I grew up near McKeesport - actually much closer to a little town often referenced by MissShona, Glassport - an area that has been in decline since the early-mid 70's. Glassport is indeed a trashy town; it suffers from neglect and increasing migration of individuals from less than reputable areas. Additionally, the governance in that town has ranged from poor to nonexistent for as long as I can remember (I'm 22, so it's likely been lacking for much longer).
There are several abandoned buildings/warehouses throughout Glassport (many more in McKeesport) but it's nowhere close to reaching "ghetto" status in my opinion. I don't know if I would label Clairton as ghetto, but I personally feel a great deal safer in Glassport than Clairton. McKeesport,on the other hand, has a few communities that look like World War II battlefields... namely, the Walnut Street area and the area surrounding Bailey Avenue. Projects are commonplace as well - Harrison and Crawford Villages - but I have never ventured into these areas, because I'm pretty sure I would be shot or stabbed upon arrival.
During my time at the University of Pittsburgh, I lived in a community called Oak Hill for a year. Located between West Oakland and the Hill District, it's actually a very nice (appearance-wise) neighborhood - attributable to the maintenance crew and the maintenance crew alone. I was told by an individual familiar with the area that just 10 years ago, it was a battlefield. Gang warfare, drugs, poverty.
The projects were razed, but most of the people stayed. Now, one could drive through the community and it would appear to be somewhat safe, and quite clean. In fact, the apartments themselves are probably the largest, cleanest and most secure of all the apartments I saw throughout my time in college. Unfortunately, Oak Hill suffers from the same issues as all other Section 8 areas in Pittsburgh.
The city is aware of the fact that slums breed violence and drug abuse, and violence and drug abuse breeds slums. They raze and rebuild - beautiful, modern apartments - but they fail to attract more reputable characters, because they would rather appease those responsible for the decay in the first place. The apartment I lived in ran for $850/month. I was told I was getting a special deal. HAHAHA. I learned that the individual across the hall from me was paying $120/month, for the same apartment. Basically, you only pay full price if you're poor AND working. Can you see the incentives here?
This is the problem. When you GIVE something to someone, they don't appreciate/respect it. These beautiful, modern communities last 10 or so years and fall back into disarray, because they ARE GIVEN AWAY to those who couldn't care less about maintaining it. On a daily basis, I witnessed adults and children alike littering the streets with refuse and vandalizing anything within brick-throwing distance. What is worse, is that the children are left to run wild in the streets with no supervision or mentoring
. They learn these habits from their "parents". I could go on and on, describing the atrocities I witnessed, but I don't feel it's necessary. I will say, however, that it is extremely sad to see the way the children are brought up. There are some really good kids living up there, but it is evident that the adults see them as another ticket to government subsidized lifestyles.
Living in that place was enlightening and disgusting at the same time - such a beautiful place being actively destroyed by those who it was meant to bring a better life to. But why should they care? The city will just tear these buildings down and build new ones in their place, perpetuating the cycle. You DON'T NEED to respect your home if you know you will eventually get a new one for free.
Now, I know that I'm generalizing, so let me say that not all of the people living there actively trashed the place. I met a few honest, hardworking individuals who want nothing more than to see the place maintain, if not improve. Unfortunately, the majority see the community as another... concession, if you will, from the "oppressive white man" as a means of reversing a "legacy of discrimination".
I may be a little biased - I wholeheartedly disagree with the implementation/generosity of the Section 8 strategy... that may make me a bad person, but anyone with half-decent vision or a newspaper can see that it's not working. Regardless, the strategy will continue to be abused, and these neighborhoods will never be revitalized. Until the majority of inhabitants of these areas begin to care (and act appropriately), Section 8 will remain a lose-lose strategy, the city of Pittsburgh will never utilize the full potential of this valuable real-estate, and the children from these areas are will never know what it's like to walk the street without the fear of being shot or robbed.
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