always seem to be calling me, lol

wish I could move wrote:

Oh I have been thinking about up towards the mountains, I have some family up there and those mauntains always seem to be calling me, lol

It sounds like you have it in control. You just do what you need to do as a fther everything else will fall into place. You have great skills that will make alot of money if you were living up north. It seems like everybody is in construction because everywhere you look;people are tearing down something and rebuilding. Have you ever thought about starting your own home-based business? I am not a big business ;I am trying to make changes in my life as well as for the sake of my children. We as people have to make make changes by stepping out of the box and create something new. Alot of the skills that I learned during my stay here was very educational. I am trying to bring all my skills and expertise to the southern states. I am not trying to change anything. I am just giving southern people the opportunity to see what else is out there to offer. You will be surprise what is out there. Some of the things I didn't learned until I left the Carolinas about 13 years ago. When I visited my hometown in 2007, nothing has changes. Everybody is still doing the same thing. The same businesses are there as well as some of the same people. The only difference I saw was some of the dirt roads are paved now.
When I do move back I will be bringing new ideas from all angles to the south. I am planning on starting off small and then work my way up from there. I am looking for the challenge. It will be a great adventure.

wish I could move wrote:

Hi again MW, I have asked the principal about it and it was just talk, They have been doing this for years, I know about them not giving meds without a note from the parents.
Lets see, I am/was in construction as a welder,(the bail out killed construction here)and have alot of experience in industrial maintenance,
I have been thinking about moving for a long long time, unfortunately the ex will never let the kids move.My son however is old enough that a judge should here what he has to say and take it into consideration, I am currently looking at some jobs in the middle east and not real sure about going there, I just know I have to do something soon.
I know most of my posts seem negative but honestly I have seen Sumter go from a nice pretty much safe place to way up in crime,
So far just this year my son has been hit kicked spit on and even came home with the buttons torn off his shirt, I have to say the principals at Furman have handled every thing I have told them about as far as that goes. But its a shame that this kind of thing happens regularly,I hate telling my son that he cant pound some of these bullies to a pulp but these kids arent even allowed to defend themselves. and they shouldnt have too..
Trust me I have been thinking about moving long and hard and I had a job out west working on a dude ranch as a head wrangler but I backed out due to the kids, it was decent money too they provided a truck a house gas all I had to do was show up with my horses and me lol,

What is your race? I am not trying to be funny. So that you will know, I am not prejudice by any means. Don't get me wrong-I love meeting all races of people. Color, I donot mind. It's the character,personality,and the attitude of a person. I respect everyone to the upmost highest. I laugh and talk to everyone. I donot care what your race. I treat people on an individual basis.
Just for fun, take the time and make a list about all of your good qualities and what you are trying to do in life. Afterthat, think about where you want to be in about five years. Compare where you are now to where you want to be in five years. What is the answer? I know you know where I am going with this. Yes! you have to make changes to get where you want to go. That is not just for you only. Everybody had to come to a turning point in their life and then act on it. Believe me, it is very hard getting started but we all have to make that choice. You have very good reason why you can't move now so take advantage of the situation and you make the move down another avenue. Your ex have a hold on you only in that aspect of your life. You love your chldren as I can see. You also have to be happy in another aspect of your life. If you can't move away, get ahold of something that you can call your own invention and concentrate on that. You do what you have to do to stay ahead of the game. I am not saying just jump into something crazy but if you enjoy your job and you are very good at what you do. You can come up with a catching name , regester it and boom you can start your own business doing what you love. Maintenance is very large here.
Think about it! If it is duable, jump on it. What do you think?

