Charlotte is ranked the 10th most dangerous large city in America according to one independent look at the city’s crime stats. (As opposed to the spin and happy talk from local officials.)
To put that in a little perspective, there are only 32 cities in the U.S. with a municipal population of more than 500,000, so Charlotte is not the worst of the worst. Still, when similar-sized cities like Austin, Louisville, and Jacksonville show up on the 10 safest list it is clear that Charlotte could do much better and, in fact, must do better if it is to compete with peers as a basic, functioning American city.
Besides, you know something is bad wrong in Charlotte when a sub shop in the Aboretum gets hit by two gun-waving bandits on a Sunday night.
