Welcome to the new and improved OnMilwaukee.com Sunday Sound-off, now featuring a question, two different perspectives -- then opening up the topic to our readers' responses. Please use the Talkback feature below to contribute your thoughts on the issue.
Safety is a big issue in Milwaukee, but we're not alone. It seems as if "feeling safe" despite crime and violence is a challenge for people living just about anywhere these days, from the smallest to the largest cities. Perhaps it's simply a part of the modern human condition.
But do you feel safe, specifically, in Milwaukee? Are you uneasy walking around at night, during the day, and even inside your own home - or do you usually feel confident? We want to hear you thoughts and opinions on the safety issue in our city.
Yes, I feel safe. You have to be careful no matter where you are -- I don't feel any more or less safe in Milwaukee than I would anywhere else. I think the media tends to focus on the negative aspects of the city, showing the conflict but rarely airing the resolve. This makes us perceive that things are worse than they really are, because we don't hear about the "good stuff" that's happening in this city.
No, I do not feel safe. Crime and violence are a real problem in Milwaukee, and it affects my psyche. I think the Milwaukee police, politicians, activists and Milwaukeeans in general need to do more to address the issues. The crime in Milwaukee is getting worse, and I feel less and less safe.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.