What Makes a Peaceful Community?

When you think about living in a peaceful community, you might picture a neighborhood where neighbors get along with each other and there are no loud, late-night parties to keep you up until 3:00 a.m. That’s definitely part of what makes a community peaceful, but there’s a little more involved. 

1. Visible police presence

A visible police presence reduces crime, which is the foundation of a peaceful community. However, there are so many different points of view regarding how police presence impacts communities. 

Some people don’t think it makes a difference at all, while others believe it makes communities safer. The truth is that the data shows police presence does have a positive impact on community safety, and when a community is safer, it tends to be more peaceful. With less crime, people are happier and less stressed, which makes neighbors friendlier with each other and more at ease. 

There’s only one obstacle that can get in the way – anti-police sentiment. Unfortunately, because of the many officers who have chosen to behave badly and have hurt or killed innocent citizens, many people hold the belief that all police are bad. This is understandable given the fact that most people get their news from social media, and when people share stories of bad cops, people are flooded with nothing but those stories. However, that’s a cherry-picked view of law enforcement. 

We need police officers for peaceful communities. There will always be “bad apples” in every profession, and it is a problem that needs a solution. However, there are far more well-meaning police than bad apples, and the profession as a whole plays a huge role in maintaining peaceful communities. In fact, several studies have concluded that a larger police presence results in a drastic reduction in crime. The key is getting people to stop feeling hostile toward that police presence and view law enforcement officers as allies rather than enemies. Thankfully, there are organizations committed to this goal. 

The National Police Association (NPA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping police officers establish a connection with people in their communities through outreach programs and education. The NPA also strives to support communities and police through the legal system when the opportunity arises. They work tirelessly to repair the unfairly damaged reputation police have because of the bad actions of a few. 

2. Landlords with high standards

For the most part, peaceful communities consist of peaceful residents. It’s much easier to build and maintain peace in a neighborhood when the residents are not the type of people who would disturb others. 

When landlords have high standards, it contributes to a peaceful neighborhood by reducing the likelihood of arguments, fights, crime, and loud parties. That’s not to say these things won’t happen. However, screening tenants to high standards will filter out a lot of people whose habits and tendencies would create chaos or disruption for a community.

3. Homeowners who take care of their properties

 One of the hallmark signs of a peaceful neighborhood is home owners who take great care of their properties. These are people who regularly mow the lawn, pull the weeds, repair broken chimneys, and keep their exteriors looking good. 

When people have pride in taking care of their properties, they tend to be reasonable, friendly people who will wave or say hello as you pass them on the street. These are not often the type of people who will disturb the peace with loud music and house parties that end in someone calling the police. They care about their homes and aren’t going to allow destructive people to come over and party. 

4. Families live in the community 

Most of the time, you’ll find that peaceful communities are occupied by families with at least one child. Families tend to be less problematic because the parents are just trying to raise their kids in a good area. They’re not usually involved in activities that create problems, like criminal activity, illegal drugs, and gangs. There are exceptions, but this is generally true. 

5. Respectful neighbors 

When neighbors respect each other and their needs, the community feels more peace. For example, people should feel comfortable knocking on a neighbor’s door to ask them to turn down their music. Sometimes people work nights and sleep during the day or they’re dealing with a migraine. In a peaceful community, neighbors don’t consider these requests threats and they’ll apologize for the disturbance. 

It takes a community effort to maintain peace 

Although many factors contribute, at the end of the day, a peaceful community is made of peaceful people. If that’s how you want to live, make sure to bring your own peace to the party first.

Featured Photo by Diva Plavalaguna: https://www.pexels.com