ITT we're discussing the safety of downtown areas. Of the cities you mention, let's take St. Louis, since it has a remarkably high murder rate. [0] (Although if I'm reading correctly I think that link is using total murders from the whole metro area but just the population of the city proper...) An adult white man still has no problem walking around its downtown areas at night. That isn't to say that there is no crime, but crime levels downtown aren't high enough to make one live one's life differently. As is typical in USA, murders are highest in particular neighborhoods that have borne the brunt of many decades of racist policies. [1]

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_by_murder_rate

[1] https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/focused...