Where do we get our different perceptions of danger from?

Where do we all get our different perceptions of danger in downtown from? I see comments telling women not to walk to their cars at night as tourists and I don’t understand.

I understand that there are particular areas of the city that face more challenges from unhoused people than others, and I will also acknowledge that I’m not always in those areas (except third and by the courthouse).

My parents are convinced the Link is basically a fent den and that I’m going to get murdered on the link going to work. They bring this up a lot. I’ve ridden the link since 2017 and have felt directly unsafe a total of one time.

I also see people always complaining about crime.

I am mostly in the downtown core, courthouse, and sometimes Cap Hill and UDistrict for medical stuff, so probably not seeing some of it. But I just generally don’t feel unsafe here? That isn’t to discount people who do or those who have had something truly scary happen to them (I’m so sorry if so), but I’m wanting to learn about our perceptions of the city and why we view it that way. I don’t hold any hate or loathing toward unhoused people or druggies at all and I am not particularly scared of them.

I guess I want to understand the disconnect between my perception of this not being that scary of a city and all the posts warning tourists. Maybe it’s just a matter of time until something happens and I change my mind. 🤷‍♀️