Top 10 Signs You’re in a Bad Neighborhood

Most people don’t knowingly move into a bad neighborhood, but over a period of time it can certainly happen that a decent neighborhood you moved into undergoes gradual decline, until you suddenly start noticing the telltale signs of a bad neighborhood. There are some definite signs which indicate you might be living in a bad neighborhood, and when you start to see several of these signs, it might be time to think more seriously about your security and your family’s well-being.

Here are some of the indications that you might be living in a bad neighborhood:

#1 – You start seeing bulletproof glass separating you from the post office clerk, or the store clerk.

#2 – You start hearing people shouting at each other on the streets, long after darkness has set in and the evening hours have expired.

#3 – You’re sitting on your front porch at night, and you notice some furtive movements around the house. When you finally get a good look at the creator of that movement, it turns out to be a rat which is the size of a raccoon.

#4 – To a greater and greater degree, you are being harassed by people on the street. If you’re a female, this generally is manifested as an old drunk, who wants to know if you’re ‘legal’. If you happen to be male, it’s often about young militants who would like to know why your wallet pocket looks so full.

#5 – Facilities and buildings which once had public restrooms in them, now have them completely closed up, probably because they’ve been vandalized so many times in the past.

#6 – Trash. Everywhere. Sometimes you even get fresh trash dumped on your front porch in a drive-by trash dumping.

#7 – There is an increasingly brazen presence of gang members throughout the neighborhood, with little or no regard to being disrupted in their ‘meetings’.

#8 – You now have a seemingly inexhaustible supply of talented graffiti artists in the neighborhood, most of whom have some very colorful ways of expressing themselves.

#9 – Whenever there’s a loud noise in the neighborhood, you instinctively cover your head and seek shelter. While you’re crouching down somewhere shivering, you notice that there are number of other people in nearby houses who are doing the same thing.

#10 – About 3:00 a.m., you hear noises like a giant bass boombox slowly inching down the street, right in front of your home. You’re thinking to yourself that anyone in the car must be completely deaf, because even in your upstairs bedroom, it’s perforating your eardrums.

What to do about home security

Until you’re ready to outright abandon the deteriorating neighborhood, you should definitely consider some extra security precautions. For your residence itself, a door barricade or door brace are good for door security, and you might want to consider a full-blown home security system. It might cost you a few dollars, but isn’t your family’s safety worth that? Contact us at NightLock, to discuss ways we can help keep you safe from the uncertainties of your neighborhood.