Why I am Leaving Memphis (school, calculation, camp)

[mjtinmemphis]

I talk to older African Americans all the time that have moved to the midwest and east coast to start their lives in places where there are more opportunities and better quality of life and move back to Memphis to take advantage of the low cost of housing and to enjoy their retirement. I can say that I am leaving for the same reasons they left 50 years ago. It is so so sad that alot of potential will not be realised for Memphis due to it not being able to get over its past hurdles. It has not only taken its toll on African Americans, its also taken its toll on Whites and other groups that choose to relocate here.

[UofMGrad92]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

I talk to older African Americans all the time that have moved to the midwest and east coast to start their lives in places where there are more opportunities and better quality of life and move back to Memphis to take advantage of the low cost of housing and to enjoy their retirement. I can say that I am leaving for the same reasons they left 50 years ago. It is so so sad that alot of potential will not be realised for Memphis due to it not being able to get over its past hurdles. It has not only taken its toll on African Americans, its also taken its toll on Whites and other groups that choose to relocate here.

I think the two groups that would have the hardest time living in Memphis are older blacks and middle class blacks of any age. In so many areas, older people (especially older black people) are virtual prisoners in their own homes, surrounded by blight and gangs who prey on anyone in the area. They can't afford to get out to a better area, and the punks who rule the streets in their area have no respect for them. It must be a miserable life to have lived through and fought the civil rights battle and now have to live this way.

For middle class blacks, if you stay in traditionally black parts of town, you often have to endure less than safe neighborhoods and poor schools. If you move to traditionally white areas, you find either hostility or suspicion from the white folks there. There are just not many truly integrated, middle class neighborhoods in this area (I mean neighborhoods that are 30+ percent of a different race in a stable environment..ie, not the late stages of white flight or the early stages of a neighborhood turning over from white to black).

Until the middle class of all races can learn to live together, I fear that there is little hope for Memphis. When the black and white middle class starts pulling on the oars together and in the same direction, demanding accountability, competency, and honesty from politicians, saftey and security from law enforcement, and quality education from the schools, things will change. As long as we distract ourselves fighting with each other, we let those who are supposed to lead us, protect us, and educate our children hide from their responsibilities and nothing will change.

[Kabluey]

Originally Posted by mjtinmemphis

And yes Sherman burned the wrong city.

Classy.

[takemehometooldham]

You have a very good point in your response to my "venting" e mail. You brought up the black perspective and cited some of your own observations concerning employment and associated issues in Memphis.

I have not considered looking at the issue from perhaps a differing perspective and this is to my detriment. I read your thoughts and it made me think that I, in turn, was probably too parochial concerning the fashion I viewed this topic. So, if an objective was to prompt some internal reflection this was, at least on my part, accomplished.

So, I'll accept my twenty lashes with a wet noodle on that one but not retract much concerning anything else.

Thanks for the well written note!

[Thundakatt]

I thinik Memphis and Nashville both are great. Nashville is a little more on the greater side than memphis but I am stuck here cause I want to be where I have family

[mjtinmemphis]

Originally Posted by takemehometooldham

You have a very good point in your response to my "venting" e mail. You brought up the black perspective and cited some of your own observations concerning employment and associated issues in Memphis.

I have not considered looking at the issue from perhaps a differing perspective and this is to my detriment. I read your thoughts and it made me think that I, in turn, was probably too parochial concerning the fashion I viewed this topic. So, if an objective was to prompt some internal reflection this was, at least on my part, accomplished.

So, I'll accept my twenty lashes with a wet noodle on that one but not retract much concerning anything else.

Thanks for the well written note!

You don't need twenty lashes....well maybe two or three light ones.

One thing that we are lacking on a local, national and international level is tolerance and understanding (I have to watch myself too).

In the mid-south it is so easy to get caught up into seeing things in black and white. Its either right or wrong. There is no in between nor judging things on a case by case basis.

As I said many times before I've seen blacks take a very nasty and mean attitude towards whites just because of the color of their skin and that isn't right. I've also noticed the cultural ignorance of whites when it comes to dealing with issues that they have not experienced nor probably never will experience.

A few months ago I read a statistic stating that white male high school drop outs over the age of 25 in Memphis had a lower unemployment rate and higher earnings than Black male high school graduates.

