[adfm]

I pinpoint the start of “safetyism” with the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Polly Klaas in Petaluma, California in 1993. Overnight, nobody let their kids outside unattended. It was crazy that nobody talked about it. Terms like “helicopter parenting” sprung up to explain it, but it was obvious they were freaked out by the media’s 24/7 coverage. And the weird thing about it was the guy abducted her from inside her own home during a sleepover, not off the street, like most people assume.

https://www.ktvu.com/news/marc-klaas-close-foundation-3-deca...