When someone from out of state asks me where I’m from, I usually give the broad answer, “Chicago.” Immediately, this person thinks of stereotypes associated with Chicago: Lou Malnati’s deep-dish pizza, a cursed baseball team and a crime-ridden South Side. The truth is, I’m from the suburbs of this Windy City, a town where Goode & Fresh is the neighborhood pizza, where Glenview Patriots youth baseball is our home team and where crime is almost, well, we don’t have a lot of it.
I just defined what I like to think of as “The Glenview Bubble.” I’ll break it down for you Urban Dictionary style: “The Bubble,” is perpetuated by teenagers ignoring crime and thinking that the community is free from it and other disturbances. “The Bubble” is definitely flawed-as ignorance usually is-but most recently Glenview has yet again proven that we are vulnerable to danger.
As we were made aware of, on Sept. 27, two child abductions were attemped within the same day. Soon after recieving emails regarding this information, everyone was talking about these events of disorderly conduct. After about a week, talk about this soon died down, but we were momentarily reminded that we must not underestimate Glenview’s susceptibility to crime.
If you were to ask me what I think the most prevalent type of crime in Glenview is, my answer (in my uncertain sounding voice) would be teenagers getting caught for underaged drinking, because of how often it is talked about. In reality, according to Glenview Police Commander Frank Stankowicz, the most common types of crime are domestic violence, sexual abuse, burglaries and robberies.
While Glenview feels safe, we should not let our guards down. As soon as the police send out their reports on robberies/related dangers, my parents automatically rehash their lectures since the last report about making sure to lock all doors, turn the exterior lights on, and the golden rule in my household: always close the garage door. Ultimately, my parents slowly withdraw from handing out these constant reminders because the attention span for new crime in Glenview usually lasts about a week.
I realize that crimes such as robberies can occur anywhere, but for whatever reason, I feel much safer in certain parts of Glenview than others. The square including Viccinos, the library and the Dairy Bar marks an area where I feel that I will always feel defended. I perceive that this is because the section is heavily populated with armies of families and their high-strung children.
Two years ago, on the outskirts of this square, I recall running about a mile from a friend’s house on one side of town to a friend’s house on the opposite side of town. It was 10 p.m., and I was with a group of about five people. I recall feeling invincible, that even if we were stopped by a stranger, no one was going to harm us.
Now, if I were to go on this escapade alone and not in a group of five people–well, I wouldn’t. To be honest, walking by myself anywhere makes me paranoid. As soon as I say that, I automatically hear the “you’re so lucky to live where you live” and the “you have no idea how fortunate you are” statements ringing in my ears.
Similar to “The Bubble,” Stankowicz acknowledges that Glenview has “a feel safe perception.” The only difference between this police-supported theory and “The Bubble” is that Stankowicz believes, for the most part, that teenagers are proactive when crime is brought to their attention.
All students have been visited by Officer Friendly at least one time in their careers as students, and if I remember correctly, she would stress one rule the most: don’t talk to strangers. I’m not saying I would go up to the driver in a stereotypical white van asking for candy, but I sometimes forget my common sense when dealing with people I don’t know. Sure, I’m at fault here, but determining how safe we feel in Glenview solely comes down to being aware and paying attention to our surroundings.
