How was the neighborhood around the school?

From the text:

The predominantly black neighborhood around the school is mostly working-class, but there are pockets of high-crime areas that have caused problems for students over the years. The blocks around Hawthorne Avenue were the worst. If you weren’t ready to fight when you walked around there, you risked getting mugged. Students regularly got robbed of their sneakers, jackets, and bus cards on the way to school or home. I rode the bus to and from school every day, but I went in the opposite direction.