[Noisebridge-discuss] warehouse space/ noisebridge east?

[Quinn Norton]

On Tue, 7 Apr 2009, Christie Dudley wrote:

> I think it also really depends on how you define "crime".  I don't tend to
> lump those pathetic junkies who roll around out of their minds in the alley
> as 'criminals' no matter how pathetic they may be.  There's a lot of money
> to be had from begging in that area, so actual crimes against people is
> pretty low.
>
> If you are willing to discount the "crimes against oneself", it's hard to
> consider the area around 83c as a concern at all.  Of course it's not nicely
> sanitized like more "upscale" areas are, but the sanitization also restrict
> opportunities for creativity and self-expression.  I'd rather have the
> needles and the crack-heads than a "nice" neighborhood.  Of course, this is
> probably why I choose to live in the city.
>
> We're actually in a nicer part of the mission.  I had gang territories
> mapped out for me when I first started looking for a place in the area.
> There are places further out where you actually can hear the gunshots.
> Places that actually are dangerous, not just frightening to the squeamish.
>

whoa nelly. i hear gunshots all the time at home, and in fact there was a
shooting in front of my front door, for which i helped the police get the
vids from my building, the week i moved in. inner mission is by no means
safe, and junkies aren't harmless people, it's just fairly easy to keep
*safer* if you stick near the crowds and the open doors of late night
places. also, there was someone attacked in an anti-gay hate crime by my
house last month, but that's hard to get away from.

my tips for keeping safe in an area like the one around 83c is keep
yourself to yourself, be aware of where everyone is, and don't be alone on
an empty street. but by no means consider the area benign.

areas with stretches of streets where you have to be alone on an empty
street are, i think, more dangerous than what we have. i don't know about
the east bay space, and i'm not commenting on that, but as far as
transiting as a small woman that travels on my own a lot, I can tell you
that's my main concern.

q

Freelance Journalist & Photographer

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