I don’t say this for downvotes, but much of the west is no longer white. Diversity creates low trust society, and the changes in children playing are downstream of that.

I grew up in a nearly all white suburban neighborhood. I ran around with a gaggle of kids and we had pretty much free rein. When I was about 12, my father took me to a nearly all black theme park and I was sexually assaulted the only time in my life. When low income housing was built in our neighborhood, I soon learned I had to lock my car door at night after it was broken into. I’d gone years before that without locking my door.

I’ve since started a family in the whitest area I could find (lower income, but it’s still one of the safest areas in our state) and we don’t lock our doors. I want to give my kids the childhood I had, and this seems like the best way to do it.

I don’t say this to garner downvotes. I know it’s a taboo topic, but it’s also my lived experience and I believe is an important aspect of this issue.