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Comment by PopAlongKid | Hacker News Reader

>I've lived on one of the streets mentioned in the article and its hard to overstate how shockingly dangerous the area is

Just anecdata. I had a family member living there for the six years, several addresses including their condo on Drexel Ave, one block from Cottage Grove (more or less the western boundary of campus proper). Their first child was born there, mom often went on long walks with the stroller to parks, etc with no problems. I visited several times, never had a problem. I walked to The Cove at night for a few beers, Sister Sledge on the jukebox was a conversation starter. Reggie's at the Beach (63rd St.) was a nice place, easy parking.

Every large city has "dangerous" areas, Hyde Park probably has fewer per capita than most.

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I’ve lived in the neighborhood for over sixteen years and am raising a family there.

There’s a lot to say about the crime factor, and it’s complicated. I will say that it’s common to miss it if you don’t happen to witness it. Streets that look quiet, well-developed, and peaceful will suddenly become violent and then go back to normal as if nothing happened.

I also lived on Drexel for a few years. A graduate student was shot and killed nearby while walking home. Another night we witnessed a drive-by shooting while eating dinner. I’ve got a number of crime-related stories after living here that range in severity from “funny-in-retrospect” to “somebody died.”

Something that still strikes me is how crimes can happen right outside homes without anyone noticing. The University Police have a daily email list of “serious” incidents that I check - I’ll often notice a carjacking or home invasion within 500 feet of where I was taking a nap on my couch.

It’s a great neighborhood with a lot going for it, which is maybe part of what makes the crime issue so hidden. It doesn’t look sketchy or violent until it suddenly is.

> It’s a great neighborhood with a lot going for it, which is maybe part of what makes the crime issue so hidden. It doesn’t look sketchy or violent until it suddenly is.

This conversation is fascinating to me. When I lived there, not one person had any illusion about the fact that we lived in a very violent place. The regularly-heard gunshots on 53rd got rid of those notions very quickly.

Students are regularly held up at gunpoint, sometimes shot and killed.

How on earth can you live in Hyde Park and not know of the violence?

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