Written in response to the article "You're Not Safe, Get Over it" by Trae Dorn, which appeared in The Flip Side Volume 1, Issue 2 (November 12th - 25th, 2003)Well Trae, point well taken. I have one problem though: Where is the proof? A few people drown, and instantly they are related. You say that you think this because while doing research you only found seven cases of accidental drowning. However, you later say yourself that Universities tend to under-report sexual assault; perhaps they also under-report other things as well. On that note, did you know that sexual assaults are under-reported by victims? Sex crimes are a very taboo thing to talk about in our culture, much like domestic violence, and we wonder why both are under-reported. You make it seem as though Eau Claire is the only city that does not accurately report crime. If you honestly think this then you are one of the ignorant people you speak about. Every city wants to make it seem as if it is safer than it actually is; Americans live on a sense of security, or do we?
We lock our doors at night, we have guns in our houses, and we are enacting conceal and carry laws. Why? The general response, "So we can protect ourselves." Protect ourselves from what? Over the past 5 years, the crime rate has dropped 20%, but news coverage of crime is up 600%. The American people do not have an accurate portrayal of crime as it is. Let's not add to it by raising suspicion over things that are completely unrelated. We live in a country that very well knows it has a false sense of security, because our "security" is provided by the gun we sleep with under our pillow, not by the fact that we feel safe when we are not.
To sum it up, show me some facts. Give me a comparison of crime rates in Eau Claire versus other cities, and then we'll have an idea of how safe this city is. You say that we need to be aware and wary but your article helps no one be either of these. It gives us no facts; you are only contributing to the paranoia of people by throwing suspicion into the mix.
