I was mugged in Cambridge, Mass., back in 1979. I wasn’t hurt; I matter-of-factly handed over my wallet, and that was that. But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t rattled, and from then on I was a bit more careful about where I walked, especially after dark.
I tell this story now only to say that I’m old enough to remember from personal experience what it was like when many of America’s cities really were dangerous — and I don’t need official crime statistics to know that they’re much safer now.