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Nobody's engauged my questions. The quailty of life/realities (like violence, food insecurity, challenges in education and the lack of upward social-economic mobilty in general) that a large number of people face from neighborhoods from Larimer Avenue to Ardomore Blvd @ Malboro Ave are light years away from the oppertunity which a number of people have from Oakland all they way to Edgewood Township...
Just ride from Garfield to Wilkinsburg & Oakland to Edgewood to visibly see the difference.
South of Penn Ave from Iowa St to Pebbles Street there are 0 gangs. From the 4900 blks of Garfield to the 2100 blk of Laketon Rd @ Turner St there are at least 15... This is a ramificaton of segregation, strafication, subjugation, and many other __ations.
I didn't address your inquiry because I would have had no idea how to begin to address it. As a white male, I'm not going to pretend to understand the plight or struggles of the socioeconomically disadvantaged African-American communities in our city. I also have no idea what I, a socioeconomically struggling white male, could do to help without coming off as being condescending or patronizing. I certainly can't throw money at the issue when I'm currently working extra shifts to pay my taxes for the "benefit" of being self-employed. With how intensely we scrutinize social media commentary these days I can't say anything visionary enough that my large Facebook following would be willing to disseminate that also wouldn't come off as sounding disingenuous or fabricated.
I'm not really sure how to help. It seems like as a white person in this city you're darned if you do or darned if you don't. If you try to speak up and speak out to help your African-American counterparts, you're viewed skeptically. If you remain silent, you're viewed as being "part of the problem; not part of the solution". When I was in the position of hiring at a local business (before leaving for refusing to fire someone for being of a nationality that made the owner of the business uncomfortable) I made it a priority to promote a diverse workforce. Now? I can make independent contractor referrals, but I have no say in the hiring process at my current California-based quasi-employer.
It seems like you, blackbeauty, wpipkins2, etc. like to lodge hyperbolic accusations and challenges at the Caucasian community on here, but you don't give any of us options on WHAT we CAN do to help better relations between our communities in this city. I enjoy volunteering, but that, in turn, doesn't have much of an impact. This city is roughly 1/4 African-American, if I'm not mistaken, and I believe we have two African-Americans (roughly 25%) on our city council. Mayor Peduto has made it a priority to appoint a diverse staff; he is light years more progressive than the prior executive city leadership. The Black Lives Matter movement has succeeded in increasing the viability of the dialogue between Caucasian and African-American communities.
I WANT to help, but I don't know how. I know instead of giving me constructive suggestions the three of you will just post a "Look how racist SCR is" reply, too, as is par for the course on here. I'll admit I've evolved on some issues over time, just as Hillary Clinton has. I grew up in a much more conservative, right-wing, and homogeneous (culturally, socioeconomically, racially, etc.) part of the state. I've enjoyed living in a more diverse part of the city, and I enjoy learning about different cultures and races. I don't see what I'm supposed to be able to do, though, to help heal Homewood, Wilkinsburg, the Hill District, or the other very troubled majority-African-American neighborhoods in/around the East End.
Last edited by SteelCityRising; 04-05-2016 at 05:01 PM..
Reason: Text Formatting Error Trying to Quote Uptown Kid's Reply
Segregation- forced separation of a group of people, Separation-voluntary separation of a group of people...Segregation in Pittsburgh does it mean social(as in friendship networks) or residential or both?...I think Pittsburgh never developed a constant influx of people to form a critical mass for people to form certain neighborhoods historically and for those people to develop an infrastructure.
Ok I take that back, Squirrel Hill, The Hill before urban renewal( see Willie Ave. Days). Also, what worked against Pittsburgh
was/is people leaving the area. In Pittsburgh, the Middle-Class blacks are scattered, gays are scattered and Asians are scattered.
I think some of the new immigrant groups like the Nepali and Mexicans are starting to form infrastructure in their areas..
I think the areas are integrated because a critical mass was never reached to be precieved as a threat to make people move out...Also, I think class has a lot to do with it, class-segregation is more prevalent here I think. Where one can afford to live or not afford to live.
