The size of the country means extreme events should be more common and more extreme than in a European country even if it's no worse. Europe as a whole has its own problems, just of a different nature - like ongoing terrorism and sexual assaults. They also don't have such a big underclass of poor and hopeless people in geographically concentrated areas like America has.

as I said, things are crap here too, in many diversified and creative ways.

I am from Italy and we have crippling corruption and criminality problems, even though we have a fifth of the population in 0.03 times the land area. I am familiar with the problems that scare tourists away :)

I would only like to point out that you quote terrorism and sexual assault as things comparable to your own police force abusing power over your citizens. I think there are a few important differences.

Police abuse is a travesty and must be stopped.

That being said, unless you live in a high crime area, you are unlikely to have much if any interaction with the police at all.

And when you do, it will likely be friendly.

Basing your decision on a fear of police abuse is like people who don't swim in the ocean because they are afraid of shark attacks.

No European country has to shoulder the burden of a few problem areas across the whole continent. Germany isn't judged by destitute residents of Portugal or wannabe EU residents of Montenegro. Whereas the US does get judged by any happening in its 50 plus semi-autonomous states.

People are scarred of coming to the US because of a few square blocks of Chicago and random improbable terror.