A. Wyant’s (2008) article on the fear of crime is an excellent read on why people do fear crime. Incivility is defined as “rude or impolite attitude or behavior or a lack of civility” (Merriam-Webster, 2015). I agree with Wyant (2008), that most people fear crime because of their perceptions of crime or incivility instead of proven crime statistics. I am a Patrol Lieutenant with the Knoxville Police Department (KPD) and when I tell my friends and family that I love working in the housing developments, their first reaction is that I am crazy because of all of the violent crime that occurs there. In present day Knoxville, that belief is far from the truth. Wyant (2008) briefly touches on it, but the media problem is much worse than
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Hayward et al (2015, p. 4-5) wrote about the link between environmental factors and health in public housing and had the following themes: “Public housing’s unhealthy physical environment limits health and wellbeing; Neighborhood environment limits opportunities for healthy lifestyle choices; Lack of trust in relationships contributes to social isolation; and Increased neighborhood social capital could improve wellbeing.” These themes are very true. I mainly work the Walter P. Taylor Housing Development in East Knoxville and see every theme at work. The grounds smell of thrown out trash and many of the apartments are ridden with bed bugs and other creatures. This mess causes sickness and widespread infestation. There are no grocery stores close and many have to rely on run down markets for their food. The neighbors don’t really trust each other and many did not trust the police until recently. All of these problems are not just the fault of the residents, but everyone involved. The Housing Authority needs to strengthen their cleanliness requirements, conduct inspections, and install cameras to monitor the grounds. The city must do what they can to encourage a grocery store and other businesses to move in. Police officers need to participate in community policing and enforce littering ordnances. Because of everyone working together, these conditions are improving, but there is much more work to be
Hayward et al (2015, p. 4-5) wrote about the link between environmental factors and health in public housing and had the following themes: “Public housing’s unhealthy physical environment limits health and wellbeing; Neighborhood environment limits opportunities for healthy lifestyle choices; Lack of trust in relationships contributes to social isolation; and Increased neighborhood social capital could improve wellbeing.” These themes are very true. I mainly work the Walter P. Taylor Housing Development in East Knoxville and see every theme at work. The grounds smell of thrown out trash and many of the apartments are ridden with bed bugs and other creatures. This mess causes sickness and widespread infestation. There are no grocery stores close and many have to rely on run down markets for their food. The neighbors don’t really trust each other and many did not trust the police until recently. All of these problems are not just the fault of the residents, but everyone involved. The Housing Authority needs to strengthen their cleanliness requirements, conduct inspections, and install cameras to monitor the grounds. The city must do what they can to encourage a grocery store and other businesses to move in. Police officers need to participate in community policing and enforce littering ordnances. Because of everyone working together, these conditions are improving, but there is much more work to be