Its hard enough being a teenager but being a teenager in this ghetto slum just depresses me. Every night I am awoken by the sound of gunshots or once in blue moon police sirens. The only way I can describe it is like a food chain the gangs and crews are the sharks and people like myself are the terrified tuna, we play by their rules and no one else's. Most of the kids my age around this area are into drugs, cars and everything bad. I do have one good friend though, he's name is Tony he's a life long friend we've been at school together for eight years and we do everything together or we used to. We haven't done much recently as he hasn't been at school or around my house. My mother will not accept him in my house or with me playing with him. She says that's something's changed about him and she's seen him in gangs up to no good .I told her that was senselessness and I know him and trust him and know he wouldn't cross that line, because of my mum I can only see him at school which I haven't recently because he's apparently ill. I often peer out of my window to see if he's with one of the several gangs that suspiciously squat on street corners waiting to pounce on their unsuspecting prey, to my hilarity he isn't. Schools boring without him I have absolutely no one to talk to at lunch time I feel like a camel in the middle of an uninhabited desert. The walk to and from school used to be a joyous promenade but is now a sustained secluded trek. It was the last day of school and today was different. I strolled down the road contemplating what I would do during my blissful holidays with not a care in the world. When suddenly it all happened, just as I turned into avenue road the safe shortcut to my house I observed a truly distressing sight. The scene of a short stocky figure perched
rest of his family out of bed. He does not get any thanks for doing this, but
More than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City (Issues of Our Time)
and night and wants to talk about how they want to have sex who do you
U.S. cities experienced rapid growth and change, and also faced new challenges following the end of World War II. The consolidation of ghettos in the inner city and the rise of suburbs are two of the characteristics and problems that consequently arose for U.S. cities. One of the biggest projects created as a solution was the public housing project. These public houses however, although in paper they seemed like a great idea, in practice they actually proved not be such a great project because they brought several tensions and problems to cities and neighborhoods.
Sure, it was crowded: it was the only gig in town. I look at the yellow Franciscan statue, gaily painted, redolent of Mexico. As I glance back, the piano player has changed his tune and is swaying his head to something like Brubeck-does-Muzak. Exiting, I see the line is still wrapped around the corner. The rain has stopped, and four more people are trudging up the hill to get in line. Linus had finished his food before me, it seems, and is swapping three cigarettes for a quarter. He starts up again:
Chicago was the best place to live and visit for anyone. Many people traveled from far places to visit and live in Chicago. Long after the World War II many things started reshaping America. One of the most significant was the racial change all over America but specifically in Chicago. Many southern blacks started to move into Chicago. Chicago started to become mostly dominated by blacks and other minorities while whites started to move into the suburbs of Chicago. "Beginning in the 1930s, with the city's black population increasing and whites fleeing to the suburbs, the black vote became a precious commodity to the white politicians seeking to maintain control" (Green, 117). Many of the mayors such as Edward J. Kelly, Martin H. Kennelly, and Richard J. Daley won over the blacks and got their votes for them to become mayor. The black population grew by 77 percent by the 1940. The white population dropped from 102,048 to 10,792 during the years of 1940 to 1960. With all of these people moving into Chicago there had to be more housing. There were many houses built to accommodate all the people. Martin H. Kennelly at one time wanted to tear down slums and have public housing built in the black ghetto. Many of the blacks wanted to escape these ghettos so some of them; if they could they would try to move to the white communities. When the blacks would try to move into the white communities they were met with mobs. There were many hurdles that blacks had to overcome not only in Chicago but all over America. The blacks of Chicago had to fight for a place to live and to find a mayor that would help them for who they are, not their color.
Housing segregation is as the taken for granted to any feature of urban life in the United States (Squires, Friedman, & Siadat, 2001). It is the application of denying minority groups, especially African Americans, equal access to housing through misinterpretation, which denies people of color finance services and opportunities to afford decent housing. Caucasians usually live in areas that are mostly white communities. However, African Americans are most likely lives in areas that are racially combines with African Americans and Hispanics. A miscommunication of property owners not giving African American groups gives an accurate description of available housing for a decent area. This book focuses on various concepts that relates to housing segregation and minority groups living apart for the majority group.
