My thoughts and opinions on Pittsburgh after being in NYC for almost 3 years... (York: 2014, homes)
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So, I've been visiting family here in Pittsburgh and have been staying in the area for the past two months. I'll be heading back to New York City in late December/Early January. I will admit, after living in New York for almost 3 years, I had quite the culture shock (reverse culture shock) upon coming back to the Western PA area, and had to share my observations, thoughts, and opinions with this sub forum on city data. There was little that surprised me considering I was born and raised here...but it seems like very little has changed here at all. Here's just the 6 points that stand out in my head.
1.The Pittsburgh Job Market is absolutely TERRIBLE.
Upon coming back to Pittsburgh, I figured that it would be relatively easy to find some kind of work to save up money to bring back to New York to help me out financially. I figured absolutely wrong. After sending out numerous amounts of resumes, applying to random places via craigslist/indeed/monster, and just driving around trying to find something, I came up with absolutely nothing. One interview after sending over 50-100 resumes out over the span of the month of September. ONE! The job market here has always been struggling more or less from what I can remember, but it seems much worse now than it was before I moved to New York.
Then I found this article from the Post Gazette from last year...
The following cites that Pittsburgh only added 2,100 jobs in 2013. When considering the actual downtown population (which has dwindled to just over 300,000) it seems relatively less bleak then when comparing it the metro population of almost 2,700,000.
Then I found this other article from the Post Gazette from earlier this year.
This states more of the obvious...not only is the area dead last in job growth, but it's also losing jobs and population. I would know because I was one of the many people who left the area after college to seek greener pastures in NYC (and I found them) after realizing there was nothing job opportunity wise here in Pittsburgh, amongst other reasons which I will briefly describe within my next point.
2. Pittsburgh is DISGUSTINGLY Racist.
As a black man who grew up in Pittsburgh, I've had numerous experiences (too many to name) where I felt like my race was making me the subject of unjustified scrutiny...simply because of the nature of Pittsburgh (and America in general). Sure, everywhere in America (and the world) has some degree of racism, but not only does Pittsburgh refuse to acknowledge it's own racism, but it manifests terribly to the point where it gives this Northern city the vibe of many Southern areas IMHO. First of all, it's terribly segregated. Blacks are relegated to areas tucked away from the major parts of the downtown area (Wilkinsburg, Hill District, North Side, etc..) and the disparities between those areas and the white areas of Pittsburgh (Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, South Side, Regent Square), are like night and day. Pittsburgh is NOT diverse at all. Living in New York, I was used to living and working around people of all races, ethnicties, genders, orientations, and it created more of a sense of "universal identity" as an American, in my opinion. Here, if you're not white, you're just not right in the eyes of many and trying to maneuver the area as anything but white will prove VERY difficult. There have been many times where I've just been walking around many of the cities neighborhoods and I've felt like I was simply "not welcomed" by the stares of it's residents upon noticing my presence in them.
Going back to my last point in regards to this, if you're black like me and don't play for the Steelers...good luck finding employment. When I was living in New York, like I said before, I was used to working around people of all races. I've had managers and supervisors of all races and genders. Here, it seems like young black people in general are not being considered for any sort of employment position that doesn't involve cooking or cleaning. I just got too used to seeing black men and women working in positions that ranged from low end service industry jobs to high end corporate positions. It seems like that's not the case in Pittsburgh, where it seems like there are only a few black women that get hired at a small number of places in the Downtown Area, and black men are seemingly non-existent from any of those positions. Pittsburgh has a very old school racist vibe to it in my honest opinion. It seems other bigger cities have tried to atleast give the impression of being proud of it's diversity, Pittsburgh does not have this quality at all. It's almost as if it wants to preserve this image of being this traditional working class American (ie White) city that doesn't really exist like that anymore. In New York City, I could go to events like Afro Punk, West Indian Day Parades, Brazilian Day parades, things that showcase the cultures of the world and it's residents (I know how unfair it is to use New York as a comparison point to Pittsburgh, but that's where I just came from). Here, as a person of color, you just have to deal with having white American culture and some Eastern European culture shoved down your throat and if you want something else...too bad. Since the Shadow Lounge and AVA closed, there's nothing really "black" to do in Pittsburgh. Which is kind of a real testament to the lack of acknowledgement of Pittsburgh's very minimally diverse population.