We have no gayborhood because back in the late '70s, when so-called gayborhoods were forming, Pittsburgh didn't have a critical enough mass of gay people to populate such a neighborhood. This was exacerbated by the fact that Pittsburgh wasn't a place gays moved to at that time. Rather, it was a place gays left, for such destinations as New York, San Francisco, DC, and Los Angeles.
I didn't address your inquiry because I would have had no idea how to begin to address it. As a white male, I'm not going to pretend to understand the plight or struggles of the socioeconomically disadvantaged African-American communities in our city. I also have no idea what I, a socioeconomically struggling white male, could do to help without coming off as being condescending or patronizing. I certainly can't throw money at the issue when I'm currently working extra shifts to pay my taxes for the "benefit" of being self-employed. With how intensely we scrutinize social media commentary these days I can't say anything visionary enough that my large Facebook following would be willing to disseminate that also wouldn't come off as sounding disingenuous or fabricated.
I'm not really sure how to help. It seems like as a white person in this city you're darned if you do or darned if you don't. If you try to speak up and speak out to help your African-American counterparts, you're viewed skeptically. If you remain silent, you're viewed as being "part of the problem; not part of the solution". When I was in the position of hiring at a local business (before leaving for refusing to fire someone for being of a nationality that made the owner of the business uncomfortable) I made it a priority to promote a diverse workforce. Now? I can make independent contractor referrals, but I have no say in the hiring process at my current California-based quasi-employer.
It seems like you, blackbeauty, wpipkins2, etc. like to lodge hyperbolic accusations and challenges at the Caucasian community on here, but you don't give any of us options on WHAT we CAN do to help better relations between our communities in this city. I enjoy volunteering, but that, in turn, doesn't have much of an impact. This city is roughly 1/4 African-American, if I'm not mistaken, and I believe we have two African-Americans (roughly 25%) on our city council. Mayor Peduto has made it a priority to appoint a diverse staff; he is light years more progressive than the prior executive city leadership. The Black Lives Matter movement has succeeded in increasing the viability of the dialogue between Caucasian and African-American communities.
I WANT to help, but I don't know how. I know instead of giving me constructive suggestions the three of you will just post a "Look how racist SCR is" reply, too, as is par for the course on here. I'll admit I've evolved on some issues over time, just as Hillary Clinton has. I grew up in a much more conservative, right-wing, and homogeneous (culturally, socioeconomically, racially, etc.) part of the state. I've enjoyed living in a more diverse part of the city, and I enjoy learning about different cultures and races. I don't see what I'm supposed to be able to do, though, to help heal Homewood, Wilkinsburg, the Hill District, or the other very troubled majority-African-American neighborhoods in/around the East End.
Wow, it is sort of fun to watch you grow up. I think you totally nailed it here, so you being pretty young you should pat yourself on the back. Black people don't want our "help". That would be condescending. They don't want us to pretend they are part of the human race. That would be "white privilege". They don't want us to really do anything other than listen to the total bs that black people have to work harder or whatever to get to the top or whatever people consider success. Sorry, but there are WAY too many super successful black people to really be bothered with such silliness. The first one that comes to mind that was voted in twice is Obama and of course then you have Colin Powell and countless others in our area that head up all kinds of things, including the Pittsburgh Steelers. I mean it is all a hoax. The bottom line is some black people want an excuse in place to make it easier for failure. I certainly am not buying into such a crock of crap.
SCR, my advice is simple. Just don't deal with it. We are white and can't win no matter what we say. I am old and don't care anymore and know better. It is all total bs. The reason the Hill is a mess is because of a lot of people as a percentage being lazy. Same with Homewood. LAZY. I am talking percentages, NOT "ALL". People love to pretend "ALL" of anything is reality. Not ALL of any area is this or that. It is only percentages. I don't think Blackbeauty would get this,but wpipkins probably would. Just too may successful black people to just pretend someone is holding them back. Nope, statistics and examples don't lie.
It never had an era when it was predominantly gay, like Dupont Circle, Greenwich Village, the Castro, or West Hollywood.
True. In my experience Shadyside, the Mexican War Streets, Friendship, Regent Square, and Polish Hill all have relatively high numbers of LGBT residents. None of them have nearly enough of the critical mass to be considered a true "gayborhood", though.
