FLIPSIDE : Accepting Failure

For years the people in my community have struggled to keep their children out the violence and drugs that plagued our neighborhoods for so many years. It was once a community that was lead by parents who worked collectively to discipline and teach its youth how to survive the struggles of inner-city living and how to make it out into the world. Times have definitely changed.

Everyday I ride down Conner Avenue near the City Airport and see a neighborhood that has lost its motivation to exceed the expectations of the general American public. America already sees inner-city living as futile and unworthy of existence. The only time ghetto living is popular is when its selling newspapers and music. Unfortunately, the youth of my fledgling neighborhood have decided that they will accept their label and strive to personify this label as opposed to breaking through and proving that our community can produce an upstanding citizen. The average person in my community would rather cause trouble than get rid of it. Where did we go wrong?

Directly across the street from the City Airport was once a vacant lot that we used to walk through back and forth to the candy store when we were children. Since then, investors who thought perhaps a small shopping strip could offer our neighborhood some employment and shopping opportunities, built a strip of shops where the vacant lot once was. What a novel idea?

Opportunities for business owners to lease space became available as soon as the construction was done in a few months. Then it happened. Broken windows. Glass in the parking lot. Finally graffiti on the building. Oddly enough, what was once a vacant lot has now become a row of abandoned buildings. When will we learn? Why would you destroy things in your own community?

America has already labeled mine and neighborhoods like mine as a problem that has become unsolvable. It is a direct reflection of the people who live in these neighborhoods. Nevertheless, we navigate through life as though destroying our own neighborhoods with vandalism, violence and drugs is what we were put on Earth to do. It is unacceptable. But, does anyone realize it? Catch ya on the FLIPSIDE.