I mean you seem totally clueless about why their would be sirens near a hospital.

I've lived in cities for the last 30 years. I don't consider any of them "safe". I leave my shop on congress Street at 1030 most every night and walk to my car. Like in any other city I walk quickly and don't talk to people when I'm walking.

That said, there were 29 homicides in all of Maine in 2022. 15 were domestic. That would be 14 homicides by strangers in the entire state of Maine. There were 333 murders in Baltimore city alone during that period. Not the entire state of Maryland. Just the city. I used to walk around Baltimore at night too. It's an absolutely wonderful place to live but yeah, I watched my back something fierce.

Anyway. If you're convinced Portland is unsafe that's on you but in the relative space of a US state, yes Maine is absurdly safe. Do I take precautions going out, of course.

People commenting here seem like they are shitting their pants leaving their houses which is sad.

The homeless thing last summer near the post office was pretty out of control. But I think I prefer it to a place that has one murder a day for like 25 years (even though Baltimore is my fav place I've ever lived).

Again. The hospital is down the street. That would explain the sirens. I work as an ER nurse. Patients get shipped from all parts of the state all day and night to Maine med. Lights and sirens. Does not indicate a lot of violence in the neighborhood. I lived between 295 and Maine med for a while, I don't remember ever noticing a siren.

You heard a gunshot and several other things in 5 years living in a city? That is not super surprising.

It's a city.

And yes. I was surprised to see a gun on the median strip in what is a pretty calm residential neighborhood. Seemed interesting.

He has a "no snitches" shirt

And yeah. Portland is going to have more visible crime than any other place in the state being one of the few cities in a large rural state. That doesn't make it bad. Sirens in that area might be related to the largest hospital in the state which is like 4 blocks away.

Dude. If you think youve seen some shit I got something to tell you.

The homeless scene in Portland is pretty out of control but in terms of crime this place is a cakewalk.

Yeah, you can compare two different places. I have lived very close to there at times recently and never felt it was a "bad" neighborhood. My girlfriend lives 4 blocks from there and it's about as chill as it gets.

Yes, living in places not in Maine definitely gives you perspective. I lived here 12 years ago and it was a lot ahittier then but way less shitty than many other places I've lived. I've had people murdered on my street in Baltimore somewhat regularly and I didn't like it much.

Regardless of anything, yes if I see a random glock lying on a median strip it gets my attention.

Nearby the corner in question, among other things is a massive outdoor concert venue, a lot of fairly expensive houses, several restaurants including some newly opening and not much "badness".

Yeah good point. I will be less concerned with random guns in my neighborhood, as long as the police are taking pictures of them.

I saw that, pretty far away from where the gun was, but maybe.

Yeah it's true. If you see random guns lying in the street near where you live you are nosy.

Yeah I saw that but it was pretty far away from there.

I was never particularly concerned about being white in Baltimore. Very few white people being murdered. Random guns floating around though kept you on your toes.

Bad areas of Portland? Is that a joke?

It's so bad that there isn't a house for sale anywhere near there for less than 400k if you could find one.

Coming from Baltimore I don't think anyone around here knows what a bad neighborhood looks like.

I think it's fairly unusual to see a Glock lying on the street and yeah I lived in medium shitty Baltimore neighborhoods for 5 years.

https://preview.redd.it/41ki98ssi5qa1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=10333c50e92759a6c9291b7b876915e1146d2a30

There.

Additionally it's the end of winter. And it started out as a pretty mild winter but it has been colder lately.

If you think of infection as a slow chain reaction, and the reaction is increased by contact inside, March would likely be the time where there is the most reactivity. Things would slowly ramp up through the winter.

Very very few vaxed and boosted people are dying from covid. Unless you're have stats otherwise.

For the record the bivalent booster focuses on strains that are not really predominant anymore AFAIK. Omicron strains. It mostly functions as a general booster, which is probably good.

People are testing positive for covid, certainly some people are getting sick, some people are getting disabled, sure. Rare things are happening. Long covid is real but fairly rare. In the meantime, other awful health outcomes are happening that are as common that have nothing to do with covid. Cancer, heart disease, flu, etc.

I'm an ER nurse working in Maine. In the last 3 months I can't think of a single vaxed and boosted patient we admitted primarily for a covid diagnosis. Many people coming in for unrelated things that ended up positive for covid. Many asymptomatic people in the community probably testing positive for covid if you tested then. Likewise flu, cold etc.

Long story short: covid sucks, vaccines work amazingly well considering how bad things were, get used to living with it. If the cdc is sort of unclear how to approach a disease that has only existed for 3 years, cut them a little slack. I am very happy to get a boost every year. Why not?

Counting my initial Astra zenica shot I got in a trial prior to any vaccine being available I have had 5 shots. I've been in the room with a surgical mask with patients coughing up a lung in my face only to find out later they had covid. I've never gotten it. I am very lucky, also I think the vaccines work. I made a point of getting 3 different brands. Who knows?