After living in predominantly black neighborhoods like Bedford Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, it taught me that racial privilege is VERY real. Which makes the denial of racism in Pittsburgh that I've heard many times by others in my life while living in Pittsburgh that much more disingenuous. The effects of seeing people that look like you running businesses of their own, being represented in advertisements, local government, etc adds to a more personally empowering atmosphere. If I might say it, it seems that Pittsburgh truly HATES black people from the way I see other black people treated in my time I've spent here.
3. The Police Force in Pittsburgh is just absolutely TERRIBLE.
TBH, as much as I had dreaded dealing with the NYPD, I dread dealing with Pittsburgh Police even more.
Let me tell you a little story about an incident I had dealing with just University of Pittsburgh police back in the spring of 2012. Yes, that's right...PITT Police. I was walking to a phys ed class at Pitt during my last year there, and I made the mistake of jaywalking across fifth avenue because the sidewalk was blocked off due to construction (this was over two years ago). Before I even manage to get to Forbes Ave, I was approached by two white police officers (one on foot, and another in a patrol cruiser) and completely surrounded by them. The officer in the patrol car step outs and asks me for my id, to which I complied and gave to him. The whole time I was treated with so much disrespect. While they were running my id, I put my hand in my pocket and the officer on foot had to restrain the other officer from pulling his gun out on me after I did this. He literally physically restrained him from pulling his gun out on me...for jaywalking. You read that right. I feared for my life.
Nervously, (and trying to comply with both officers to avoid further problems) I asked the officer who was on foot "is there anything else you need from me?". He angrily replied to me to the effect of "you better watch your mouth boy and stop giving me attitude!". They gave me a ticket and a fine, and that was the end of that.
I've had other times where I've been pulled over by Pitt Police and have had back up called on me just for accidentally running a red light. And have had flashlights pointed at my car and have had them try to search my car. This was in 2009 when I was coming from Oakland to the South Side, where I lived at the time.
In comparison, my experiences with the NYPD were mostly (and surprisingly) positive. I was walking through Central Park one night at 4 in the morning, completely unaware that it was closed to the public at that time. Two officers come up to me in a van. The one driving the car says "you know the park is closed right?". To which I told him "no, I'm from out of town". They joked with me, told me where the exit was, and just not to do it again in order to avoid getting a ticket. And that was the end of that.
Don't get me wrong, police corruption and brutality is at an all time high in 2014, but it seems that the NYPD is always used as the poster child for police brutality and corruption. Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, unlawful police aggression is usually excused and looked over simply because it's victims are black.
IMO opinion, this just proves what I've thought all along about Pittsburgh...it's NOT a city for black people AT ALL. I've dissuaded so many of my black and brown friends in New York from even visiting Pittsburgh based on so many of my negative experiences. Albeit the fact that it's completely impossible to get around if you don't have a car due to it's poorly constructed infrastructure and lackluster public transportation system.
While I was in New York, part of me was a little homesick of Pittsburgh. Now, that I'm here, I just can't wait to leave because I am constantly being reminded of why I left in the first place.
Sorry?
IF the OP was subjected to personal police attacks during this visit, he should have mentioned THOSE and not ones from 2009 and 2012.
How do you know he was involved in recent ones?
This is a troll piece...I'm sorry there's so much wrong here..... Its laughable... and this is from someone who's Black... who's currently temporarily living and was born and raised in Pittsburgh, has lived and worked in NYC for the last 14 years....
