Am I stifling my 11 year old daughter in middle school?

I'd be walking her too. You know the area isn't safe. And it helps you both if you walk her. What if she's scared to walk those 3 blocks, but doesn't want to tell you? What if something did happen? Its better for her to get a bit of teasing than to be hurt or killed by a gang within blocks of her house and school. It also gives her a way to play you as the bad guy without making her look like a baby. My Mom always told us we could use her as a scapegoat if it helped us to keep from bending to peer pressure. (As in, I can't do that cause my Mom would kill me! Or I gotta be home early tonight or my Mom will call the cops to find me. Anything that helped us get out of a bad or scary situation without having to straight out tell the other person they scared us). Sometimes being walked is alot better than letting them take chances.