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To the Editor: 

The article “Californians want a single-family home” (Daily Planet, Nov. 15) stated that “an overwhelming number of Californians … prefer to drive to work alone and live in a single-family home.” The article further stated that “nearly four in 10 cited safety as the biggest reason.” While the article was unclear on what those polled want to be safe from, one assumes it is crime, since safety from other hazards, such as motor vehicle collisions and pollution-induced respiratory disease, are not commonly associated with solo commuting from a distant single-family home. Crime has decreased significantly over the last decade, so why is it so feared? I didn’t have to look far to see a contributing factor. Two of the four other articles on the same page provided detailed accounts of Oakland crimes, and a third described minor Berkeley crimes. The Daily Planet appears to have an editorial policy of never running articles about Oakland unless they involve crime. Oakland murders, with a running annual body count in the headline, are always covered. I generally appreciate the choice of news topics featured in the Daily Planet. Crime, however, receives disproportionate space. I believe disproportionate media focus on crime results in overestimation of crime risk and excessive fear. This fear has deleterious social consequences, as evidenced by all those people who want to drive alone to work because it is “safe.” People who are afraid to walk, bicycle, or take the bus contribute to vehicular congestion and pollution. Parental fear of children walking or bicycling to school contributes to increasing childhood obesity. Disproportionate focus on crime serves as free advertising for the prison industry, tough-on-crime politicians, and gated subdivisions. I hope you will consider reducing crime coverage and increasing coverage of other topics. 

Brit Harvey 

Berkeley