I'm a female who grew up in two dangerous parts of florida. One in Broward and when I was older, north Lauderdale. North Lauderdale was more gun violence and casual murder. There was an abused kid who would walk to my house and ask for sandwiches and clothes and I would hangout with him outside a few times a week and listened to him vent about his moms abusive boyfriends.when I was in Broward I grew up around prostitution on us1 and would see pimps hitting their girlfriends outside of my highschool or waiting for the bus frequently. Homelessness and drugs were rampant and normal, crime wasn't even considered a huge deal and our two cars (moms van and grandma's car) were broken into dozens of times with nothing stolen. We've had our windows smashed in with bricks. Our neighbors were meth dealers. Just want to throw in here that the cops suck, are careless, rude, and I have been groped, assaulted, harassed, and handcuffed for no other reason than they were power tripping and never do their jobs when you actually call them. It was terrifying to walk home at night from work but I had to sometimes and by the grace of God never got raped or murdered, although have come pretty close. So back to when I lived in north Lauderdale, there were two murders, each two streets on both sides of mine, and both made the news, and both a few weeks apart. That was probably the scariest considering I heard the gun shots both times and didn't care because I was so used to it and just blew it off as stupid drive by. I lived right next to section 8 housing and would see kids in the windows with bedsheet and sometimes foil over the panels just staring out like little zombies sometimes and it made me really sad to imagine how horrible life must have been for them. I had a very tough and abusive childhood as well as a drug and crime fueled teenage/ young adult life so I can relate to those kids to an extent, bit seeing them when I had some control over my life and the freedom to come and go as I please..it just..it sticks with me. I'm better now, I live in Stockholm Sweden with my fiance and life is amazing. I have been clean going on five years now and have mostly put that life behind me, bit I'll never forget where I came from how most people don't understand what real poverty and the ghetto is like. I live a more middle class life now and don't want for much and the people I'm around can't comprehend let alone fathom the things I've seen and lived. So yeah , I try not to forget and keep it as a reminder that it may not be who I am now but it's where I came from and that always breeds humility when I start to think im better than anyone. Of anyone wants to know more, feel free to ask, I have tons of stories.