I have been writing blog posts about Dickinson, North Dakota for over three years.  I have never seen any of my blog posts deliberately pushed down in the Google search results more than my blog posts about crime in Dickinson, North Dakota.

When I have written articles about Real Estate in Dickinson, North Dakota, initially each of these articles appeared near the top of the Google search results for “Real Estate in Dickinson”.  I then saw that each of these articles gradually got pushed down in the Google search results further and further over time. I knew the reason why.

There are about twenty to thirty real estate agents in Dickinson, who are always trying to get their name, their company name, or their listings near the top of the Google search results.  They do this by personally doing a Google search for “Real Estate in Dickinson”, and then clicking their own website, again, and again, and again.

Likewise, when I have written articles about the Catholic Church in Dickinson that were highly critical, these articles initially appeared near the top of the Google search results.  Later, I could sometimes see that actions were taken to try to hide these articles.  Catholic Church members and volunteers, would perform a Google search for “Catholic Church in Dickinson” and then click on more favorable articles or websites, again, and again, and again.

In one instance, I think that an optimization company was hired by the Catholic Church or a church member to try to bury one of my blog posts about the Catholic Church.  The reason why I think this, is because this article was at the top of the first page of Google search results for seven to eight months, and within the course of two days, this article was pushed back to page eight of Google search results.

I can understand why real estate agents in Dickinson want to get their name, their company name, or their listings at the top of the Google search results.  I can understand why the Catholic Church or Catholics want to bury my blog posts that are critical of the Catholic Church.  But who is it that is trying to hide my blog posts about crime in Dickinson?  Who doesn’t want my blog posts about crime in Dickinson to be found and read?

I wrote my blog posts about crime in Dickinson, North Dakota, to let people know, to warn people, to alert people, to help people understand about the crime in Dickinson.  Prior to this most recent oil boom that began in North Dakota in 2007, the crime in western North Dakota was much lower than most places in the United States.  Beginning in about 2016, the crime in Dickinson became higher than many places in the United States.

Prior to the oil boom in 2007, in western North Dakota you could leave utility trailers unlocked, flat bed trailers unlocked, travel trailers unlocked, vehicles unlocked, tool boxes unlocked, houses unlocked, apartments unlocked, garages open, and leave keys in vehicles, and expect nothing to be taken.  Now, it is the opposite, anything left out, open, or not locked down, you should expect it to be taken.

There are several reasons why the crime is so high in Dickinson now.  The very experienced equipment operators, welders, mechanics, and skilled trades people who came to Dickinson during the oil boom, they left and went elsewhere when the oil boom ended.  The very experienced and skilled trades people could get a job anywhere, they weren’t stuck in Dickinson, they could leave.

During the oil boom, there were many people who came to Dickinson who were not experienced workers or skilled trades people.  Many of these people came to Dickinson because they kept hearing on television that, “Everyone was making over $100,000 per year in North Dakota”.  These people did not have employment or good employment where they were living, they might have been involved in crime and drug activity where they were living, and they came to Dickinson with no money and with the expectation of making a lot of money in Dickinson, like they heard about on television.

When these financially broke, inexperienced, low-skilled, no-skilled people arrived in Dickinson, they found that they could not get a high paying job because they did not have a high school diploma, did not have a commercial driver’s license, had a criminal record, or had no work history.  They could not get a high paying job, but they looked around and saw other people making money, people with $60,000 trucks, $20,000 Harley Davidsons, jet skis, four wheelers, side-by-side buggies.  They saw people in Dickinson leaving their homes, apartments, vehicles, equipment, tools, and personal property unlocked.

The financially broke, inexperienced, low-skilled, no-skilled, no high school diploma, criminal record, no work history people remained in Dickinson and began stealing property and selling drugs.  When the oil boom ended, they stayed in Dickinson, they had no where else to go.

Not only did North Dakota attract these inexperienced, low-skilled, no-skilled people during the oil boom, even to this day in 2018, careless, unthinking, irresponsible individuals in business, politics, and government continue to make announcements in high-unemployment, high-crime areas like Seattle and Spokane, that North Dakota has an over abundance of jobs, and shortage of workers.

It would be reasonable to advertise for commercial truck drivers, experienced welders, experienced mechanics, or experienced electricians if this is what occupations are in demand, but it is wrong to keep luring inexperienced, low-skilled, no-skilled people to North Dakota by stating that there are an abundance of jobs, when there are very few job openings for people who are not skilled tradespeople.

I don’t know why some North Dakotans in business, politics, and government keep trying to lure people to North Dakota from high-unemployment, high-crime areas.  I don’t know if it is these same people who are trying to hide my blog posts about crime in Dickinson, or if it is members of law enforcement and politicians in Dickinson that don’t want the high amount of crime to be publicized.