First is unfair to compare Pittsburgh to NYC on SO-Many levels.... second I will say this... NYC is far more segregated than Pittsburgh is, and Blacks are leaving NYC at a far faster rate than they're leaving the Burgh. There's NOT a Stop n Frisk problem in the Burgh. Last Check Allegheny County was actually gaining Black population.
Does Pittsburgh have race issue, Hell Yes, but it pretty much falls in line with the rest of North's issues and America's for that matter, and I'd still rather be black in the North than down South.
So, I've been visiting family here in Pittsburgh and have been staying in the area for the past two months. I'll be heading back to New York City in late December/Early January. I will admit, after living in New York for almost 3 years, I had quite the culture shock (reverse culture shock) upon coming back to the Western PA area, and had to share my observations, thoughts, and opinions with this sub forum on city data. There was little that surprised me considering I was born and raised here...but it seems like very little has changed here at all. Here's just the 6 points that stand out in my head.
1.The Pittsburgh Job Market is absolutely TERRIBLE.
Upon coming back to Pittsburgh, I figured that it would be relatively easy to find some kind of work to save up money to bring back to New York to help me out financially. I figured absolutely wrong. After sending out numerous amounts of resumes, applying to random places via craigslist/indeed/monster, and just driving around trying to find something, I came up with absolutely nothing. One interview after sending over 50-100 resumes out over the span of the month of September. ONE! The job market here has always been struggling more or less from what I can remember, but it seems much worse now than it was before I moved to New York.
Then I found this article from the Post Gazette from last year...
The following cites that Pittsburgh only added 2,100 jobs in 2013. When considering the actual downtown population (which has dwindled to just over 300,000) it seems relatively less bleak then when comparing it the metro population of almost 2,700,000.
Then I found this other article from the Post Gazette from earlier this year.
This states more of the obvious...not only is the area dead last in job growth, but it's also losing jobs and population. I would know because I was one of the many people who left the area after college to seek greener pastures in NYC (and I found them) after realizing there was nothing job opportunity wise here in Pittsburgh, amongst other reasons which I will briefly describe within my next point.
2. Pittsburgh is DISGUSTINGLY Racist.
As a black man who grew up in Pittsburgh, I've had numerous experiences (too many to name) where I felt like my race was making me the subject of unjustified scrutiny...simply because of the nature of Pittsburgh (and America in general). Sure, everywhere in America (and the world) has some degree of racism, but not only does Pittsburgh refuse to acknowledge it's own racism, but it manifests terribly to the point where it gives this Northern city the vibe of many Southern areas IMHO. First of all, it's terribly segregated. Blacks are relegated to areas tucked away from the major parts of the downtown area (Wilkinsburg, Hill District, North Side, etc..) and the disparities between those areas and the white areas of Pittsburgh (Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, South Side, Regent Square), are like night and day. Pittsburgh is NOT diverse at all. Living in New York, I was used to living and working around people of all races, ethnicties, genders, orientations, and it created more of a sense of "universal identity" as an American, in my opinion. Here, if you're not white, you're just not right in the eyes of many and trying to maneuver the area as anything but white will prove VERY difficult. There have been many times where I've just been walking around many of the cities neighborhoods and I've felt like I was simply "not welcomed" by the stares of it's residents upon noticing my presence in them.
Going back to my last point in regards to this, if you're black like me and don't play for the Steelers...good luck finding employment. When I was living in New York, like I said before, I was used to working around people of all races. I've had managers and supervisors of all races and genders. Here, it seems like young black people in general are not being considered for any sort of employment position that doesn't involve cooking or cleaning. I just got too used to seeing black men and women working in positions that ranged from low end service industry jobs to high end corporate positions. It seems like that's not the case in Pittsburgh, where it seems like there are only a few black women that get hired at a small number of places in the Downtown Area, and black men are seemingly non-existent from any of those positions. Pittsburgh has a very old school racist vibe to it in my honest opinion. It seems other bigger cities have tried to atleast give the impression of being proud of it's diversity, Pittsburgh does not have this quality at all. It's almost as if it wants to preserve this image of being this traditional working class American (ie White) city that doesn't really exist like that anymore. In New York City, I could go to events like Afro Punk, West Indian Day Parades, Brazilian Day parades, things that showcase the cultures of the world and it's residents (I know how unfair it is to use New York as a comparison point to Pittsburgh, but that's where I just came from). Here, as a person of color, you just have to deal with having white American culture and some Eastern European culture shoved down your throat and if you want something else...too bad. Since the Shadow Lounge and AVA closed, there's nothing really "black" to do in Pittsburgh. Which is kind of a real testament to the lack of acknowledgement of Pittsburgh's very minimally diverse population.
