How can you become a "World Class City" with "low to no class" residents?? (Baltimore: how much, theater)

[Tinawina]

Originally Posted by ddiva

Cedonia is in northeastern Baltimore City. It's really close to Rosedale (In Baltimore County)

Oh thanks! I can add that to my list to check out. And I just thought of another one I forgot to list... Hoe's Heights.

As many times as I've moved I've found that it's not uncommon for the decent middle or working class black neighborhoods to fly under the radar. It's a curious phenomenon. I understand the worst of the ghettos are (usually) full of mostly people of color, but somehow that morphs in people's minds to there being no place or only one place that's predominately black that's livable, when in truth there are always at least a few even if they are not big neighborhoods. This happened when I moved to Boston too. Sometimes even black people will forget or not know abotu certain areas. It's strange.

[dogpark]

Originally Posted by Hamish Forbes

Yes -- the first time was off Edmondson Avenue (Harlem Avenue, Poplar Grove, and so forth) in the early-mid 1950's. Second time was fairly near Memorial Stadium in the mid 1960's. The third time, which was more gradual and much less ugly than a formal blockbusting, was in Idlewood some years later.

OK, that helps me understand better where you are coming from, thanks.

[rfp]

Baltimore is not a cerebral town, but like old, worn shoes, it is comfortable once you get used to it. One can live a good life there.

[The Notorious DGD]

Originally Posted by Infinite_heights77

How do you know that I haven't done this already?

Because if you had left, why would you waste this much time b****ing about how much you hate it here, how dumb and classless everyone is, and how much you'd rather be somewhere else? That's even more pathetic than complaining about a place you haven't left, regardless of whether you're genuine or a hungry troll who needs to be fed. (Given the remarkable similarity in writing styles between you, Harbor East Guy, and the pretend Ivy grad, it's pretty obvious where you stand in that regard, especially considering Harbor East Guy stopped posting about the same time you started your rants.)

[Infinite_heights77]

Baltimore needs a "Cerebral Movement!!" Old, worn shoes that don't wanna come off.

Originally Posted by rfp

Baltimore is not a cerebral town, but like old, worn shoes, it is comfortable once you get used to it. One can live a good life there.

[Infinite_heights77]

You no nothing of what you speak!! Smh.. whatever

Originally Posted by The Notorious DGD

Because if you had left, why would you waste this much time b****ing about how much you hate it here, how dumb and classless everyone is, and how much you'd rather be somewhere else? That's even more pathetic than complaining about a place you haven't left, regardless of whether you're genuine or a hungry troll who needs to be fed. (Given the remarkable similarity in writing styles between you, Harbor East Guy, and the pretend Ivy grad, it's pretty obvious where you stand in that regard, especially considering Harbor East Guy stopped posting about the same time you started your rants.)

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by Infinite_heights77

You no nothing of what you speak!! Smh.. whatever

There's a way to make all of your points, which have some merit, without being insulting and trollish. I like conversing with you but it can get tiresome at times.

[Infinite_heights77]

Why does Baltimore need to be a "world class" city anyway?

**Seriously!! What is wrong with aspiring to be WORLD CLASS? Is that a crime or something?
__________________________________________________ ___________________-

Originally Posted by Tinawina

ANYWHOO...

Why does Baltimore need to be a "world class" city anyway? I hate that term.

Why can't it just be a better functioning version of itself? A place like say, Columbus OH, isn't a "world class' city, but its overall a nice place to live and had a decent economy.

Anyway I do agree that besides Johns Hopkins and the accompanying health services sector, Blatimore doesn't really have a profitable industry attached besides perhaps the port and to a lesser degree higher ed in general, and a small but viable arts scene. If another business sector could be attached it would help.

I also agree that Baltimore suffers from it's suburbs not being counted as part of the city/metro area.

[fibonacci]

While waiting at the red light yesterday, I was next to a car with a lady that had no problem opening up her window and throwing trash out of her car. This was definitely not the first time I've seen this in Baltimore. You really think you would see something like that happen in say like a place Bathesda? Baltimore is a hole filled with animals that deserve to live in holes.

[K-Luv]

A World Class City is a city that has all of the amenities of a first-world city (theater, arts, parks, shopping, transportation, industry, etc. etc.), but is also a destination city for potential residents and tourists. There is also a third factor some may consider; being a leader in business, research, education, and a few others. Baltimore has medicine and education down, but those who come here for college tend to leave as soon as they graduate and many in the medical fields who come here to train or do research leave as soon as their rotations are over.

The best shot Baltimore has in revitalizing its image, structure, economy, etc. is to find a way to retain college students: perhaps by offering a substantial tax credit for X number of years they remain after graduation.

Originally Posted by EdwardA

Pipe dream. You're comparing Baltimore which is 65% Black to cities where the Black population is under 10%. Unless you're planning on forcibly removing Baltimore's Black population or there is a cultural change among Baltimore's Black population. I don't see how they'll attract the type of families you want in any appreciable number.

It needs to come from both sides. Whether some like it or not, blacks need to ditch the whole ghetto culture mentality (whites, Hispanics, etc., too) and whites need to realize that most "hoods" are not out to rob them. What I see as huge stumbling stone in this is that too many blacks in Baltimore are afraid of "acting white" or being labeled as uppity. Being book smart is uppity. Not talking in ebonics is being white. Not wearing Nike's or not smoking menthols or not listening to hip-hop and/or R&B is not being black. If you are black, and like heavy metal music, you are not black according to the black community, but whites would think you were cool as heck.

I am from Northern California, so I will use Oakland as an example. Oakland has a reputation for not only being a "black city"--at least in California (roughly 36% black, 31% white, 22% Hispanic), but also a city that is one huge dangerous ghetto. Now, Oakland does have its problems with drugs and gangs, and has its impoverished areas, some of which only the most hard-core gang members venture into, but this is only a small portion of the city. There is a huge black activist population in Oakland that does not deny their black identity, however the reject the whole notion of ghetto-anything. And for that they have a lot of non-blacks on their side.

Baltimore blacks need to adopt a similar approach; be Afrocentric, not ghetto.