Growing up on the south side of Chicago in the roughest neighborhood in the city I learned a lot from others and just observing my surroundings. At times, I would always think to myself my situation could always be worse than it was, and that there is always someone who is doing worst off than me. But my situation turned from being in a bad position to being in a position where my mother would come to lose her mother and our home that we had been living in, all in the same year. After losing her mother and bother my mom lost herself in her emotions and shut down on everyone and with that came the loss of a home for me and my siblings and her job. Shortly after my mom began to go back to church and so did we. It was the first time in a log time that we had attended church and it played a big part in a learning experience for me and my siblings. Through the days that came to pass going to church sparked a desire of wanting to help others who had or are struggling to get by. My mentor, Pastor, and teacher deserves appreciation for helping my mother through a hard time and keeping me and my siblings active in a positive manor.
Today Detroit remains one of the most segregated cities in the United States, although segregation was outlawed years ago because of the economy. Citizens of Detroit are faced with loss of jobs, for closures, schooling changes, and constant leader changes within the city. Personally I don’t think blacks and whites or any other race have problems with each other it’s just certain circumstances in Detroit brings the issue of division among races.
Is it a coincidence that highly urbanized areas are full of crime and always statistically higher than small towns and rural areas? A child that is being brought up in a metropolitan area that is full of violent crimes is flooded in a sense and has nothing to do but to breath in some of the negative influences that go on around him. Therefore, I believe that the most influential scene in a child’s life is the neighborhood that he grows up in. Parents cannot constantly watch over their children, ask about whom they are hanging out with, constantly check where they are, and find out what they are getting themselves into? (Statistics p348)
The United States developed the official poverty measures in 1960. It was developed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had declared a war on poverty during the Civil Rights era. (The Path of Power- The years of Lyndon B. Johnson, (Caro, 16). The poverty rate of African Americans has been declining for many years. The Census Bureau releases two reports every year that describe who is poor in the United States based on cash resources. There is also the supplemental poverty measure (SPM) which takes account for the cash resources and non cash benefits from government programs aimed at low income families. (www.Census.gov/People and household). In 2012 there were over 46.5 million people in poverty and of those numbers 10 million were African American according to the poverty reports. African Americans have been a major factor since slavery. Since the late 1660s there has been a race on poverty since the marches of the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Martin Luther King. One of the protests was the call to March on Washington in 1963. Dr. King stated that “on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity”. (MLK speech, March on Washington, 1963)
Many families in the 1990s had trouble adapting to the changing economy. It took a toll on their lives. The dominant culture was for everyone to have been laid off from their jobs and for families to have a lot of stress. Milwaukee was hit pretty hard, despite urbanization of the city, especially for two certain families. A documentary crew followed around a black family and a white family (Frontline Video, 2013). The white family was the Neumann’s and the black family was the Stanley’s. During the recession in 1990, families had to learn to work hard, learn new skills, and to show their kids that they will be rewarded if they strive to do well in life. The Neumann’s and Stanley’s felt as if the upper class was getting richer while they
In the article “Gentrification’s Insidious Violence: The Truth about American Cities” by Daniel Jose Older, Older places emphasis on the neighboring issue of gentrification in minority, low income communities or as better known as being called the “hood” communities. The author is biased on how race is a factor in gentrifying communities by local governments. Older explains his experience as a paramedic aiding a white patient in the “hood” where he was pistol whipped in a home invasion by a black male. This is an example of black on white crime which is found to be a normal occurrence in the residence of his community. But that is not the case in Older’s situation because that was the first time he has
When that happens we slowly start to drift apart, a former friend is now nothing more than a memory. What is it that makes us stop communicating with each other? In my case it was a lifestyle change. My friend Kalicia and I were so close. We told each other everything. When I found out I was pregnant she was the first person I wanted to tell. At first she was beyond excited. I stayed with her and her family for the first half of my pregnancy. Then I moved to American Falls and everything stated to change. I was eight months pregnant when it all happened. Kalicia had invited me up to her house for my birthday celebration, but being that far along and having to work in the morning all I wanted to do was sleep. The next day, while I was at work she continued to call me multiple times, I knew something was wrong at that point. When I called her back she told me that her mom had passed out and stopped breathing. They had to do CPR on her until the ambulance arrived. I remember my heart dropping because she was like a second mom and I was so excited for her to meet my daughter. As I scrambled trying to get my shift covered so I could leave, I got the call that she had passed away. I remember that day like it was yesterday, the sky was dark, everything seemed grey, and heaven had gained another angel. I had never met such a vibrant and enthusiastic woman. She was understanding of every situation. Soon I felt
and scheme to go and meet him. This shows that it is important for the