US Urban Safety Debate

Sure, you can be unlucky and get into bad situations in every country. Strangely these things happen to me only in the US.I would compare the feeling of safety when walking the streets of major American cities like San Francisco or Pittsburgh with the feeling of safety when walking around in Rio de Janeiro. You feel much safer in London, Paris, Berlin, or Munich.

if you don't have to expect a thug with a gun around the corner like in the US, maybe it's completely ok?

Sure, let's be more specific. First of all, do you live in a high density area with a high homicide rate?If so, answer the following questions.- Have you ever seen somebody walk out of a convenience store without paying. If so, would you try to say anything disapproving to such a person?- If you're a woman, have you ever taken an Uber instead of the bus service your taxes subsidize because of safety concerns? If not, has this happened to a partner or friend? Would you let your

I was talking only about shootings. But if we are comparing anecdotes regarding your example I happened to also live in one of these unsafe suburbs, and visiting LA, SF or Chicago and getting in the wrong neighborhood seemed order of magnitude less safe. Gangs are not armed, you don’t hear gunshots at night or people screaming in the city center, and you don’t encounter aggressive drug addicts. All of this never happened to me in decades in Paris but did in one trip to the these US cities.

Not really? I live in a small city of no note. When I go to the store, nothing of note is locked up behind glass. I never get screamed at or hassled by street people, have to avoid taking a 'bad' street, etc. Nobody here has ever told me to leave my doors unlocked so thieves won't break my windows like that's a normal and OK thing. Nobody has suggested I carry a fake wallet for when I'm robbed. These are real things I've been suggested when visiting a 'rea

Unless you live in one of the world's terrorism hotspots or an area with a high crime rate. I suspect neither is common among HN readers.

How about safety?Hard to think about getting robbed or being shot at.

Same I've been to Philly and Barcelona, and live in Oakland, CA. Never felt like I was about to be robbed. I guess at the risk of being downvoted for victim blaming, "don't be stupid." It wouldn't surprise me if people let their guard down when they felt they were in a "safe" area.

Plenty of places in the US that aren't safe for outsiders. Any major city has dozens of such areas, especially at night.

Not all of us live in safe neighborhoods like yourself.