True. In my experience Shadyside, the Mexican War Streets, Friendship, Regent Square, and Polish Hill all have relatively high numbers of LGBT residents. None of them have nearly enough of the critical mass to be considered a true "gayborhood", though.
I'd add Highland Park to this list, and Allegheny West. Really, it seems like anywhere with grand old homes which were lovingly restored has a fair number of older gay men.
I think gayborhoods are kind of passe. It was different in the 60s and 70s when you had to be in a community of the same people to be yourself and feel safe, but most gay people today are more integrated into the larger society now. It's not that big of a deal to most people (with exceptions like the conservative extremists). The last time I was on Castro Street it was kind of sad and felt like a time warp.
The reason most blacks & whites are seperated at the upper quartile is socioeconmic class & previldge.
"privilege" What would that mean? Working hard to provide for one's family?
I don't think you would see black people moving around whites regardless of finance. Plenty of black people could move where ever they want, but it seems they don't want to be in the white areas. I posted pie charts showing how separated we are and as someone pointed out no one is MADE to live separate, people just seem to do it for some reason for the most part, not ALL the time. As you pointed out Verona is mixed, but is it?
I didn't address your inquiry because I would have had no idea how to begin to address it. As a white male, I'm not going to pretend to understand the plight or struggles of the socioeconomically disadvantaged African-American communities in our city. I also have no idea what I, a socioeconomically struggling white male, could do to help without coming off as being condescending or patronizing. I certainly can't throw money at the issue when I'm currently working extra shifts to pay my taxes for the "benefit" of being self-employed. With how intensely we scrutinize social media commentary these days I can't say anything visionary enough that my large Facebook following would be willing to disseminate that also wouldn't come off as sounding disingenuous or fabricated.
I'm not really sure how to help. It seems like as a white person in this city you're darned if you do or darned if you don't. If you try to speak up and speak out to help your African-American counterparts, you're viewed skeptically. If you remain silent, you're viewed as being "part of the problem; not part of the solution". When I was in the position of hiring at a local business (before leaving for refusing to fire someone for being of a nationality that made the owner of the business uncomfortable) I made it a priority to promote a diverse workforce. Now? I can make independent contractor referrals, but I have no say in the hiring process at my current California-based quasi-employer.
It seems like you, blackbeauty, wpipkins2, etc. like to lodge hyperbolic accusations and challenges at the Caucasian community on here, but you don't give any of us options on WHAT we CAN do to help better relations between our communities in this city. I enjoy volunteering, but that, in turn, doesn't have much of an impact. This city is roughly 1/4 African-American, if I'm not mistaken, and I believe we have two African-Americans (roughly 25%) on our city council. Mayor Peduto has made it a priority to appoint a diverse staff; he is light years more progressive than the prior executive city leadership. The Black Lives Matter movement has succeeded in increasing the viability of the dialogue between Caucasian and African-American communities.
I WANT to help, but I don't know how. I know instead of giving me constructive suggestions the three of you will just post a "Look how racist SCR is" reply, too, as is par for the course on here. I'll admit I've evolved on some issues over time, just as Hillary Clinton has. I grew up in a much more conservative, right-wing, and homogeneous (culturally, socioeconomically, racially, etc.) part of the state. I've enjoyed living in a more diverse part of the city, and I enjoy learning about different cultures and races. I don't see what I'm supposed to be able to do, though, to help heal Homewood, Wilkinsburg, the Hill District, or the other very troubled majority-African-American neighborhoods in/around the East End.
I'm a newbie in the area and on the board. I read a lot but don't say much. I LOVE what you wrote SCR! Maybe it's because I'm young too, but I think just being able to articulate the frustration is fantastic. There's so much emotion on both sides and too often people get caught up in where we (as a country/state/county/city/whatever locale) are NOW as opposed to where we want to be. I don't think white people hate black people. I don't think black people hate white people. I know there are other minorities too but hopefully y'all get what I'm saying. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I do believe we can all get along. Hope shouldn't die just because tackling the problem seems impossible.
I reread this and I added nothing to the conversation lol. I'm sorry.
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