You may be right about the bad areas meaning the poor areas, but that doesn’t mean they are safe. My girlfriend and I just went to a concert in SE DC. We walked blocks at night because we were lost. We are also pretty familiar with the District and don’t scare easily. However, a black female, who was a resident there, told us not to be walking there at night and to move our car closer to the club. After that I worried. The KFC we went to across the street from the club had a thick fiberglass contraption to take our money and give us our food. I assume that for the protection the empolyees and not just for decoration. When people are extremely poor and desperate, some of whom may be addicted to drugs, there are all kinds of crimes they will commit to get what they need. People aren’t just being paranoid when they feel like they need to be more cautious in those areas or even completely avoid them all together if possible.