Which of the following is not one of the human behaviors found by Wesley Skogan to be extremely disruptive to the community?

• A. Chronic noise complaints
• B. Open drug markets
• C. Youth firing gunshots into the air
• D. Excessive speeding

Answer: (C)

Skogan’s work on community disruption centers on persistent, everyday behaviors that erode residents’ sense of safety and normal life in a neighborhood. These are the kinds of nuisance or disorder problems that people repeatedly experience and that shape how safe a place feels. Chronic noise complaints fit this pattern because they are ongoing and affect daily living. Open drug markets also exemplify ongoing disorder, signaling illegal activity in public space and contributing to fear and distrust. Excessive speeding endangers people and undermines the perception of safe streets, another hallmark of disorder that disrupts community life.

Firing gunshots into the air, while clearly dangerous and illegal, is typically more of a violent-crime event than a recurring disorder or nuisance issue. It does not fit the recurring disruptive behaviors Skogan emphasized as eroding social order, so it is not listed among those disruptive behaviors in his framework.