Lisa said:
With all the discussion of late regarding being prepared for the worst possible case scenario and arming yourself on the steet and in your home, it has led me to ask the question as to how safe you truly feel in your neighborhood.
Although I live in "murder capital of canada" I really honestly feel quite safe in my neighborhood. I live in a small community that, with the exception of my work, I rarely have to leave because I have access to all my needs within 10 minutes of my home. I do lock my doors before I go out because there have been home break ins and such, but I don't "worry" constantly when I leave home that something bad is going to happen. I take precautions with my children, I know where they are and who they are with and I make sure they are being transported safely from point A to point B.
What about you? Is your worry to a paranoia point or do you fell relatively safe or fall somewhere inbetween?
While growing up we never locked our doors.
Until a neighborhood kid broke in and stole from us. Then the whole neighborhood locked their doors.
When I was in High school and College and doing lots of dumb things, including bouncing in a city that rated the worst place to live, the most dangerous place to live in the USA per capita, many of those years, and if not the worst it was in the top numbers. I got in fights, stabbed (* did no report it*), seen a real bad stabbing, hit by cars, and trucks (* I dodged real well, yet it still hurt like there was no tomorrow the next day. *), I had guns brandished, and pulled on me nad pointed at me, sometimes close some times far away. I as even shot at once from a moving vehicle. I lived in a better place than where I worked but my Brother would bring home some real winners, so that was not even a truly safe place. Yet I was always aware of what was going on around me. I would wake up if someone pulled into our driveway. I could recognize those that were crazy or crazier than I was. I survived.
Years later when I was married (* Divorced now *) I lived in a very high crime area. It was a nighborhood tucked in behind one fo the largest local shopping malls. Nothing happend in that neighborhood, until I started calling the police to get the Ex to be's Bofriend out of my house and garage at 11:00 PM at night.
Now, I am in a nice neighborhood as well. Good mix ethnically, and the only problem seems to occur in the first week in August when kids either egg house or tag Mail boxes with paint.
The worse was the loss of innocence when I was a kid and we had to lock our doors.
Since then safety has been an issue of awareness.
. We also have large dogs of our own and neighbours have similar creatures roaming. Even though Winnipeg (we are only 25 min from downtown) has a high rate of murders the fear factor is somewhat mitigated to "ordinary" people because they are usually commited in closed groups or alcohol induced circumstances...which means if you weren't at the party you aren't likely to be the one that is knifed.
