Originally Posted by PunkMartyr
If you have a gathering of people living just above the poverty line collected in one area, you are going to have higher rates of theft related incidents. Doesn't matter what ethnicity they are.
Heck those are the good neighborhoods. Cleveland has about a third of the population below the poverty line. There are a number of neighborhoods where the majority are below the poverty line.
I have been riding through these neighborhoods for 3 years now and the only time I have felt threatened was from the pranksters on Halloween, and a women in a nice car trying to run me off the street.
That is not to say I have not gotten yells like "GIVE ME YOUR BIKE" or other such threatening language, but these are obviously not serious threats. However I am wary of people hanging out along the road, particularly youth in groups which seems to encourage stupid behaviors. And I ride, taking a lane at a quick pace making me a difficult target and giving me options to escape any problems I might encounter (usually pot holes and squirrels).
Craig