Visalia
Each participant picked noteworthy places in their area and shared whether they thought of them as safe or unsafe. Click each photo to get a closer look.
Spaces noted as positive
Quotes are from interviewer recording statements by interviewees.
Participant 12: Place where you can relax alone • "My father enjoys...the St John’s Parkway paved trail." (Pictured: St. John's Parkway, Visalia, CA)
Participant 12: Place you can relax alone • "He also loves to relax in Fairview Village Park, which many refer to as “El Poso”, “The Hole” in English. This is because it is a sunken green space where many soccer games are held. He loves to take his small radio and listen to music while eating a “pan dulce” with Diet Coke. This was the closest decent park from when we moved out of the Oval Park Neighborhood. " (Pictured: Fairview Village Park, Visalia, CA)
Participant 13: Place you like • "She finds a lot of comfort in getting a starbucks. Mainly because there is a starbucks outside of her work. She and her mom used to work at the same restaurant and when they would be out from work, they would stop by at this Starbucks on the corner of Demaree and Noble Ave. They would have unwinding time, particularly, to not bring home much of the negativity that typically happens at work." (Pictured: Starbucks in Visalia, CA)
Participant 12: Place you like • "My father loves this small mom and pop doughnut shop located on the corner of Houston Ave and Hall Street. This is special to him because it is where he stops to get his morning coffee and doughnut before heading to work at the flea markets every morning. He is especially fond of it because it is also a place where neighborhood friends hang out, specifically a place to socialize that is not an alcohol or drug loitering place. It is not a high end coffee shop but he cherishes it very much." (Pictured: Scotty's Donuts, Visalia, CA)
Participant 13: Place you like • "The main place she absolutely loves is her home. Specifically playing in the backyard with her daughter. She is not very fond of her local public parks so she has filled her small backyard with playground equipment. She typically spends about 3 hours playing with her daughter in their own, private park." (Pictured: Visalia, CA)
Participant 14: Place you go with friends/family • "She and her Family love going to parks and utilizing green spaces. She lives in a small apartment with a very small backyard that has no privacy and has no safety for her kids since there is an alleyway adjacent to her back yard and her kids can easily slip outside and possibly wander onto the high traffic street." (Pictured: Park in Visalia, CA)
Participant 14: Place you like • "She loves going to her church. A great majority of her family’s time and energy is devoted to church life. She has changed churches several times but is currently going to The Fountain Christian Church." (Pictured: The Fountain Christian Church, Visalia, CA)
Participant 14: Place you go with friends/family • "This park actually belongs to her church and is a park her family frequently visits because her kids can play while she worships in her church. This was of special use during the pandemic when worship was done outside. " (Pictured: Park in Visalia, CA)
Participant 12: Place where you can relax alone • "It is a commonly used trail for biking, jogging, or walking but at night it can get worrisome. " (Pictured: St. John's Parkway, Visalia, CA)
Spaces noted as negative
Quotes are from interviewer recording statements by interviewees.
Participant 12: Place where you feel unsafe • "My father feels very unsafe in the Oval Park neighborhood because he recently overcame alcohol addiction and the oval area is surrounded by liquor stores. It brings back negative memories. Whenever he drives by that area, he sees his old friends still in the same place he left 15 years ago." (Pictured: Oval Park, Visalia, CA)
Participant 12: Place where you feel unsafe • "My father feels very unsafe in the Oval Park neighborhood because he recently overcame alcohol addiction and the oval area is surrounded by liquor stores. It brings back negative memories. Whenever he drives by that area, he sees his old friends still in the same place he left 15 years ago." (Pictured: Oval Park, Visalia, CA)
Participants 12 and 14: Place you don't like • "He likes to tell us stories of how unsafe he knew this neighborhood was and that served as his motivation to move to a different part of town to raise a family." (Pictured: Oval Park, Visalia, CA)
Participant 12: Place where you feel unsafe • "He also feels unsafe in the old neighborhoods we used to live in when we were kids. Homes were constantly raided by the SWAT team and there were nightly drive by shootings." (Pictured: Home in Visalia, CA)
Participant 13: Place you don't like • "Like many Visalians, the Oval Park is a place people often avoid. It is occupied by homeless folks and surrounded by liquor stores. It has a small playground but it is usually locked most of the time. The neighborhoods that surround it are known gang areas. She has some family members that live near the Oval Area and dislikes visiting them because of the neighborhood that they live in." (Pictured: Oval Park, Visalia, CA)
Participant 13: Place where you feel unsafe • "Although we live in a relatively safe neighborhood, when she has to walk home from work, she has to cross through some sketchy apartment complexes. Men are constantly harassing her as she walks by. She feels very unsafe because people have been shot in these apartment complexes. They are located in the Demaree Ave and Campus Ave, behind the Savemart." (Pictured: Visalia, CA)
Participant 13: Place where you feel unsafe • "Although we live in a relatively safe neighborhood, when she has to walk home from work, she has to cross through some sketchy apartment complexes. Men are constantly harassing her as she walks by. She feels very unsafe because people have been shot in these apartment complexes. They are located in the Demaree Ave and Campus Ave, behind the Savemart." (Pictured: Visalia, CA)
Participant 14: Place you don't like • "She feels unsafe in roads with poor lighting conditions. A particular road is the section of County Center Drive between Tulare Avenue and Noble Avenue. It has no street lights and is adjacent to shady apartment complexes. She doesn't even like to drive through it at night. " (Pictured: County Center Drive, Visalia, CA)
Participant 15: Place you don't like • "This picture is the empty lot next to her house. It is being used by the land owners to let people park their RVs and mobile homes. They have a lot of trash and attracts homeless people. They also run power generators and are very loud. They do drugs and can be smelled. It is concerning for her young boy." (Pictured: Visalia, CA)
Participant 15: Place you would change • "This picture shows the streets that have a lot of overgrown grass and very unkept, she feels it looks very ugly and needs to be beautified." (Pictured: Visalia, CA)
Participant 15: Place where you feel unsafe • "The streets of Goshen are unsafe for her because they are basically dirt roads and there is gang activity and a lot of loose dogs that have bitten people." (Pictured: Goshen, CA)
