Unpleasant Thoughts

[ladysprite]

Part of the reason that my sweetie and I are having a difficult time househunting is the fact that we really don't want to leave our neighborhood. Part of it is the location - we're right near both bus stops and T stations, and we're within walking distance of the library, post office, bank, town hall, pizzeria, video store, and several other not-quite-necessities - but there's also significant community appeal. The neighborhood is just friendly beyond imagining. We know our neighbors, and chat with them when we're out walking on sunny days. We have block parties once or twice every year. The guy who runs the fish market on the next block has known my husband and me since we were both in college, the crossing-guard on the trafficky street near town square recognizes us, we know the Porch Man around the corner and the guy who brings his puppy to the ice cream parlor on warm summer nights.

And now it seems that there's a sexual predator who has decided to set up shop around here. Two incidents in the past week, both nearby and one within blocks of our house. And all I can think, ridiculous as it sounds, is that this is supposed to be a *NICE* neighborhood. We're supposed to be friendly and open and community-minded, and that sort of thing isn't supposed to happen around here.

I know that's a naive and narrow-minded thought, but I can't stop myself from thinking it. For four years I walked between this house and the college campus about half a mile away by myself every Friday night around 3am, without a worry in my head, and now my husband is telling me that I really shouldn't be out by myself after dark, and maybe I should carry pepper spray, and avoid the back path by the river at all times.

I'm sure that this will blow over - hopefully they'll catch the bad guy, and things will feel, and hopefully be, a little safer again. But it'll never be the same as it was, and more than I'm scared for myself, I'm furious at this creep for stealing my happy, comfy, safe neighborhood from me.

Comments

[rickvs.livejournal.com]

Not to throw gasoline on the fire, but you might think about looking up local registered sex offenders, and seeing if any of their faces look familiar:

http://www.mapsexoffenders.com/

You'll probably find more than one or two within shouting distance, and those are just the registered ones :/