Raise your hand. Have you recently expressed legitimate concerns about the current rise in violent crime only to be dismissed as misinformed, paranoid, or fear-mongering?
As writer Nicole Gelinas notes, some of the narratives people create to sow doubt in our minds are that crime isn’t up; it’s up but not on par with 1990 levels (as if that somehow diminishes our current disfunction); or that it won’t affect us (as if we’re somehow immune because we live in a “good” neighborhood).
In 2020, U.S. homicides surged by nearly 30%, more than double the previous record of 12.7% in 1968. This doesn’t include record- (or near-record) setting increases not only in cities like Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles, but in places like Louisville, Columbus, Indianapolis, Memphis, and Milwaukee.
In 2021, the carnage continued. In a study of 27 cities, the Council on Criminal Justice found that homicides had increased by 5% from the previous year. Moreover, other violent crimes had risen; aggravated assaults by 4% and gun assaults by 8%.
Since the start of 2022, several U.S. cities -including New York City and Durham, N.C. have already reported subsequent increases in violent crime.
Nobody’s immune from becoming a crime victim, either. It can happen at any time (crime surge or not) and in upscale areas, including in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood and Magnificent Mile, NYC’s upper east side, and Beverly Hills, California.
About Crime Statistics
People who compare the current crime rate to 1990s crime levels omit mention of how 2020 broke 1968’s homicide record, or that individual cities (mentioned above) are experiencing historical increases in homicides and other violent crimes.
Even if this wasn’t the case, past history doesn’t diminish our current situation or make our concerns any less valid. And it doesn’t mean that the current trajectory is acceptable in any sense of the word.
Moreover, newer factors have been introduced into the mix that complicate things – namely the demise of the nuclear family; the decriminalization of crime (some bail reform initiatives, for example) and an unrelenting war on cops that has neutered and weakened policing.
It’s a perfect storm that has wreaked havoc on innocent lives and on cities, and reduced our quality of life. We are right to be concerned.
You Have Every Right to Protect Yourself
This is not about manufacturing fear, viewing everyone as a potential enemy, or seeing danger lurk around every corner.
It’s about arming ourselves with knowledge and developing a prevention mindset, and about coming to terms with the following:
- There are conscience-less predators in our midst that wish to do us harm.
- None of us are immune from becoming crime victims.
- The barriers that protect us from predators (namely the thin blue line and a system that prioritizes the well-being of its people) have been weakened.
So forget about the people who want to shame you into being concerned about crime. You have a right (and an obligation) to protect yourself and those you love.
It starts with learning to trust your instincts
As a native Chicagoan, I had the benefit of seeing how diverse groups of people react in a variety of scenarios. There are indeed pockets of goodness and rot within all ethnicities, socio-economic groups, ages, and professions. A lawyer or stockbroker wearing Boss or Armani has just as much potential to be a violent offender as anyone else.
Trusting your instincts is about learning to read behavior.
As Gavin de Becker says in his book, The Gift of Fear:
“If an animal taken by a predator could speak after the fact, he’d likely tell us: ‘It all happened so fast; there wasn’t time to do anything’ . . . . But with man, there usually is time, plenty of time, and plenty of warning.”
How do I know if someone intends to do me harm? I’m not sure I can quite explain it. I just know. It’s a gnawing feeling -a primal fear- that something isn’t quite right. Maybe it’s a combination of the built-in defense mechanisms provided for our survival and my parents teaching me at a young age not to talk to strangers. I’m not altogether sure.
What I do know is that we all have this gift of fear and that it was given to us for a reason. My advice is to learn to hone it, recognize it, and embrace it – because it could very well one day save your life.
Don’t put yourself in compromising situations
When we’re younger, we do some pretty non-thinking things, mainly because at that age we don’t yet have a solid point of reference. What was I thinking walking alone on Lake Shore Drive late at night? Or riding a near-empty subway alone after a night out with my friends?
There are situations and people in our lives we can’t control. What we can do is reduce our chances of becoming prey.
Avoid getting into a car alone with a strange man on a first (or even second or third) date, even if he is friendly and acts like a gentleman. Don’t leave your garage door open or your purse wide open and unattended when you’re out shopping. Be aware of your surroundings when you’re out walking. Don’t assume other people will have your back. Don’t let strangers into your home even if they seem harmless.
Preventing crime, after all, is easier than having to pick up the pieces after being victimized.
And please, stop feeling guilty about calling the police
Cops are professionals with extensive training. They’re adept at diffusing situations, identifying threats, and rendering aid. You and I aren’t, and it’s a form of hubris to think otherwise. If something turns out not to be a threat, no harm done. If however, it does, you’ve potentially saved lives.
These are basic skills we all need to develop and practice regardless of where the crime index rests. We can become victims at any time. It’s just that now we are at a place and time where that risk has become more pronounced.
This original article appeared on For The Blue.
