The vanishing illusion of safety and the message that lies therein

Nearly every day there is a new story about a violent crime occurring in what was thought to be a “good” neighborhood. Newspaper comment sections and individual social networking pages light up with expressions of shock, disbelief and fear. I often hear stories of people who have moved to a neighborhood that they felt was safe, only to have their newfound safety shattered by a crime that occurred nearby.

I have long since surrendered any illusions that there is such a thing as a completely “safe” neighborhood. I have watched as my own neighborhood, in which my family has lived since 1963, change and evolve into a place where I have to be both watchful and prayerful (but isn’t that the way it should always be?). If you live in a neighborhood that borders areas that have high crime and gang activity, you may have witnessed the presence of increased police activity that has succeeded in pushing back the criminal activity that had begun to creep into your area, only to notice that same activity begin to creep back once the targeted police activity has been pulled back. The thing is that the efforts of law enforcement alone are largely just pushing the residential burglars, the gang bangers, the drug dealers and other assorted criminals temporarily back into the areas where they have managed to establish firm strongholds. And there they wait until things have cooled down and they can creep back into fresher territory.

I’ve let go of my illusion of a “safe neighborhood” in part because I realize that the core issues that have contributed to the increase in many crimes are not being adequately addressed by communities and community stakeholders. The Great Depression has affected the economy in such a way that very few people living in communities such as mine have escaped unaffected. People are being pushed to the limit and many feel that they have no hope or no other options than to act out their anger and aggression or commit acts of crime in order to purchase drugs that will temporarily numb their pain. The resulting increase of crime, substance abuse and poverty sends me the message that there is truly “no hiding place,” at least not a physical one.

I am in no way attempting to tell individuals and families that they should not move out of a community because they no longer feel safe. That is a personal, private decision. Families with young children and the vulnerable elderly and disabled are often more affected by the existence of crime in their neighborhoods. What I am saying is this; If there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, when will communities unite with a collective community-focused response to what is going on in their neighborhoods? And beyond that, when are we going to stop being satisfied with feeling safe in our communities and fight for the peace and safety of all neighborhoods? I know that somewhere, there are people living in relative safety that breathe a sigh or relief that the latest shocking criminal activity occurred far from the boundaries of their peaceful existence. It saddens me that there rarely is a collective community response. Many neighborhoods are full of residents that are isolated from each other. We install more sophisticated residential alarm systems and other security devices until we just can’t stand it any more and move away, leaving the vulnerable members of the community left to fend for themselves. Maybe the fact that we seem to be surrounded by peril can make more of us angry enough and crazy enough to come together and work to improve the economic, social, and spiritual conditions that are at the root of the crime and despair that is invading our communities. It’s time to expand our view of just who are our neighbors. It’s time to stop saying “Not In My Neighborhood” and start saying “Not In Any Neighborhood.”