Is San Bernardino really that dangerous?

“Don’t be a product of your environment. Let the environment be a product of you.” — Jacqueline E. Purcell

Hey everyone, brace yourself for this post. Studies show that because I live in San Bernardino, I have a 1 in 85 chance of either committing, or becoming the victim of, a violent crime. So if this blog gets cut short, you kno…

So, according to a recent study done by Graham Donath, my hometown of San Bernardino has been deemed the “most dangerous city” in all of California, beating out the expected breadwinners of cities like Oakland, Compton, Inglewood, and others. Well, I was shocked when I heard of this.

“No way,” I thought, “I’ve watched documentaries on dangerous cities… We don’t even compare.”

Long story short: San Bernardino is the second poorest city of it’s size in the entire United States. We lack resources, we’re not that dangerous. Or are we?

San Bernardino has taught me perhaps two of the most valuable things I am today: book smarts and street smarts. There are not many places that can teach you both, effectively, but my city is one of them. My alma mater, Cajon High School, had one of the few International Baccalaureate programs in Southern California. This program, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is TOUGH — to say the least. However, it enabled me to become a great public speaker, better student, and has allowed me to provide infinite hours of service to my “dangerous” city. Cajon graduated over 99% of its 2015 senior class, which I am proud to be a part of. The city as a whole graduated 85% of its students (which beats the national average of 82%).

It is on the streets of San Bernardino where a group of high school students came up to me while I was sitting on the curb waiting for my parents and offered me money and food, even if I didn’t need it. It is on the campus of my San Bernardino high school where I did poorly on my first test, and then teachers and counselors checked in and asked me if everything was going alright with me.

It is in San Bernardino where I have found mentors in teachers, wisdom on the streets, lifelong friends in classmates, and pride in my city. What I’m trying to say is that San Bernardino is really a self-loving city. It is the city I am beyond proud to be from. Sure, San Bernardino has more crime than a lot of places, but it also has a lot more good people than bad ones; and the good people will always advocate for change in the city.

“When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself.” — Wayne Dyer

To wrap up, I’d love to provide you with a few reasons why San Bernardino is truly one-of-a kind — you DO NOT want to miss this…

Here are a few of reasons San Bernardino can’t be all that dangerous:

My first and personal favorite counter to the notion that San Bernardino is so dangerous plays off the idea that crime and danger is interesting and the opposite of boring. If it’s that dangerous, it mustn’t be that boring! Just take a look at the following video:

If the previous wasn’t enough, here’s a HILARIOUS video of what kind of crime takes place in San Bernardino and contributes to it being the most “dangerous” city in California. You’ve gotta take a look at this:

If I haven’t made my point clear, in a humorous sort of way, San Bernardino has a mind of its own. Sure, we’ve had our fair share of negativity, but I don’t think we’re all that bad — I mean, hey, I’ve managed to write this whole article without committing a crime.