Sable Point
The Sable Point City Cluster, commonly known as Sable Point, is the second largest megalopolis in the United States of America and one of the largest in the Orion Arm. It spans an area of roughly 91,500km2, with a population of 139,500,000 residents as of 2284. The cluster consists of five major metropolitan areas, Autumn Bay, Cordova, Frasier, Mount Royal, and Wotzke.
Crime
Sable Point has consistently been ranked among the most dangerous and violent urban areas in the Orion Arm. Since 2265, the cluster has maintained a top-five position in statistics tracking violent crime, drug-related offenses and gang activities among U.S. urban areas with populations of at least 100 million.
Urban Decay
A dramatic decrease in population from 2265 to 2272 has led to an epidemic of urban decay. In 2285, it was estimated that the total number of abandoned buildings in the cluster exceeded 1.2 million, with 560,000 considered dangerous.
Gang Violence
Sable Point is host to numerous criminal gangs, which has often led to violence breaking out amongst them which occasionally escalates further. For example, a confrontation between 'First Monument' and 'Hollow Kings' members led to a major fire engulfing the iconic, yet derelict, Yates Tower in Cordova in 2285. Whilst attempting to tackle the blaze, firefighting craft came under small arms fire and were forced to withdraw. The two gangs had been considered nominal allies beforehand, which has led to Sable Point Police Department speculating that a third party initiated the conflict.
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"The American Nightmare" |
| For the last 20 years, Sable Point has been synonymous with the worst excesses and most tragic failures of the American system. Though a triumph of the Colonization Era, its subsequent decline has been slow but increasingly visible. The luxurious, cosmopolitan appeal of its cities has largely vanished, the scattered remnants of high society confined within a few wealthy surviving enclaves. The remainder of the Sable Point has been gripped by relentless poverty, stricken by crime, and forced to endure some of the worst conditions found in Western worlds.
Economic decline and corruption has resulted in pervasive urban rot throughout the entire cluster. Systemic failures in public infrastructure have left whole districts in perpetual “redevelopment”, a byword for “abandoned” in the nomenclature of the Sable Point municipal government. These areas feature derelict properties, widespread disrepair and severe environmental degradation. Crime rates have consequently surged in these areas, overwhelming local law enforcement and driving the rise of illicit enterprise. Urban gangs in Sable Point are some of the largest in the Orion Arm, with estimates placing the largest at over 100,000 members. Many are known internationally and have alternated between partners and rivals to some of the interstellar syndicates. |
References
- "Leader of Scinfaxi Cult Killed in Sable Point". Champlain Group.
- "Firefighting Efforts Hampered By Gunfire As Blaze Engulfs Sable Point Skyscraper". Champlain Group.
- "Criminal Gangs Blamed for Lethal Sable Point Blaze: SPPD". Champlain Group.