Does it make you upset that Baltimore is a BLACK City??! (crime, live in)

[Woodlands]

Originally Posted by pwduvall

I have said this before, but I will say it again. While some white people may be upset that Baltimore is a black city, a huge portion of the city’s majority black population doesn’t have any particular interest in living in a majority black city, or any city.

I will go a step further. That fact that Baltimore is a black city is an accident of history, a combination of the great migration out of the south into a cities like Baltimore that offered opportunities at that time. At the same time, the city was losing its majority white population to suburbanization. In other words, two migrations were taking place at almost the same time. The outward migration of white people was probably hastened by declines in the city’s quality of live, but it would have happened anyway.

In my experience, the black majority population has no strong attachment to urban life. Instead, the attachment to the city is driven by very real attachments to family, friends, and institutions. While these attachments are quite real, they inevitably dissipate over a period of generations.

If Baltimore has a future (and I believe it does) that future will be driven by people of all races that want to live at least part of their lives in a city, people making conscious choices over lifestyle. Regardless of race, Baltimore will besuccessful when most of its residents want to live here. Sadly, this is probably not the case right now. Realignment of the population towards voluntary urbanists has been taking place over the past decade but, at the rate we are going, the process will take generations.

Five or six years ago I ran into a young white guy, an apprentice electrician that had grown up in Remington. He had recently moved to Perry Hall. He seemed very bitter about what he characterized as the rapid decline of Remington. Ironically, white hipster types were swooping into Remington at the very same time. Was Remington unlivable for white people at that time? Hell no. Instead, he wanted to live in the burbs and wasn’t interested in what his neighborhood was becoming. He bitterly explained his move based on blacks moving in (actually not true) and declines in the neighborhood’s quality of life. I don’t buy it. He wanted to move to Perry Hall; and that’s what he did.

A lot of the City’s current black residents have feelings about the city that are not all that different from the Remington guy’s. Perhaps they lack the resources needed to live where they would like, but their vague dissatisfaction is not all that different and a heck of a lot more difficult to resolve.

I would agree and add.. Many people that move into the City now (white or black) do so by CHOICE. They want to live in an urban environment, particuliar house style, neighborhood, close to work etc etc. That contrast with many folks who currently live/grew up in the City and want to get OUT which is not uncommon with any age demographic.. most dont want to live as their parents have.. so folks in the City want OUT.. people who grew up in the suburbs may want IN. Those who are IN the City may not be there by choice and often get irritated when they see things change around them (for better-gentrification or worse-blight) especially if the change is more social than physical (i.e. race, hipster, yuppie..or folks simply different than what was considered NORMAL).

What is interesting about your Perry Hall friend is that he probably moved because he saw a black family or two and assumed that the neighborhood was in decline so got the heck out.. The neighborhood was in transistion but the number of blacks moving in was quickly offset by hipsters and the neighborhood took an entirely different course.. but in Baltimore the slightest racial change, based on past events, prompt some groups to make split decisions for one reason or another. Given the Baltimore areas racial fault lines.. I doubt Perry Hall will turn "black" anytime soon.. and he may know that as well if that is an important issue for him. So I would venture to guess that he wanted to move to the suburbs anyway but people often associate major life changing events not associated with a job or other lifestyle change as being prompted by something they feel is a negative event no matter how small.. for him it was blacks moving in (even if just one or two) others its a change in school zone, rise in property taxes, (more space-could be one.. but there likely exist housing with more space in the City but maybe more costly or in less desirable neighborhoods)

[Woodlands]

How does Baltimore being a majority black city affect the average person's everyday life to where they would feel its an issue? Unless, the issue is to imply that a predominately black city is thus dominated by black politicos who in turn mismanage the City and thus that causes residents of other races who live there issues because it affects your financial quality of life via taxes, services etc? Or that is what one believes is the case because of the demographic.... Other than that.. I cant see why anyone would be upset with who is the majority in their City if they like there home, neighborhood, friends, work, etc.? I bet if you polled the residents of Harbor East or Canton that are transplants and actually MOVED to the City by choice.. I am certain that who the majority is in the City was likely not a factor.. I suspect that Baltimore's white, asian, and latino population are likely increasing faster than the black population(which is likely decreasing).I wonder how many of those folks that are moving in have an issue with this.. I cant imagine many or else they wouldnt be here.........

[designer_genes]

Originally Posted by Calvert Hall '62

I'd guess that the crime rates would be somewhat less.

Only because less people live there. If you packed all of Appalachia into a place the size of Baltimore, I'd be willing to bet the crime rates would be similar.

