What is it like living in Woonsocket, RI? (Warwick, Pawtucket: low income, rent)

[Manny401]

Originally Posted by pennyone

Manny:

"they usually leave the neighborhood to do what they have to do."

While I appreciate and honor your sentimentality toward the place that you have grown to know so well, I am a bit disturbed by your statement about the people who commit crime. Yes, the economy is in decline, but this does not give anyone the excuse to break the law and steal from another. I cannot support your apologist attitude toward criminals; and I dont care from what town, city or state they are from, they are still criminals.

I'm not going to get too into this to not make this thread go too off-topic, but I agree with you 100%. It is never right to break the law. I am a college graduate, but many of my peers growing up have turned out to have different fates. However, the problem is that it is VERY easy for a young teen, following his older brother's footsteps, or somebody else from around the way who he has grown up around, to make the mistake of getting involved in the wrong mix. When it is around you constantly, it takes a lot to surpass the peer pressure. I never sold crack, especially in South Providence during the late 80s, early 90s, when it was a free-for-all out there. Cops wouldn't care. Out of 10 kids in my sophomore class (Central High), 6 were selling crack, and 3 were smoking it. One kid decided not to. He was still friends with the kids who did; he just knew better. I never got involved in that because I had good guidance from my parents; I had good role-models. Since I started elementary school, as strange as it sounds, my father would talk to me about the dangers of drugs, and tell me that at some point somebody WILL offer me some money to go drop this package off around the way, or offer me some money to go get that stereo out of that car. And he would repeat it like a broken disc. That's why I never took the wrong path at the fork on the road. Many people don't have that role model. The drug dealing or thieving older brother or neighbor or cousin IS the role model, who picked it up from HIS bad set of role models. Once they made that choice, and five years later, when they realize they really effed up, that this life is going to end them up sitting up in the ACI or with some lead in their skull, it's way too late. Multiple-time felon, problems on the streets, you're just "in too deep". I understand that many people don't agree, but having seen this story play out in front of me countless times, I can say that the issue is much deeper than "this is wrong, you're scum, die in prison". Again, it IS wrong, it is NEVER right, but we can't be so quick to judge. We all took the wrong path at that fork in the road at some point, maybe getting offered $200 to deliver a bundle of crack vials up the block wasn't a path offered on that fork for some of us at the age of 13 (was for me, but i took the other path). While it's not right, I cannot judge my acquaintances from around the neighborhood who KNOW very well that what they do is wrong, and have matured, and wish their life was different. But them bills have to be paid today, now. And the only way you know how is if you finish this bundle. You could've gotten a job, or finished school, but you effed up. Now you're in too deep. Now you CAN'T get a job. Now you have real responsibilities, which you didn't when you made the mistake of getting caught up, but unfortunately this is your life. You want better, you want legit, but you're so caught up in the day-to-day, that years pass and you are just grinding day after day. Every single one of those days thinking that you should've said no, thinking of how you're gonna hang the gloves and get out. You don't know how. The only immediate option you see is to pick up that phone and call your man and pick up that next package. I speak the way that I do because this could have VERY possibly been my life. I feel like I dodged a bullet. I was the 1 kid out of 10 who didn't get sucked up during my era in my neighborhood. OP, so sorry for getting this so off topic, but I just had to throw in my two cents.

[GermanSpy]

Originally Posted by Manny401

OP, so sorry for getting this so off topic, but I just had to throw in my two cents.

Come visit again and give us more cents. This forum would benefit from a different perspective like yours. Speaking of which, where are Rnrboy and Rosco?

[Manny401]

Originally Posted by GermanSpy

Come visit again and give us more cents. This forum would benefit from a different perspective like yours. Speaking of which, where are Rnrboy and Rosco?

Thank you. Although the other side of the story is rarely ever listened to or taken seriously, I still felt the need to put it out there, with the hope that maybe one person would read it and maybe look at things a little differently. The problem is not the kids selling it, or the fiends smoking it. The problem is that that industry is AVAILABLE on our streets. Once 100 tons of coke make it through the border, they ARE going to get down to the users, one way or another. If our government really wanted to pull the plug on the cartels, that would wipe out this problem immediately. They know where it's coming from. But don't go so far. In our own very city, the police control who does and doesn't get to sell drugs in our communities (look at all the officers who have gotten caught up on that recently, trust me they're not the only ones). Trust me, nobody can stay under the cops' radar for an extended period of time, the cops know who these people are (the key players, that is). Too many payoffs and too many people on probation paying court-fines (with drug money, of course!) for them to end this problem. This is very sad, but we see it day in, day out. It's just that after nearly three decades of living in this neighborhood, I see that as just "it is what it is". I stay out of it, and stay in my lane; It doesn't affect me. But it does break my heart to see kids every day fall prey to that life. Very soon they will see they made a mistake, but the cycle goes round and round.

[dunsere]

Manny, as the OP I appreciate your perspective and the message you're sending out. It is a very difficult problem that is not easily solvable, but pointing fingers at specific ethnic groups certainly doesn't help.

But asking the government to solve the problem is not going to work. It's too all-encompassing. I believe if certain drugs - marijuana to begin with - were legalized, it would put a huge dent in it. And I'm speaking as a person who has tried, but hates marijuana and never had any kind of drug addiction.

Or, we could figure out why people feel the need to be drugged and sedated to begin with. That would get to the core of the problem. However, I'm no expert and no angel, just a person who makes an attempt to treat my fellow human beings decently.

[Manny401]

Originally Posted by dunsere

Manny, as the OP I appreciate your perspective and the message you're sending out. It is a very difficult problem that is not easily solvable, but pointing fingers at specific ethnic groups certainly doesn't help.

But asking the government to solve the problem is not going to work. It's too all-encompassing. I believe if certain drugs - marijuana to begin with - were legalized, it would put a huge dent in it. And I'm speaking as a person who has tried, but hates marijuana and never had any kind of drug addiction.

Or, we could figure out why people feel the need to be drugged and sedated to begin with. That would get to the core of the problem. However, I'm no expert and no angel, just a person who makes an attempt to treat my fellow human beings decently.

I agree 100% that legalizing drugs would instantly eliminate most organized crime, but they will never legalize drugs. There is way too much money to be made. Not gonna say much about the subject because I don't want to sound like a crazy conspiracy theorist, but if anybody really wants to know how the drug business really works, do a little research on the ties between the CIA, a man named "Freeway Ricky Ross", and "Iran Contra". A simple google search of those terms will shed a lot of light, and this is just the story of one case, but this has been going on for a long time, and still is to this day, all based on hard evidence, no assumptions. Watching this video will get you started (I apologize for bringing this up to anybody who doesn't agree or doesn't believe what I am saying, but it is a reality):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT5MY...eature=related

[Rnrboy]

Originally Posted by GermanSpy

Come visit again and give us more cents. This forum would benefit from a different perspective like yours. Speaking of which, where are Rnrboy and Rosco?

It was getting to be too time consuming debating the endless cascade of non-factual statements escaping the mouths (fingers?) of certain folks. This is actually the first time I've looked at this board in like two months.

Nice to know someone missed me, thanks!

[rosco917]

Nice to know someone missed me, thanks!

Yes, let the cascade of perfectly factual statements begin.

What an incredible coincident, just yesterday I began catching up with this forum myself.

My new mantra will be, to only accentuate the positive!

[GermanSpy]

Welcome back you two.

[Rnrboy]

What is this a sitcom? haha

[vicky.vv]

Do we have only 1 cab service from Airport to Woonsocket ? Is there any service which takes less than $65 ?(except taking ripta # 14 and then #54)
Thanks