"The city of Philadelphia is really in terrible shape. It's never been worse," said resident David Neff.
The reaction comes on the heels of a brazen crime that's been dominating headlines.
A groom on a stroll robbed at gunpoint of his Rolex watch.
"It's like a lawless city right now," Neff added.
Police said it all went down around 11:30 Saturday night as the groom took a break from his wedding reception and walked towards National Mechanics Restaurant in Old City.
According to investigators, two men wearing all black got away into a dark-colored car. Fortunately, the groom was not injured.
Armed suspects steal Rolex watch from groom in Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood
On Monday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner addressed a notable increase in armed robberies that have been occurring around the city.
Police say eight have been reported in Center City in recent weeks.
"For anybody who has the idea that robbery is an option, I want you to understand that we have some jail cells for you," Krasner said.
Krasner called both carjacking and armed robberies among the most serious crimes his office targets.
"There has been an uptick over the last week and indeed a lot of it has been high-profile and very disturbing to the public. My message is very simple: we take those cases incredibly seriously," Krasner added.
He also addressed concerns the public may have in visiting the city during the holidays.
"It is my hope that people will, in all of our great American cities, feel like the holidays are not over," said Krasner.
At this point, police have not said this robbery and others are connected, but note the similarities are glaring.