Breaking Bad? Winter's Bone (If you haven't heard of it, look it up. Features Jennifer Lawrence before she was all over the place. Highly recommend.)? Don't try to act like rural white poverty does not breed crime.

Like I've said on this forum umpteen times before (and am growing sick of repeating), it is not urbanness, blackness, liberalism, or any other red herring you want to throw out there that breeds crime. It's poverty. Plain and simple. And poverty exists no matter what party is in charge.

[designer_genes]

Originally Posted by Woodlands

How does Baltimore being a majority black city affect the average person's everyday life to where they would feel its an issue? Unless, the issue is to imply that a predominately black city is thus dominated by black politicos who in turn mismanage the City and thus that causes residents of other races who live there issues because it affects your financial quality of live via taxes, services etc? Or that is what one believes is the the case.... Other than that.. I cant see why anyone would be upset with who is the majority in their City if they like there home, neighborhood, friends, work, etc.? I bet if you polled the residents of Harbor East or Canton that are transplants and actually MOVED to the City by choice.. I am certain that who the majority is in the City was likely not a factor.. I suspect that Baltimore's white, asian, and latino population are likely increasing faster than the black population(which is likely decreasing).I wonder how many of those folks that are moving in have an issue with this.. I cant imagine many or else they wouldnt be here.........

Agreed.

[dogpark]

Originally Posted by designer_genes

Like I've said on this forum umpteen times before (and am growing sick of repeating), it is not urbanness, blackness, liberalism, or any other red herring you want to throw out there that breeds crime. It's poverty. Plain and simple. And poverty exists no matter what party is in charge.

If I could give you rep again, I would.

[Woodlands]

Originally Posted by designer_genes

Agreed.

I can see back in the 1960s and 1970s and guys who subscribed to the beliefs of the character below being mad..


because a guy looked like this guy lost the to someone like this for Mayor....




but today.. it doesnt really matter.. You can live in a virtual world and not leave your home if you choose OR you can frequent certain parts of town and certain establishments and be totally socially segregated and not even think you are in a "black town" if that is imporant to you...

[designer_genes]

Originally Posted by dogpark

If I could give you rep again, I would.

Originally Posted by Woodlands

you can frequent certain parts of town and certain establishments and be totally socially segregated and not even think you are in a "black town" if that is imporant to you...

There are in fact plenty of Baltimoreans that already do this, which contributes to the segregation that is rampant in this city.

[nurider2002]

None of my black friends live in the city. They view it with distain. So, I don't think its really a black/white issue as much as a class issue. Baltimore has a legacy of poverty that many in the black community have not been able to escape. There are many reasons why; but I think the issues of crime, drugs, and poverty are what hamper Baltimore's reputation and quality of life. Until we create opportunities to help the underclass, the divide will continue. Very sad.

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by thealfa

when I first moved to MD in my teens, I thought the whole state seem to have a black flavor (ahem favor), that includes non-blacks. This was in PG County. I've seen non-blacks with black swag (whatever that means). The state having a black majority city also gave me the mindset that the whole state seem to "appear" ghetto (listen to the way people talk in the malls in PG County). It may be different now due to the diversity that happened in the last 5 years or so...

PG County is an expensive ghetto outside of the over $500,000 homes. The people living in those homes also have personality issues as well. They were high educated people considering the houses they lived in. I wonder which HBCU they went to? Everyone of them seem to have graduated without ever taking a class in interpersonal communication so that they would know how to act and or interact with people not like them. Attending HBCUs perhaps may have made most of these people racists and view others as "inferior". They call this "reverse" racism even though there really is no such thing, just racism. Calling something "reverse" is like saying such people have no racism in their blood but somehow it just popped out of nowhere so it became "reversed". Please!

Black=Ghetto?

The things people say on the Internet without having the cajones to say it in their faces.

[tcave360]

Originally Posted by designer_genes

Only because less people live there. If you packed all of Appalachia into a place the size of Baltimore, I'd be willing to bet the crime rates would be similar.

Breaking Bad? Winter's Bone (If you haven't heard of it, look it up. Features Jennifer Lawrence before she was all over the place. Highly recommend.)? Don't try to act like rural white poverty does not breed crime.

Like I've said on this forum umpteen times before (and am growing sick of repeating), it is not urbanness, blackness, liberalism, or any other red herring you want to throw out there that breeds crime. It's poverty. Plain and simple. And poverty exists no matter what party is in charge.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=barWV7RWkq0