Can we stop calling places war zones?

[Erin Dorsey Robinson]

Something has been bothering me. This phrase, "war zones". Am I the only one? Real people actually live in these places that are so casually and and narrowly characterized by this phrase. I'm not discounting that some places are more likely than others to have bad things happen, this is as true in Cleveland as anywhere. But I doubt most of us would knock on the door of a person who lived in one of these neighborhoods and call their street a war zone face to face. Just thinking maybe there's another way. Thoughts?