LOL Im just a skinny white guy with a high school education, lol I did some time in the army working on attack helicopters..I reckon there are 2 things I want and although they seem simple enough they are the hardest goals I have evr tried to accomplish
1 is to have a family and I got that part time lol
2 is a regular full time job so I can take care of my family...
Your right I love my kids to death and the ex knows it and uses the kids ever chance she gets as weapons or to hurt me...
I too could care less about the color of someones skin and it makes me mad to no end when on applications or even some of these phone surveys when they ask what is my nationality or race..
I just say American lol
I too try to laugh and see the humor in everything but I aint gonna lie it gets harder to find things daily...
and Maryland is kinda snowy for me lol Imma hot weather kind of guy lol I love the heat and humidity,
I have sent a resume to some contract companies in the Middle East,
Ive tried to get a business going here with two of my brothers but we were considered to be competition for some of the good ole boys around here that had higher connections than us and we were constantly harrassed by the business license office and codes people, we ended up having to get 5 business licenses to run our business so we either a could have spent a ton of mone on a lwayer to fight them which its hard to fight against a stacked deck or 2 close the business and move on, we did a ton of things for the community and got a couple programs started in the high school here, but politics here takes presidence over even programs that we funded just for kids, its just crazy here.
One brother just packed up and left the state one is here, but we dont have any involvement in the programs we started, I dont think they even exist any longer because noone wants to do the foot work and there are now no facilities for the kids to work at some of the things the programs involved..
It is nice to come on here and have someone that is able to have a nice conversation with and not be judged but I am sure some folks read this and think "theres a lunatic" but I can say this everything I have said can be backed up with dates and such, I learned along time ago and from watching Judge Joe that dates and times and facts are needed when doing anything especially when it comes to dealing with the state or local government, lol

Hey Tamika I do have a large breed dog, the largest breed there is lol,when he barks it shakes the windows lol but if he barks ya better go look because he has seen or heard something that wasnt right.
I would say tho that I wont post a beware of dog sign as I was told by an attorney that if you post a beware of dog sign that you knew the dog was vicious and you will lose in court due to that.
I cant move into a gated community or I would have to get rid of my critters and besides I am kinda out in the country and I like it, at one time it was very peaceful here but in the last couple years I have had to pick up beer and liqour bottles and syringes and even found a bag of dope in the ditch in front of my house, and the worst part is there is a deputy that lives right around the corner and god forbid he would have to get his lazy tail out and do something about it, its a dead end road by the way, but then again we dont have not one cop here worth spitting on,

wish I could move wrote:

LOL Im just a skinny white guy with a high school education, lol I did some time in the army working on attack helicopters..I reckon there are 2 things I want and although they seem simple enough they are the hardest goals I have evr tried to accomplish
1 is to have a family and I got that part time lol
2 is a regular full time job so I can take care of my family...
Your right I love my kids to death and the ex knows it and uses the kids ever chance she gets as weapons or to hurt me...
I too could care less about the color of someones skin and it makes me mad to no end when on applications or even some of these phone surveys when they ask what is my nationality or race..
I just say American lol
I too try to laugh and see the humor in everything but I aint gonna lie it gets harder to find things daily...
and Maryland is kinda snowy for me lol Imma hot weather kind of guy lol I love the heat and humidity,
I have sent a resume to some contract companies in the Middle East,
Ive tried to get a business going here with two of my brothers but we were considered to be competition for some of the good ole boys around here that had higher connections than us and we were constantly harrassed by the business license office and codes people, we ended up having to get 5 business licenses to run our business so we either a could have spent a ton of mone on a lwayer to fight them which its hard to fight against a stacked deck or 2 close the business and move on, we did a ton of things for the community and got a couple programs started in the high school here, but politics here takes presidence over even programs that we funded just for kids, its just crazy here.
One brother just packed up and left the state one is here, but we dont have any involvement in the programs we started, I dont think they even exist any longer because noone wants to do the foot work and there are now no facilities for the kids to work at some of the things the programs involved..
It is nice to come on here and have someone that is able to have a nice conversation with and not be judged but I am sure some folks read this and think "theres a lunatic" but I can say this everything I have said can be backed up with dates and such, I learned along time ago and from watching Judge Joe that dates and times and facts are needed when doing anything especially when it comes to dealing with the state or local government, lol

Just reading the forum today, I read your response and I laughed at it because we think somewhat alike. Have you thought about starting something small. If so ,what would that be? These days here people are coming up with all kinds of ways to make money. Beleive it or not, it is working. The only difference here than there is that you have to have get a license and probable a peddler's license to do certain things here. In the south, You will only need resale license. It might be different depending on what your field of interest. In my case, all I need is to regester my name. I was told that I can use my license for my residence and if I want to go some place like the flea market. Are your children creative? Find out what they are interested in and use that to profit. They might have ideas that you never thought of. All kinds of kids and adults are making money doing some of the craziest things. Turn to a new light on life!