Worst City In The Nation. (Paterson, Camden: hotels, restaurants, fence)

[ocnjgirl]

Tonight's Rock Center with Brian Williams has a segment on Camden, "America's Poorest City". It's on NBC at 10pm.

[GoYanks34]

Just saw this article today:

America's 'invincible' city brought to its knees by poverty, violence - In Plain Sight

[Ed Guitar]

Originally Posted by GoYanks34

Just saw this article today:

America's 'invincible' city brought to its knees by poverty, violence - In Plain Sight

I also read the article. It is indeed sad. The city's demographic is 47 & 48 percent Black and Hispanics....and then people get defensive when confronted with this reality.

[NJGOAT]

Originally Posted by Ed Guitar

I also read the article. It is indeed sad. The city's demographic is 47 & 48 percent Black and Hispanics....and then people get defensive when confronted with this reality.

I think it has less to do with the racial makeup and a lot more to do with the crushing poverty. Almost everyone who could leave Camden, left. A few who could leave stay because it's "their city" and all they know.

Fixing the "Camdens" of the US is not an easy task and requires a multi-faceted longterm approach. People need to be relatively secure where they live and they need to have jobs. Security and jobs leads to more stable families willing to make an investment into their children to get educated and climb the social ladder. Security and jobs leads to people investing into their communities and caring for it.

I don't know what the solutions are, but some ideas I have heard sounded rather intriguing. One of them banked on a model that was actually pioneered in Camden during the early 1900's. There is a section of Camden currently known as Fairview. When it was originally built it was known as Yorkship Village, named for the New York Ship Company that had a massive shipyard in Camden. Since Camden at the time lacked enough housing for the workers, the New York Ship Company built a "workers village". It was a planned community that featured affordable housing, stores, schools, public park spaces, etc.

Workers bought the houses from New York Ship Company at very affordable rates. The housing was built with direct trolley service to the shipyard, or workers could walk if they wanted to. Wages were sufficient to not only buy the company housing, but raise a family. Storefronts were leased out to small business owners who also gained use of the apartment space above the store for their family to live.

Yorkship Village was a smashing success and even after the shipyard closed and it was no longer a "workers village" it remained one of the nicest sections of Camden free of most of the issues plaguing the rest of the city well into the 1990's. Decidedly blue collar, but there was a palpable pride of community and multiple community organizations.

People today would probably cry socialism or exploitation depending on which side of the aisle they were on, but maybe that is what's needed. Take a section of the city and engage in a public-private partnership to move a manufacturing plant to the city. Provide the workers with a self-contained "village" with newer affordable housing that people lease/purchase from the company. Provide a secure environment via private security and the police force (community watch patrols, CCTV, etc.). Have the community feature it's own school so that kids can go to school in a safe location. Provide public space and encourage community organizations to form. Provide a shopping area similar to post exhanges on military bases. A place where you can buy groceries and other basic necessities. Plan it out so that car ownership is not necessary and people can take transit or walk to work. Not needing a car removes a large burden and allows people to save and invest more of their money.

That's the kind of thing I would look at trying. As long as poverty exists and people feel there is no other way out, they will turn towards crime to make money. Fixing cities like Camden starts with providing stable employment and safe housing. This nation isn't shy about throwing around money, why not incentify Ford, GM or some other company to try this kind of model.

[njkate]

Originally Posted by tahiti

I've never been to Camden.

Consider yourself lucky....been through it for concert & aquarium..it's one place you don't want to get lost in

[njkate]

Originally Posted by tahiti

we do, LOL

We're going to Philly over Spring Break for 2 days, we've gone to Baltimore, DC, Pittsburgh, and some South Western Ghettos (Winslow, AZ for example). My kids don't need to see lily white pretty suburbia all the time

As far as Baltimore goes, we stayed near the harbor so it was very nice, but I did notice that it turns on a dime.

Only someone who hasn't traveled a decent amount would call Philly the worst big city in the nation or a "ghetto".

girl in a flatbed ford slow down to take a look....lol

[NewJerseyMemories]

Originally Posted by njkate

girl in a flatbed ford slow down to take a look....lol

Take it eeeeeasy!

[ansky]

I did a Google street view of the areas that were mentioned in an earlier post. Apparently Camden has a lot of phone problems. There are Verizon trucks all over the place. Gotta feel bad for those guys. I remember a year or two ago a Verizon worker was robbed while on the job in Irvington. I know I couldn't handle working in those conditions.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Ed Guitar

I also read the article. It is indeed sad. The city's demographic is 47 & 48 percent Black and Hispanics....and then people get defensive when confronted with this reality.

But here is the question. Why else would you mention that other than to make a racially charged argument? It is like you are trying to say "the solution is to kill all of the Blacks and Hispanics out".

[tahiti]

Originally Posted by njkate

girl in a flatbed ford slow down to take a look....lol

i have pix of me next to that girl! it's a really sad, sad town in the literal middle of nowhere. they have 'take it easy' blasting from the one souvenir shop. it's dusty, and run down - i'd take a newark any day over that place! but I hadda go.

here's the "center" of town where all the "take it easy" crap goes down. it actually looks not bad, but go one block in either direction..yikes.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=35.02...73.35,,0,21.02