In my college days, I lived three blocks from that site, right on Maryland Avenue. It was a dump then, and only a block of east of Cottage Grove Avenue (an important dividing line).
I rarely felt in danger outside of an unwise visit to Mr. Submarine at 51st and Cottage Grove at 4:00AM. Sounds like a marginal neighborhood has gotten worse.
Oops. Mine was in Chicago. This was Gary, Indiana. Ignore my previous post.