[T]he idea that D.C. could feel like Murderland is mind-boggling to me...as anyone whose spent some time in the city knows, if you moved through the streets with purpose, if you kept the ice-grill on and looked like you were all business, if you kept that sixth sense of yours buzzing, the chances of you actually falling prey were pretty low.Commenter Shani-o agrees:
[K]eep your head up, don't smile, pull out your cell and call a friend if necessary as you walk somewhere questionable...I don't think the fear of crime] is justified, I think it's a poor excuse for not getting a better handle on your surroundings, and the people in them.Matt Yglesias disagrees:
[T]he actions that are being described here just are fear of crime. Knowing you shouldn't walk down certain streets or through certain housing developments (I live right by the former Clifton Terrace) and that if you go to certain neighborhoods you need to carry yourself a certain way -- those things are fear of crime.My basic question is: Why should we be forced to live defensive, wary lives if we want to live in urban areas? Why shouldn't we be able to smile?
If we're really going to leave our sprawling suburbs and move back into close proximity to each other, the urban crime thing has got to be addressed. It's not a race thing; New York has a huge percentage of black people, and has got crime pretty much licked. Washington D.C., Detroit, and Baltimore haven't. Cities owe it to their citizens to provide a safe environment where you don't have to wear your ice-grill all the time, and NYC shows that it's possible. Other cities should take note.
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