I've always tried to be conscientious and on the up and up when it comes to civil rights and progressive politics. I've always been aware of racist tendencies in humans. However, I've never been hurt nor have I seen so many people hurt by discrimination as I've seen in Memphis. The system was designed to hurt blacks but it has backed fired in everyone's face and its hurting everything and everybody that touches this town. Its a loose loose situation.

[lordchrome]

Wow, I’ve seen a lot in Memphis. I first lived in Memphis in 2001, and I came back for a short while in 2008. I saw more of the same-- it’s a transitional city for people of other states. I’ve lived in New York, California, MD, Virginia and Chicago. But I’ve never seen anything like Memphis. The violence has gotten worse, and watching the news when I was last down there I saw that a family of 6 was killed and the coroner’s pictures of this horror were posted on the web. I guess the lady’s face frozen in time from being strangled was too much. But when we first moved there the east side of Memphis was the place to be. We lived at Water Grove Apartments in Hickory Hill. But in 6 months the element began moving in and the baby ducks my daughter used to catch and release were getting clubbed and the area began turning dark (as in crazy). So Germantown and Collierville became the areas to move to. But soon these areas became overrun with crime and people began moving further away. When I visited some of the areas in now Collierville the white people looked at us funny like “why are they here at this playground playing” with their kids. But I understood their resentment. Driving through Memphis and seeing the state of blacks in Memphis: All you have to do is go to the Whitehaven area and or even the Hickory hill area which used to be nice, and I even felt uneasy using the bathrooms in McDonalds. Whitehaven looks like a war zone with tons of homeless wandering around and Thugs on most corners. I know those people going to see Elvis maybe ending up with more than an Elvis trip, especially if they get off the beaten path just by walking around the corner. I even saw steel bars around the outside of an air conditioner. What a wasteland. It seems the whites and affluent blacks have to keep building more homes and businesses further and further out from Memphis to Germantown to Collierville and beyond to Tipton and Fayette counties to whatever is next just to live like normal human beings. My advice is to get out unless you want substandard schools, ignorant customer service, crime constantly encroaching and children with tight clothes with glitter. It’s no place for a professional only ignorant ghetto fabulous and good old boys, black and white, who won’t give you the time of day and will top it off with the crab in the bucket mentality. And Mexicans: don’t come here-- they hate Mexicans even more than they hate each other.
Thank God we got out of there.
And the “Sherman burned the wrong southern city” comment? Priceless, and totally true.

[k350]

Memphis just plain sucks right along with other alike cities suck as Detroit. Racism and poverty is no excuse for the criminal activity that occurs at such rates there.

Two years ago my mom decided to relocate out of Florida and chose Memphis, against my advice of course, as a place to reside. She moved back to Florida after four months of living in Memphis, Germantown area.

I would call Memphis America's third world, but its even worst than that, I have lived in a couple of thrid world countries and traveled in many others and they do not hold a flame to memphis in terms of outright rudness, criminal activity and all around blight, and as someone mentioned, seems many in Memphis, especially those residing in the ghetto areas, take pride in what they have done to the city. But hey, blame racism, it works, it alleviates self responsibility.

[pushkinswife]

I have lived in Memphis all my life. I agree with the comments-sad and true. At the same time I am here and there is nothing I can do about it-at least not now. I complain alot...I feel smothered here. I travel quite a bit and am amazed by the progression in other cities. Its a small town mentality here..small dreams and small beliefs and its sickening. But I am here and I try to make the best of it. I am looking forward to great things. I am African-American and I love everybody black, white, latino, asian...I will not let Memphis polarize me and "box" me in. There is no box as far as I am concerned. And I think if everyone in Memphis had this mentality it would be a better place for us all. Yes, I am disgusted here but why am I going to let it defeat me? Yes, I cried when Herenton ordered my childhood library (Levi branch) to close this year. Why would you close an educational facility? Money? But your cronies are making grossly inflated salaries and not even qualified for their jobs. Memphis sucks- but that does not mean I can't capitilize off the low price of living and get all the experience I can at my job. I guess I am trying to find hope here..I'm still trying....

[strumpeace]

Update --

The City Council says it will not go along with Mr. Herenton's plans to close the library branches and community centers.