The Real Neighborhood Threat.
Attention Neighborhood Residents & Walkers.
A Reminder About Walkers and Respect
Let’s clear some things up. What are our rights, and how can we better advocate for others? As a resident in a neighborhood, you do not have the right to interrogate someone simply because they’re walking through your area. Walking is a normal, healthy activity, not a suspicious act.
Walking Isn’t a Crime:
A person walking in circles, passing by more than once, or moving at a slow pace is no different from someone walking laps around a track. People walk for many reasons: to get fresh air, exercise, think, decompress, cry, calm anxiety, or simply to enjoy the beauty of a neighborhood.
Hoodies Aren’t Alarming:
Someone wearing a hoodie is not automatically “suspicious.” Some people wear hoodies for warmth, sensory comfort, or emotional reasons; maybe they are crying. Maybe they don’t want to socialize. That’s not a threat; that’s being human.
Admiring Homes is Not Suspicious:
Walkers might stop to admire landscaping, design, architecture, or decor. You likely put effort into your curb appeal, and people appreciating it is a compliment, not a cause for concern. Some may be considering buying in the area and want to get a feel for the neighborhood.
Yes, You Can Notice Things, But With Boundaries:
You have every right to be observant, install security cameras, and protect your property. But you do not have the right to treat someone like a criminal because you don’t recognize them. If you choose to approach someone, do so respectfully, and understand that they don’t owe you answers. Social awkwardness or refusal to engage doesn’t equal guilt.
Social Awkwardness ≠ Suspicion:
Many people live with disabilities, and even more people with hidden disabilities, neurodivergence, trauma, or anxiety. Their behavior might not fit your expectations, but that’s your issue, not theirs. Making negative assumptions based on movement, tics, disabilities, speech, or body language can lead to serious harm.
Your Assumptions Have Consequences:
Rushing to judgment, falsely reporting someone, or confronting them based on fear or bias can traumatize, harm, or even endanger someone who was doing nothing wrong.
Have you thought to consider that maybe the one being weird is not the walker, but you, for panicking because you see a walker? If your discomfort is tied to someone’s skin color, clothing, or mere presence, it’s time to look inward. These are signs of internalized bias, racism, or deep-seated fear that you should unpack and work through, ideally with the help of a therapist. May you pursue the help of a therapist with the same vigor and energy that you would use in thinking you have a right to approach a walker and interrogate them.
The Real Neighborhood Threats:
A false sense of entitlement
Ignorance, Racism, and Racial Profiling
Policing who “belongs”
Assuming walkers are suspicious unless they’re familiar or white
Thinking a person has to live in a neighborhood they’re walking in
Treating someone’s existence as a problem (Like any shade of brown or black)
Assuming things like a hoodie or body language/mannerisms are a “threat”. Some people have tics, stims, or disabilities.
Consider This:
People have every right to walk in any public neighborhood, regardless of whether they live there. Walking is meant to be relaxing, not anxiety-inducing. If you are feeling threatened by innocent walkers, that points to your own discomfort, not their behavior. Take a walk yourself; it might help shift your perspective.
Entitlement and racial bias in neighborhoods are entirely too common and absurd. It’s time to expand our knowledge and evolve. Less racist and ableist foolishness, and more advocating for empathy, understanding, and human rights.
To Walkers
You belong here. You have a right to walk. Your presence is not a threat. You deserve peace, fresh air, and the right to move through any open community without fear of being harassed or misjudged.
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