DEXTER TRAINING GROUND

PARK PERCEPTIONS - Understanding the Interview Results

Of the 16 respondents at Dexter Training Ground, there were almost
equal numbers of Latino and African Americans - 7 and 6 respectively.
Only 2 of the 16 respondents mentioned crime and safety concerns before
the questions on these topics were asked. Many of the people we spoke
to were dog owners, and they had a very favorable opinion of the park,
as it provides a great space for their dogs to walk and play. Of the park
characteristics that were disliked, concern regarding trash was mentioned by 44% of respondents.

Almost 90% of the interviewees felt safe in the park, and none of these people attached any conditions on these feelings of safety. When asked whether they felt safe while visiting the park, they simply stated the affirmative. The other 12% stated that they did not feel safe. One of these two people recounted an instance in which he was actually the victim of a violent mugging. However, as the incident occurred at night, he continues to visit and enjoy the park with his dog; he has just become more wary of the possible dangers, and will no longer walk through the area at night. He is one of the 6 people (almost 40% of respondents) who avoid the park when it's dark. Interestingly, all the interviewees stated that they would use the area when by themselves.

More people - 56% - asserted that suspicious and/or criminal behavior happened at the park than those that didn't know of anything negative occurring there - 44%.

Only two people offered some ideas as to why they thought the park might have some crime issues. One declared that a high rate of crime in the area to the south of Cranston Street probably had an effect on the park. Another person felt that the large open, and primarily unsupervised area, allowed people to congregate, which could potentially lead to trouble.

Strikingly, all 16 of the respondents felt that Dexter was a better park than it had been in the past. This follows along with the generally high level of satisfaction that people seemed to have with the park. In most interviews, comments were made on how much they liked the park, and what a great space it was.

Park Crime - Understanding the Context of Crime