After living in predominantly black neighborhoods like Bedford Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, it taught me that racial privilege is VERY real. Which makes the denial of racism in Pittsburgh that I've heard many times by others in my life while living in Pittsburgh that much more disingenuous. The effects of seeing people that look like you running businesses of their own, being represented in advertisements, local government, etc adds to a more personally empowering atmosphere. If I might say it, it seems that Pittsburgh truly HATES black people from the way I see other black people treated in my time I've spent here.
3. The Police Force in Pittsburgh is just absolutely TERRIBLE.
TBH, as much as I had dreaded dealing with the NYPD, I dread dealing with Pittsburgh Police even more.
Let me tell you a little story about an incident I had dealing with just University of Pittsburgh police back in the spring of 2012. Yes, that's right...PITT Police. I was walking to a phys ed class at Pitt during my last year there, and I made the mistake of jaywalking across fifth avenue because the sidewalk was blocked off due to construction (this was over two years ago). Before I even manage to get to Forbes Ave, I was approached by two white police officers (one on foot, and another in a patrol cruiser) and completely surrounded by them. The officer in the patrol car step outs and asks me for my id, to which I complied and gave to him. The whole time I was treated with so much disrespect. While they were running my id, I put my hand in my pocket and the officer on foot had to restrain the other officer from pulling his gun out on me after I did this. He literally physically restrained him from pulling his gun out on me...for jaywalking. You read that right. I feared for my life.
Nervously, (and trying to comply with both officers to avoid further problems) I asked the officer who was on foot "is there anything else you need from me?". He angrily replied to me to the effect of "you better watch your mouth boy and stop giving me attitude!". They gave me a ticket and a fine, and that was the end of that.
I've had other times where I've been pulled over by Pitt Police and have had back up called on me just for accidentally running a red light. And have had flashlights pointed at my car and have had them try to search my car. This was in 2009 when I was coming from Oakland to the South Side, where I lived at the time.
In comparison, my experiences with the NYPD were mostly (and surprisingly) positive. I was walking through Central Park one night at 4 in the morning, completely unaware that it was closed to the public at that time. Two officers come up to me in a van. The one driving the car says "you know the park is closed right?". To which I told him "no, I'm from out of town". They joked with me, told me where the exit was, and just not to do it again in order to avoid getting a ticket. And that was the end of that.
Don't get me wrong, police corruption and brutality is at an all time high in 2014, but it seems that the NYPD is always used as the poster child for police brutality and corruption. Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, unlawful police aggression is usually excused and looked over simply because it's victims are black.
IMO opinion, this just proves what I've thought all along about Pittsburgh...it's NOT a city for black people AT ALL. I've dissuaded so many of my black and brown friends in New York from even visiting Pittsburgh based on so many of my negative experiences. Albeit the fact that it's completely impossible to get around if you don't have a car due to it's poorly constructed infrastructure and lackluster public transportation system.
While I was in New York, part of me was a little homesick of Pittsburgh. Now, that I'm here, I just can't wait to leave because I am constantly being reminded of why I left in the first place.
I know it’s a troll piece, but I would like to point out that the employment issue may have to do with the fact that the OP said that they were going to provide six reasons, and then only made it to three. Ability to count to at least ten is usually a requirement for most jobs.
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