Is racism prevalent in Boston? (Brockton, Lynn: sales, safe area, calculator)

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by MDude25

Totally disagree with the bolded. It's South Asians that are the most successful minority group in Boston and Massachusetts in general, and by that I mean Pakistanis and Indians. The South Asian ethnic groups are academically and financially accomplished more so than other races. In most cases they are on par with their white counterparts and some above. Just look at many of the startup companies in Boston/Cambridge or the employees in major companies there.

South Asians lack the number in Boston of blacks. For Asians are 9% of the city and blacks are 24%. South Asians are what 3%? I don't even know any Indians born and raised in Boston or in office or with any like cultural influence in the city. No doubt they have an outsized influence in some part of the private sector.

[BostonBornMassMade]

Originally Posted by GKelly

Isn't Boston predominately a college town? I would think it would be more diverse and liberal because of that.

No. it's actually not. The residential non college area of Boston proper is dense and pretty large.

[Dm84]

Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade

No. it's actually not. The residential non college area of Boston proper is dense and pretty large.

To be fair most tourists confine themselves to the college heavy areas. If you dropped them in the middle of Roxbury they wouldn't think they were in Boston.

[stanley-88888888]

my experience with boston is that there were a few bigoted incidents i've experienced. it was probably the most red-lined (which is actual institutionalized/systematic/government exercised racism) city in the 70's/80's and still remains in the top-ten (comparatively chicago, new york city, miami probably have worse racist policies; e.g. stop-and-frisk, ...).

i dont think racism is the most prevalent thing in boston. i would assume that people think about the red sox, universities, smart-fones, ... more so these days. also i would think that other cities have somewhat more prevailing racial discriminatory practices than boston these days.

[cwaggy]

I lived in a very mixed part of Dorchester - white, brown, yellow, black, straight, gay and everything in between. We all helped each other out and no one ever saw color. We were neighbors first and foremost and keeping our street clean and beating back the low-lifes and maintaining our neighborhood was #1. Last month I was at a wedding between former neighbors whose kids were 8 when I moved out - Asian bride, Latino Groom, doctor and a lawyer now 20 years later. It can be done. Hate is learned and often inherited.

[Monkey1970]

Like someone a few post above said, it is probably more or less the same compared to other US cities.

[intheclouds1]

Originally Posted by Monkey1970

Like someone a few post above said, it is probably more or less the same compared to other US cities.

People who say things like that have never lived outside of Boston. Racism in Boston is definitely more prevalent than other American cities of its size, which is a shame.

[KMConrad]

I lived in Beantown many years- White, female, from Buffalo area. Yuh, I'd say fairly racist (lived in Southie for a time, so...) The phrase you heard was almost certainly "race TRAITOR". Should you move there, and it's a GREAT CITY, most of your friends are likely to be non-native Bostonians, like mine tended to be.

[bostonguy1960]

Blacks still, occasionally, complain about taxi drivers in Boston refusing them...in decent parts of town! Yes, it happens.

A pleasant black male, about 30, and dressed pleasantly and casually, entered my cab at a Back Bay cabstand last month. It was around 11 p.m., and he needed to get to Allston. He usually does a round trip as he drops off food for his brother there. He even offers the round-trip fare upfront, but he claims the taxi drivers sometimes/always (?) refuse him. I think he's a lawyer. These cabbies are likely darker skinned themselves...and yet they won't help out a well-presented black male with a basic ride request?

Believe me. I won't detail other anecdotes I've heard about minorities versus local cabbies, but likely will later.

[missionhill]

Originally Posted by bostonguy1960

Blacks still, occasionally, complain about taxi drivers in Boston refusing them...in decent parts of town! Yes, it happens.

A pleasant black male, about 30, and dressed pleasantly and casually, entered my cab at a Back Bay cabstand last month. It was around 11 p.m., and he needed to get to Allston. He usually does a round trip as he drops off food for his brother there. He even offers the round-trip fare upfront, but he claims the taxi drivers sometimes/always (?) refuse him. I think he's a lawyer. These cabbies are likely darker skinned themselves...and yet they won't help out a well-presented black male with a basic ride request?

Believe me. I won't detail other anecdotes I've heard about minorities versus local cabbies, but likely will later.

I drove a cab for awhile in the 70s-- long time ago-- and was very uncomfortable with the prevailing practice of other white cabbies I knew then -- at Checker Taxi and Boston Cab -- who would not stop for blacks. I didn't always stop either but I often did. In those racially heated times, I nearly paid for it with my life after picking up a couple of guys on Huntington Avenue who went out to Circuit Street in Roxbury. I was held up with knife to my neck. Yikes! But who knows, treating these guys with respect may have made the difference between losing my money and losing my life. White passengers weren't always so great either. Some would beat the fare. I remember two middle aged African American women getting out of the theatre -- Schubert or Charles Playhouse or something -- and asking to be taken "uptown," by which they meant one of the fancier streets of Roxbury off Elm Hill and Walnut Avenues. I have never before or since heard anyone call that area "uptown."