Safety & Security
“I just want to feel safe in my neighborhood—that’s like, I am asking for basic things like safety. Isn’t that something we should all have? Shouldn’t you be able to walk at night without fearing that you are gonna get robbed or stabbed?”
“One time me and my boy who was walking and going back to his house and detectives start flashing this light in my face, so I raised my bag up because the bright the flashlights were very bright. Then they just [ask for] identification. I have my ID, but I’m asking, ‘why you need it?’ and he just like, ‘oh, we just, you know, where you are right now there are a lot of heavy crimes going on. And we see something, a wallet, sticking out your [side] pocket. Your wallet’s supposed to be in your back pocket.’ Who says my wallet is supposed to be my back pocket? I feel like we should [have police] because it is heavy crime, but as well, they are attacking innocent black people.”
“I see many people just smoking all the time and passing it around, or just saying ‘Hey, hello.’ Sometimes I hide because sometimes people are following you and I have to hide, and I go to Dunkin Donuts or other places where there’s a lot of people there. I’ve been doing this all the time, like at night when I get out of school I do this.”
“Like three or four days ago, someone just got shot. Yeah, it was crazy. Where I live, actually, in the middle. I remember I was walking home and you saw the blood, the pile of blood in there. The shoe was filled with a lot of blood, it was like covered in blood and it was just sitting there in the middle. It’s impacted us because it’s like you never know what could go down here. I live in Far Rockaway, so it’s very like... dangerous out here, like you never know what’s going to go down, like if a bullet is flying—if a bullet is flying, it could hit you if it goes through the window, you never really know.”
Issues related to Safety & Security
Many participants expressed concerns about safety, along with conflicting views of the role of police.
People’s feelings about safety and security depended on their community relationships, the conditions of public space where they lived, gender, and their experiences.
Transportation was a major factor in people’s sense of safety. One issue of concern was the lack of reliability, since delays and breakdowns meant participants could be stranded or forced to navigate neighborhoods in the dark.
People stressed how crucial it is to feel safe at home and in public places, and they advocated for the provision of community services and support networks.
Significance & Analysis
Human rights: daily threats to personal safety in urban public space illustrate the interdependence of civil, political, economic, social, and cultural rights.
Public space is a crucial factor in how people experience threats to safety and security, including public space on different forms of transportation.