Park Place, Norfolk, Virginia

Park Place is a neighborhood in the western-half of Norfolk, Virginia. It's boundaries are roughly Church Street on the east, Hampton Blvd on the west, the railroad tracks immediately south of 23rd Street on the south and up to (and including the southern half of) 38th Street to the north. Officially this area includes other more localized designations that include Kensington, etc. but in practice much of the area is simply referred to as Park Place.

Park Place is a predominantly African-American neighborhood that lies directly north of the Ghent district and directly south of Colonial Place. Park Place is one of Norfolk's most distressed and crime-ridden areas. In recent years, Norfolk has tried to decrease the crime rate (especially eastern 35th Street) as many newer homes have been to replace older homes in disrepair. But the gang activity is increasing at a high rate such as the Bloods, and Crips. Other gangs have been newly formed such as SGM, Squizit, BHB, Purple Haze, 9tek, and Wetset. This has caused the murder and crime rate to rise, and Norfolk Police notice this, but seem to be at a lost to know how to deal with this situation, as well as the rest of the Hampton Roads area, which are having the same issues in different cities. This is surprising since some of the area in Park Place is across the street from the cities park and zoo. Tension also rises from Huntersville a rival neighborhood, which is also known for its crime and gang activity.

Many local residents complain to city council of how tired they are to being woken up by loud gun shots at night, and how their children can’t even go to certain areas because they’re scared of getting beat up or killed for wearing the wrong colors. They are also getting aggravated that every time (according to them) they call the police it takes almost an hour for them to respond, long after the issue has left.

Despite the improvements, much of the area is in severe decline. Most of the 35th Street commercial area is in disrepair and vacant. Many rental properties are owned by absentee landlords and are in bad to substandard condition. However, a “no-go” zone, Park Place is traversed by many of Norfolk's largest thoroughfares, but isn't safe to travel through at night.