Should I visit the hood? (Atlanta, Marietta: apartments, neighborhoods, tenants)

[lightofurlife]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Well, they kind of are.

If we can have tours of where Walking Dead and Hunger Games were shot, why not have tours of where countless hip hop videos were shot?

Like it or not, these locations have been made famous by various artists.

*Blinks*

So now hip hop videos are shot in the hood?

Proof?

Lil Wayne shot fireman in Brookhaven. Buckhead, Lindbergh, Brookhaven, and Dunwoody are the location of more Hip Hop video shoots than Bankhead.

Furthermore rapping is a form of entertainment, it does not mean the rapper itself is poor. For example Detective Benson isn't a real Detective, she just plays one on Law Order.

2Chainz is a rapper that graduated from college with a 4.0 and maintained a full ride scholarship while playing sports. He has also been married for over a decade.

I swear yall watch too much tv. Get to know the people you're judging before you pass judgement.

[magnetar]

The Law of City Data: The more that a person compares neighborhoods of a U.S. city to a "third world country," the lower the chances that that person has ever actually visited that neighborhood OR any third-world country.

I don't understand why so many people are comfortable shooting their mouths off about things they are completely ignorant about.

It's not third world. It's the inevitable byproduct of the capitalist "American dream." We have no problem with concentrations of wealth, but we complain about concentrations of poverty. And no one who complains about it is doing anything to change it.

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by Tryska

Why exactly do you want to do a driving tour of the hood? To gawk at the poors?

I thuoght the same thing when initially reading this comment. Many people here are speaking of people and neighborhoods like these people are an exhibit to them of a zoo.

Reminds me of how whites in Europe used to bring ethnic people, including Africans and other people of color to their cities and set up a community for them to gawk at.

It seems to me that too many people view American neighborhoods to be filled with "different" sorts of people and it is pretty....I can only say indicative of a lot of white supremacy minded ideas in regards to them wanting to look at ghetto blacks in action and to create stereotypes of whole communities based on movies and music videos.

Originally Posted by bryantm3

things have changed a lot since the 80s; many of these neighbourhoods and others across the US were essentially war zones.

the only place i really feel unsafe anymore in ATL is the bluff, and it's only an echo of the horror it used to be. now it's just heroin addicts huddled up over fires and shot out houses. think post-apocalyptic rather than apocalyptic.

pittsburgh feels pretty rough, but i think it's mainly because it's such an impoverished area rather than being a high crime one; you feel like you're driving through a third world country.

i don't think there are any places anymore in atlanta where you would actually be in danger of getting killed just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. even if you go into the bluff, you're not going to get hurt.

you might get scared though. i'm white, so if i go into an all-black neighbourhood that is known as a place to get heroin and not much else, dealers and police are going to think i'm in there buying. i have had people wave me down and try to get in front of the car to get me to stop and that can be pretty unnerving. i know they're just trying to make a sale, but i don't want to get anywhere near any of that stuff.

I remember a while ago, you posting a similar thread whereas you drove through the neighborhood.

Pray tell, how many people jumped on your car and tried to attack you in the bluff. How do you know that there was a house that was "shot up" in the neighborhood.

As stated, I lived in the neighborhood for 7 years. I saw a lot of abandoned and burned out houses, but none that were "shot up." There are heroine addicts in the neighborhood but the majority of people who live in the area are not addicts and are either renters or long term owner occupants.

It is pretty sad IMO how scary and prejudicial Americans are when it comes to the poor and especially to black poor people.

There are many people who drive through Vine City and English Avenue every day and nothing happens to them. You are more dangerous driving on Spaghetti Juntion or on various freeways in Atlanta where there is a high chance you will be killed or maimed in a car crash.

[magnetar]

Originally Posted by residinghere2007

As stated, I lived in the neighborhood for 7 years. I saw a lot of abandoned and burned out houses, but none that were "shot up." There are heroine addicts in the neighborhood but the majority of people who live in the area are not addicts and are either renters or long term owner occupants.

My understanding of the situation is that most of the heroin addicts just buy it on the bluff, then take it back home to Johns Creek to use it.

[arjay57]

I love to explore the city but hope I'm not guilty of "gawking."

[ATLTJL]

Proof?

[0nyxStation]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Well, they kind of are.

If we can have tours of where Walking Dead and Hunger Games were shot, why not have tours of where countless hip hop videos were shot?

Like it or not, these locations have been made famous by various artists.

really? If you see it as worthy of celebration....have at it.

[Soular]

Why are people so fascinated with the hood? Ain't nothing cool about looking and being fascinated with people in unfortunate situations.

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

FYI, that song is over 10 years old.

Bankhead Courts were demolished between 2008-2011. I think it was 2010. I worked for the company that demolished them.

But also FWIW, there are quite a few music videos and movies made in English Avenue that I personally saw filmed during the time I lived there. I met a few movie stars, including Terrence Howard and Hugh Jackman when they filmed "The Prisoners" in the neighborhood.

The public housing scenes in "The Blindside" were also filmed in the neighborhood. I spoke to a lot of the crews of various movies and TV shows who filmed in the neighborhood.

It would be different IMO if people wanted to view the neighborhood based upon association with famous movies and videos, but it seems the OP just wants to go gawk at ghetto negroes IMO. Then he/she can go tell their friends about how they survived the ghetto negroes and make up some fanciful story about seeing lots of "shot up" houses and heroine addicts.

Also, what magnetar said is truthful, most heroine addicts who come to buy drugs in neighborhood don't live in the neighborhood. Most of the people I knew in the area who were drug addicts were addicted to crack cocaine. Quite a few of them I got to know very well and encouraged them to get off of drugs. Quite a few of them did get off of drugs.

I just don't see the fascination with wanting to gawk at the ghetto really.

OP and others, why do you want to go look at people like they are zoo animals? And why are you of the belief that what you see in movies (including "Snow on Da Bluff) and music videos is representative of every day life in these neighborhoods.

Movies and music videos, even the movie referenced above, are fictional for the most part. IMO if you really care about what is going on in the neighborhoods you want to gawk at, you should volunteer your time and go help cleanup the neighborhood or help with other community initiatives instead of further fueling stereotypes of people.

[residinghere2007]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I love to explore the city but hope I'm not guilty of "gawking."

If you are exploring ghetto black neighborhoods with the intent of it being an "adventure" then IMO that is indicative of gawking at negroes.

I explored various parts of Atlanta primarily due to finding routes through the metro that I could take that had less traffic than the freeways when I had to drive all over the metro for work.

One of the first things I learned when I would be going from Cobb County to downtown Atlanta was that driving down Marietta to Bankhead to Brawley to MLK would get me to one of our offices much quicker than going down northside drive.

One of the craziest things to me about this whole conversation is the fact that the majority of people have probably already driven through "the Bluff." If you've gone down Simpson St/Joseph E. Boone, you have driven through it. If you have driven down 78 to Northside Drive, you have already driven through it. If you have driven down Ashby/Joseph E. Lowery to Marietta St, then you have driven through it.

Also, as was posed to another member, I highly doubt anyone jumped on your car or shot at you. As stated, I lived in English Avenue every day for 7 years. I have tenants right now in that house and I was never shot at or attacked and the house has never been broken into either. If it is such a shot filled, criminally minded neighborhood, then how did I live there nearly a decade without anything happening to me.

I also personally know practically all the white people who live in the neighborhood. Other than being harrassed by police, they also have had few bad experiences. The neighborhood is actually pretty quiet. A relative who had to stay with me for about 6 months was shocked at how quiet it was due to the rumors she heard about it being unsafe. She said it was much quieter than her own suburban neighborhood.