More bars and alcohol, and drugs? Just what Morgan County does not need.....

The influx of illegals has made the town less desirable due to crime and overcrowding. Established groups of violent offenders and thieves clash with the alien gangs, and the schools are affected. Get rid of the criminal element by deporting them or arresting them, and you stop the flight of professionals and others who are leaving for a safer environment. Nothing else is going to work. People who can afford it are not going to send their children to gang-ridden schools.

As for the new theater, security is the key. If it is perceived as a dangerous place where people are allowed to disturb others and bring weapons, and the parking lot is full of groups of loiterers, it will fail as an upscale theater.

This piece is about attracting young couples to the area. Most YOUNG couples are starting families or have young children. Does Decatur have a problem with GANGS in Pre-Schools and Elementary Schools? Who knew?

As for james' comment, many young people detest areas riddled with cliquish, closed-minded, rigid people. While Decatur has many hospitable folks, it is often hard to tell by the comments on this forum. These young folks prefer to associate with positive, uplifting, non-judgmental people and want to live in areas that welcome diversity in schools, shopping, dining, and housing. Decatur's City Council, Chamber of Commerce and other leaders have made great strides in the last 20 years. Imagine what could have been accomplished if residents with your attitude were part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Decatur is eat up with thugs and gangs and drugs and trash , If I could move today I would and never look back and I have lived here all my life , never have I had to arm myself and watch every where I go to be safe its ridiculous that this trash has been let destroy our community one street and one neighborhood at a time and no one is doing anything to make it any better.

THE COMPLAINTS OF GANGS AND DRUGS AND TRASH THUGS SEEMS TO FALL ON DEAF EARS AND BLIND EYES

S you might want to ride around , armed of course for your safety and just look at what decatur has turned into it is such a shame the city lets this trash take over whole neighborhoods and destroy the peace and quiet and safety of our homes and the security of living in your own home its pathetic anyone would allow this , but its the honest to gods truth - - all you have to do is open your eyes and pull your head out of your butt and look around - - it has gone so far its not even safe to walk around your own block for exercise without a weapon , thats pretty ridiculous - - if you don,t believe it so be it , but if you will look at the crime stats and evidence spray painted on everything and read the news -all of it you will see what a problem we have

Tbone I have read your BS and have a plan for you. Tell me your name and I promise I will pick your sorry butt up and take you out of Decatur.

Bubba promises

If you always do what you've always done then you will always have what you've already got!

Author unknown:

Tbone, the community will be upgraded when you leave.

T-bone: Possibly it is YOU who needs to pull his head out of his butt. You're the one complaining that when you look around all you see is sh)!

Bubba say I am waiting good buddy

Good ole' O'Bubba. Always ready to help out and take in strangers and aliens. I'll bet his door is always open and unlocked. And he doesn't own a gun.

Far n tip i, laod your stuff and I will pick up and take you and tbone out of town. Oh, I have guns but don't need them to handle your sorry dumb butt.

Bubba is ready to help stupid people out of town................

im in decatur everyday,my parents live there and i work there i have never felt unsafe or see to many thugs or gangs so I dont think Tbone has a clue..every town in the US has a drug and so called gang problem AKA mexicans with cans of spray paint

Jimmie j, every town in us really. Ok pack your bags too

Bubba is gettin a car full

THAT IS US AS IN UNITED STATES douche bag get off your mothers computer and take a nap.....and if you notice my name isnt Jimmie its JIMMY I cant leave DECATUR I DONT LIVE THERE!!!!!!

Jimmy J, don't be too harsh to O'Bubba. He tries to have intelligent thoughts, but it's a foreign concept. I just like to yank his chain, but he hasn't caught on to it yet. Not sure he can read between the lines.

Why are so many moving out of Decatur as soon as they can? Its not about cliquish, narrow minded people scaring young couples off. Its about a larger trend as evidenced by statistics reported by local law enforcement that shows that the crime rate in Decatur has grown far faster than the rate of population growth.....The numbers are there for anybody who wants to deal in facts....

james, there you go again stating your opinion as though it were fact. The truth is you have NO idea why young people move from Decatur or why they choose not to settle here. The "numbers" to which you refer are different depending upon where you look. But, most show that Decatur's crime rate is average and that Somerville's crime rate is HIGH. You state, "It is not about cliquish, narrow minded people scaring young couples off" as though it were fact. So, where are the statistics to prove it? My comment was an opinion, period and I never attempted to sell it as anything else.

frankly I find this discussion misguided. the largest employer in Morgan County is Waynes Poultry. One need only look at the top employer list in Morgan County/ Decatur to realize there are precious few opportunities for young professionals. there is almost no new housing development in Decatur compared to Athens, Madison, and Huntsville. People like to work and live in the same area. Its as simple as that.