Originally Posted by
allenmurray
I think you are correct that the perception of danger is higher than the reality.
On the other hand there has been a lessening of the idea of communal responsibility. In the neighborhood where I grew up (I'm 48 and grew up in a suburb of DC) almost everyone knew each other. This was in large part due to the fact that we had a neighborhood school (everyone walked), and almost all moms were stay-at-home parents. The connectedness in the neighborhood was quite high. Even folks who didn't have strong social relationships knew each other. If I went out to play, and was doing something wrong, I was either corrected by one of the moms down the street, or my own mom knew about it before I got home. On the other hand, If I went out to play, was a few blocks from home, and fell down and scraped my knee, I could stop at almost any house for a band-aid. Or a glass of water. Even if those kids weren't friends of mine, even if our parents were not tight, there was a sense of collective parenting.
I now live in a similar suburban neighborhood. However, almost everyone works. So kids don't come home from school at 3:00 and play, they go to after-school until 6:00. When they get home it is dinner time. There is far less just going outside to see who else is around, and a lot more arranged "play-dates". I know some of my nieghbors, but not many. If a neighbor's kid came to my house and asked for a band-aid or a glass of water, I'd certianly give it to him, but I'd be shocked.
It isn't the higher crime that makes folks feel unsafe, it s the lack of connections in thier own neighborhoods.