A recent report listed the 25 most dangerous neighborhoods in America. To my chagrin, four of those neighborhoods were in Chicago, including the second most dangerous neighborhood, the one bounded by Garfield Boulevard and State Street.
A recent report listed the 25 most dangerous neighborhoods in America. To my chagrin, four of those neighborhoods were in Chicago, including the second most dangerous neighborhood, the one bounded by Garfield Boulevard and State Street.
I don’t necessarily agree with the methodology, but according to the report by NeighborhoodScout.com, based on FBI data from all 17,000 local law enforcement agencies, my chances of becoming a victim in that neighborhood are one in four.
Those are pretty high odds and are especially daunting since my new office is not that far away.
I’m much safer at 66th Street and Yale Avenue, and 58th and Wallace Streets–the 19th and 24th most dangerous neighborhoods in the country according to the report–where my chance of becoming a victim is only one in nine, or 60th Street and Winchester Avenue, where my chance of becoming a victim is only one in 10.
But while many Chicagoans are expressing shock at the ratings, I’m too busy noticing the danger, and the deadly outcomes, in other neighborhoods…outcomes that don’t necessarily show up in the FBI statistics.
I’ve been spending a little time near the intersection of 79th Street and Ashland Avenue. The danger there is palpable and not because I fear for my life or worry about getting mugged. I’ve learned at this age to spot trouble before it happens and vacate the premises before it gets out of hand. I refuse to be one of those wrong-place-wrong-time victims.
At 79th and Ashland, there really is no good time. Due to my hellacious work hours, and a penchant I have for public transportation, I’ve been frequenting that area at late hours. What I’ve seen tells me that “dangerous” can take on many different faces.
The intersection is almost always lit up, with the garish neon of the currency exchange on the southeast corner flashing all night even though it isn’t open all night. On the northeast corner is the big Afc World Outreach Center church. Its computer-generated marquee screen tries to be a beacon of hope, but it is dimmed long before all the other lights go out.
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