4 ms·

Is it really that bad? Seems to be mostly just homeless people and drug users.

by melony 4y ago

sammalloy 4y ago
It’s a good question. Whenever this discussion comes up, my take on it is that people are concerned about being random victims. In other words, some aspects of this have to do with being in the wrong place at the wrong time and not feeling safe in your environment. I think it would be helpful to change the frame of the discussion and ask what we can do to make people more safe and comfortable. The BBC recently had a discussion about this in the UK, and they came up with all sorts of specific and targeted solutions. We rarely see that happen over here on this side of the pond.
- uoaei 4y ago
  Another question worth asking is: what is the rate of randomly directed violent crime? I suspect it's small enough to be a rounding error vs violent crimes between people with pre-existing relationships. Still, I agree with your point about the rhetorical focus. Simply reciting the statistics isn't going to alleviate anxieties.
  - sammalloy 4y ago
    It sounds like you might be interested in the topic I was talking about. Here is the case study the BBC was discussing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sarah_Everard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sarah_Everard The proposed solutions under discussion are included in the "Women’s safety" section in the above link.
systemvoltage 4y ago
Oakland overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH-v3aB8BwQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH-v3aB8BwQ
femiagbabiaka 4y ago
It’s not that bad at all, I go downtown every week and used to live on Telegraph. I think downtown has actually improved a bit with better development. But people’s anxieties are still somewhat valid.
dghlsakjg 4y ago
Compared to what? There is violent crime in Berkeley that is above average for the USA as a whole. However, it has a significantly lower violent crime rate than, say, Dallas. (520 vs 814 per 100k) The comment above you is confusing how they feel about violence with the actual facts about violence.
- Ferrotin 4y ago
  Random violent crime is the issue here, not domestic violence between people who know each other. Dallas has different demographics; its crime rate comes from that.

Is it really that bad? Seems to be mostly just homeless people and drug users.

by melony 4y ago

Is it really that bad? Seems to be mostly just homeless people and drug users.

It’s a good question. Whenever this discussion comes up, my take on it is that people are concerned about being random victims. In other words, some aspects of this have to do with being in the wrong place at the wrong time and not feeling safe in your environment. I think it would be helpful to change the frame of the discussion and ask what we can do to make people more safe and comfortable. The BBC recently had a discussion about this in the UK, and they came up with all sorts of specific and targeted solutions. We rarely see that happen over here on this side of the pond.

uoaei 4y ago
Another question worth asking is: what is the rate of randomly directed violent crime? I suspect it's small enough to be a rounding error vs violent crimes between people with pre-existing relationships. Still, I agree with your point about the rhetorical focus. Simply reciting the statistics isn't going to alleviate anxieties.
- sammalloy 4y ago
  It sounds like you might be interested in the topic I was talking about. Here is the case study the BBC was discussing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sarah_Everard https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Sarah_Everard The proposed solutions under discussion are included in the "Women’s safety" section in the above link.

systemvoltage 4y ago

Oakland overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH-v3aB8BwQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH-v3aB8BwQ

femiagbabiaka 4y ago

It’s not that bad at all, I go downtown every week and used to live on Telegraph. I think downtown has actually improved a bit with better development. But people’s anxieties are still somewhat valid.

dghlsakjg 4y ago

Compared to what? There is violent crime in Berkeley that is above average for the USA as a whole. However, it has a significantly lower violent crime rate than, say, Dallas. (520 vs 814 per 100k) The comment above you is confusing how they feel about violence with the actual facts about violence.

Ferrotin 4y ago
Random violent crime is the issue here, not domestic violence between people who know each other. Dallas has different demographics; its crime rate comes from that.