Which Nabe with Kids?

I think you may find what you want in southeastern Clinton Hill. Parking not too hard, nice mix of class and race, lots of kids, near the C and G trains, better shopping all the time, including a new food coop modeled after the one in Park Slope. Real old fashioned Brooklyn family life–kids play on the sidewalk with responsible adults sitting on the stoop.

I would never dismiss a gut feeling regarding safety. Ever. There is a specific reason for the emotion of fear — it tells us to run! If I suddenly felt afraid on Park Ave I would listen to that. I used to live in L.A. where neighborhood doesn’t matter; everybody gets robbed wherever they live. A famous publicist got shot driving through Beverly Hills this week. For me, any area that is empty, desolate and void of people and activity makes me feel wary. Which is why I feel more vulnerable walking down some of those pitch black dark Park Slope neighborhood streets with all the families inside and nobody on the sidewalks than I do walking down a busy part of skanky Flatbush. As “invisible” said himself, bad people know how to walk a few blocks. They know how to take the train or a bus too. To where the rich folk live.

irieman, had you known the facts in the first place you wouldn’t had to go through that. that was my point. you can try to maximize or minimize get caught in the crossfire, or being in the deli at the absolute wrong moment. being friendly with the drug dealers does not make you safer. the drug dealers are not dons from little italy in the 50’s that keep their neighborhood crime free. they attract violence and crime through power struggles, with all the the false and dumb confidence of a 16 year old. its not a “perspective”.

the walk around theory usually promotes either a false sense of security (or fear), and discourages diversity. i put weight in the facts first.

I think the idea with walking around is not to try to gauge crime stats per se but to get a feel for the other factors that can contribute to your feelings of safety. Is the street busy and filled with people even relatively late at night? Are there a lot of businesses open late? Are there a variety of people? Do you feel like you stand out? Do people hit you up for money, catcall, or say things to you? is this meant to be threatening? Do people regularly say hello to neighbors on the street? Are there suspicious men hanging out on the street corners or standing guard in front of various locations? Are the shops and houses well kept? Are there businesses that you could imagine yourself frequenting, which might become welcome and familiar stops on your way home even if it’s just a falafel place or pharmacy? Do people play loud music? Is the subway station busy and active or small and deserted? Are there neighborhood old timers out sweeping, chatting, or sitting and keeping an eye on things?