About people who ask, "Is it safe?" (Chicago: low crime, neighborhood)

[RogersParkGuy]

A lot of people on this page are considering a move to Chicago and are unfamiliar with the city. Often, they give a general description of where they plan to live and ask, "Is it safe?" There are two things I notice about the people who ask this question:

1) Most of them give the impression of being young, college-educated professionals.

2) The locations they ask about are often among the most affluent in the city.

I guess my question is, why are people who, statistically speaking, are the least likely to become victims of crime among the most fearful?

[Lookout Kid]

Because Chicago has been in the national news a lot lately for really awful gang violence. The impression given is that it isn't a safe place.

We just had someone from another state in the suburbs forum worried that Oak Brook wasn't safe. Oak Brook! It's totally out of hand!

[Not_liking_FL]

I just posted this list in another thread where people make the whole city out to be some kind of war zone. Chicago isn't even on the list and there was only one Chicago suburb.

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

[urza216]

Originally Posted by Not_liking_FL

I just posted this list in another thread where people make the whole city out to be some kind of war zone. Chicago isn't even on the list and there was only one Chicago suburb.

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

Harvey, IL is number 32.

Awesome. Somewhere close to me made a national list. Let's keep up the good work, guys. haha

[5thgencincy]

It's kinda like this scenario- you (OP) get a nice promotion and get to move to Rio Brazil, and you've heard nothing but good things about it from your friends. You even get setup in a corporate apt., which is statistically the safest whatever. You're still going to do your due diligence about safety.

[CSD610]

People think if they go to an area that has low crime or lower crime that they will be safer.
In theory it is true however, it is a false sense of security, one can be attacked and injured or killed anytime and anywhere.

To me it is like asking "How will my child do in school blah blah in city blah blah", well, gosh I don't know but I do know that my own child did great. That does not mean that your child will do great, it merely means my child did great.
The same with any neighborhood people ask about, how some get along in a specific neighborhood, city, state or school is not dependent on how others get along, it is dependent on them.

[5thgencincy]

Another thing is that "young college educated professionals" whose compensation maps them into the most "affluent" locations means they're coming from very selective schools, so they haven't had time to develop self defense or street smart skills.

Sure, a balance of professional skills and street skills would be great, but easier said than done.

[Irishtom29]

Who's asking, Laurence Olivier?

[Manigault]

The flip side of this question has two facets:

1. If you travel south Lake Shore Drive, you will see that suburban-type youths are stopped by the police far more often than their numbers would suggest per capita. There seems to be an idea that: 'If folks are down here are shooting and stabbing, why do I have to obey traffic laws?' or what I have heard addressed to police during traffic stops: "Why aren't you out chasing criminals?"

2. Collegians who attend urban campuses will graduate and quickly move to the suburbs. Then, although they were never the victim of a crime and probably don't know of one, they will comment on how tough it was living in the city with all that crime.

[ASOT]

Originally Posted by RogersParkGuy

I guess my question is, why are people who, statistically speaking, are the least likely to become victims of crime among the most fearful?

I think many of those people come from quiet suburban towns and have never lived in a large dense city before, maybe they have never been in one for that matter. They're leaving their comfort zones; all of the media coverage of violent crime in Chicago, despite trending down over the last 30+ years, does not help.