the perception of crime, pt. 3.

Pat Kelley has lived in the Ridgeway neighborhood since 1988. She is the treasurer of the neighborhood and in the past has even been the president.

Kelley first got involved with the neighborhood in 1997, when she helped start a group called the "Crime Stoppers."

Kelley said that her and the other members didn't realize the perception of crime in the area was as negative as it was until people started verbalizing that they didn't want to live there because of it. Kelley recalled a time that a few journalism students from San Francisco and New York were checking out the area and they said that people had told the students that they didn't want to live there because it's dangerous. Kelley said she remembered thinking, "More dangerous than San Francisco or New York?"

Kelley said she thinks more can be done by policing enforcement, such as walking through the neighborhoods checking things out or some other strategies to protect the neighborhood overall.

Kelley said there have been three shootings since the spring, yet she still doesn't feel unsafe there.

"I really think that the perception of crime in the area is a whole lot worse than the crime is. I think there is a lot of prejudice," said Kelley.