I recently read a blog post by Daniel Lewis, a Geography PhD student at the University College London, who discussed the “fear of crime.” He includes an excerpt from Teresa Caldeira’s book City of Walls: Crime, Segregation and Citizenship in Sao Paulo:
[People] seem compelled to keep talking about crime as if the endless analysis of cases could help them cope with their perplexing experiences or the arbitrary and unusual nature of violence. The repetition of histories, however, only serves to reinforce people’s feelings of danger, insecurity, and turmoil.
Simply put, we tell stories of crime in order to make sense of the frighteningly arbitrary nature of violence and cope with it in order to feel safer. However—paradoxically—telling stories about crime also breeds more fear of crime.
This blog is—in a sense—a large repository of crime stories. We talk about sex offenders, cyberbullies, thieves, burglars, rapists, and other boogeymen. And, thus, there is an element of fear incorporated into our content by it’s very nature. But one of my hopes is that this blog serves to dispel fear by pulling back the curtain on those shadowy figures.
Not only do we regularly discuss ways to improve public policy, but we also encourage citizens to get out of their houses, work with police, and take responsibility for their neighborhoods. In that way, we are advocating that you not be afraid. Knowledge is power. And once you know the tactics and mindset of those who would do you harm, you will know how to protect yourself, and no longer fear them.
A perfect example is George Feder, a regular contributor to the blog. He is a former jewel thief who now works toward giving you the information you need to keep yourself safe from people like him (or, rather, who he used to be before the FBI caught up with him). With his knowledge and expertise, you can see beyond fear to the things that you need to do to keep yourself safe.
When you know what to do, you shouldn’t be afraid. Use the tips, suggestions, and stories you read here (and the crime information you can access at CrimeReports) as a way to keep yourself informed and dispel ignorance and fear.
What do you think? How else can we dispel the fear of crime through knowledge?
Search your neighborhood crime map at CrimeReports.com
