The Chicago Factor: Are Transplants from Chicago Ruining Our State? (Waterloo: to buy, income)

[jeffs]

And by the way, white folks are no different. I know some that would never live in Iowa, because they want a bigger city, faster pace, and that's fine. Just like their are some blacks that want a more laid back slower way of life. Why is this even a discussion, let people live where they want to live.

[jeffs]

Originally Posted by Observation

I'm sorry, but that sounds like typical white suburban area crime to me.
Most gang graffiti is just little wannabees and HSers who are not in gangs that are bored, "gang graffiti" happens here in nice areas.

As for gun shots, how often do you hear them? They were probably just people trying them out.

double homocide down the street, open drug dealing, drug houses, people shooting up an smoking crack on the sidewalk, robberies every day, shot out streetlights, shootings all over the place, a drive by at the convienance store, next door neighbor stabbed to death, raids every couple months.

In a neigborhood near me in Davenport, Iowa we had 3 major drug busts, one had over 400 pounds of pot, and 20 kilo's of coke. 2 murders in a matter of a week, multiple home invasions and robberies, a kidnapping, and numerous assaults. One guy was shot and killed in front of some Jr. high kids waiting for their school bus. And that was in less than 3 weeks. Crack houses, crack heads roaming the street, breaking into cars, begging for money, robbing people. Thats a usual routine here. And it happend in housing projects that are 90% black. So i'm sure it wasnt a bunch of wannabe white boys acting tough. And guess what the two murderers who were convicted, both from Chicago. One of the drug busts, from Chicago. A guy who beat another half to death with a crowbar, from Chicago. And yes I heard gun shots a few nights a week, and they weren't testing them out.

[jeffs]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

Actually, math and reading scores for African-Americans are higher in Iowa than Mississippi.

And we also don't have one of the most racist governors in America, and we also don't have huge groups of active KKK members up here.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by jeffs

And we also don't have one of the most racist governors in America, and we also don't have huge groups of active KKK members up here.

In most of the state anyway. I am aware of the incident in Dubuque from years back. That being said, I don't recall Iowa coming up with a license plate honoring the first Grand Wizard of the KKK Nathan Bedford Forrest. Only in Mississippi is this happening. I have seen quite a few Iowa license plates in Georgia, as many Iowans either travel through Atlanta or settle here. Not a one did I ever see with any kind of Confederate flag.

[jeffs]

I apologize Observation, not trying to come off as bitter, but it just pisses me off, when people from LA, NYC, Miami, and other major cities, treat Iowa like it's a bunch of of old, white, racist, backwoods, hicks. We have cities here too. Iowa is never going to be the entertainment capital of the world, but there is a low cost of living, the same stores and amenities as bigger cities, just on a smaller scale, less traffic, friendly people. We're one of the few states in America who aren't billions in debt. There's plenty of reasons people choose to move here, white, black, brown, or green. Come to Davenport sometime, tour a high school, go to one of the many black baptist churches, go to a black history or juneteeth celebration, go to one of the neighborhood block parties, where whites and blacks come together to help their neighborhoods, before you just make stereotypical statements.

[jeffs]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

In most of the state anyway. I am aware of the incident in Dubuque from years back. That being said, I don't recall Iowa coming up with a license plate honoring the first Grand Wizard of the KKK Nathan Bedford Forrest. Only in Mississippi is this happening. I have seen quite a few Iowa license plates in Georgia, as many Iowans either travel through Atlanta or settle here. Not a one did I ever see with any kind of Confederate flag.

Yeah Dubuque was pretty bad, but even there many black families have moved in, the whole downtown has been renovated, it's actually a nice town. But yeah I've heard stories about Dubuque back in the 70's and 80's being pretty racist.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by jeffs

In a neigborhood near me in Davenport, Iowa we had 3 major drug busts, one had over 400 pounds of pot, and 20 kilo's of coke. 2 murders in a matter of a week, multiple home invasions and robberies, a kidnapping, and numerous assaults. One guy was shot and killed in front of some Jr. high kids waiting for their school bus. And that was in less than 3 weeks. Crack houses, crack heads roaming the street, breaking into cars, begging for money, robbing people. Thats a usual routine here. And it happend in housing projects that are 90% black. So i'm sure it wasnt a bunch of wannabe white boys acting tough. And guess what the two murderers who were convicted, both from Chicago. One of the drug busts, from Chicago. A guy who beat another half to death with a crowbar, from Chicago. And yes I heard gun shots a few nights a week, and they weren't testing them out.

Perhaps my own view stems from being in metropolitan Atlanta. Murders are routine, even in some of the rural areas outside of Atlanta. Where my parents live, it is around 75% White and 16% African-American. When we moved there in 1997, it was 94% White and 4% African-American. Meth was and still is a big issue. In fact, my younger brother was walking with his friend through another subdivision near my parent's subdivision. They came across some house that didn't look quite right. The next day that house exploded. It was from a meth lab.
In my apartment complex, we have had many drug busts.
It also depends on what neighborhood in Davenport you live in. I know where I live, it is supposedly a safe suburb, but I have been mugged coming home from work near an apartment complex. I also mention that there have been drug busts, and gang graffiti appearing. I live north of my university, where the most stuff happens. Why I live there, well, it is cheaper.

[green_mariner]

Iowa has had Black people in the state since before 1900. You had the settlement of Buxton. You also had some of the exodusters who settled in Nebraska and Kansas. Some of those exodusters settled in Iowa. George Washington Carver went to university in Iowa.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by jeffs

Yeah Dubuque was pretty bad, but even there many black families have moved in, the whole downtown has been renovated, it's actually a nice town. But yeah I've heard stories about Dubuque back in the 70's and 80's being pretty racist.

Dubuque is the only place I know of that had a bad reputation. I once considered living there because I am Catholic. After hearing about some of the stuff that happened, I started to question that. More African-Americans live there now.

[jeffs]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

Iowa has had Black people in the state since before 1900. You had the settlement of Buxton. You also had some of the exodusters who settled in Nebraska and Kansas. Some of those exodusters settled in Iowa. George Washington Carver went to university in Iowa.

Thank you for making some good points. George Washington Carver went to Iowa St, and invented many things we still use today, Frederick Douglass lived in Davenport, Iowa while he was helping abolishinists, Duke Slater played football for U of I in 1920 way before desegregation. Other teams refused to play Iowa because of them, but Iowa always defended him. Gene Baker was the first black to play in the National league in baseball, second only to Jackie Robinson. Iowa has plenty of black history. Is it the melting pot of the country, no, but it's not some back woods state either.