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Expanding on the Indy Northwest unversity would be a start. Universities attract a large amount of people from all over the region, country and world. This would also bring new blood to GI. If the city is desperate for downtown development. The expanding this university would be a start. They can call it Indiana Univeristy Northwest Downtown Gary Campus. The university could build traditional and apartment-style dorms as well as off-campus student housing. Also any of the unviersity sport teams can utilize the baseball stadium and the convention center. All of this would definately draw in businesses to cater to the young crowd and urban professionals. This could also draw in companies looking to recruit students.
GI also need to hurry up and expand the airport. This can be the third airport Chicago is looking for (a much better location too me than Peotone). This will definately draw in businesses, hotels, retail, restuarants and other possible tourist attractions. Also, with it being adjacent to I-90 leading right to the Chicago Skyway and I-65 as well as the Southshore railline going towards the Loop, it would be a definate magnet for all the major airliners. Hopefully this would bring down that $8 to $9 toll cost on the Skyway, wich if flat out highway robbery!!! (pun intended). This should be a priority!!!
GI also needs to focus on the good areas of Gary and expand on them. For example, Miller Beach is still highly regarded and has relatively positive views by most Chicagoans and Hoosiers. Therefore, the city should use the community as a focal point to revitalize the city. Start in building in Miller and continue to expand westward over time. They should do the same thing for Downtown GI. Revitalize downtown and expand further south on Broadway.
Broadway is the Major artery of Gary. Development on Broadway should be a priority!!!! Broadway from Downtown to Merrillville should only consist of mostly nice developments and office buildings (kinda similar to what Atlanta did with Peachtree or Chicago did with Michigan Ave). The same can be said for 5th Avenue and the expansion of the Westside.
The last thing Gary needs to do is revitalize to school system. No families rich or poor are going to move to gary (not even Miller) unless they can send their kids to decents schools. With that said, they need to create a good and safe primary and secondary school (public, private or charter) for smart and/or middle-class kids. I know this sounds wierd, but if they want to draw in more middle class families and keep the middle class families they have then this is a priority. The same thing came be said for advance students. They need a school that's going to challenge them. GI must invest in the youth if they want any chance for revitalization.
SORRY FOR THE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG POST!!!!
Actually, redlining usually has EVERYTHING to do with race.
True, but there are also many other factors that causes urban decay. Race plays a small part in a much larger problem (like deindustrialization, urban sprawl, recessions/depressions, massive lay-offs, etc). Many decisions are made by residents, ivestors and politicians prior to race becoming a factor. When race finally comes into the equations plans were already made. Race (and income) usally determines where the individual will end up after everything is over with.
I hope this made sense.
Last edited by suburban_boy; 02-11-2010 at 12:18 PM..
Expanding on the Indy Northwest unversity would be a start. Universities attract a large amount of people from all over the region, country and world. This would also bring new blood to GI. If the city is desperate for downtown development. The expanding this university would be a start. They can call it Indiana Univeristy Northwest Downtown Gary Campus. The university could build traditional and apartment-style dorms as well as off-campus student housing. Also any of the unviersity sport teams can utilize the baseball stadium and the convention center. All of this would definately draw in businesses to cater to the young crowd and urban professionals. This could also draw in companies looking to recruit students.
GI also need to hurry up and expand the airport. This can be the third airport Chicago is looking for (a much better location too me than Peotone). This will definately draw in businesses, hotels, retail, restuarants and other possible tourist attractions. Also, with it being adjacent to I-90 leading right to the Chicago Skyway and I-65 as well as the Southshore railline going towards the Loop, it would be a definate magnet for all the major airliners. Hopefully this would bring down that $8 to $9 toll cost on the Skyway, wich if flat out highway robbery!!! (pun intended). This should be a priority!!!
GI also needs to focus on the good areas of Gary and expand on them. For example, Miller Beach is still highly regarded and has relatively positive views by most Chicagoans and Hoosiers. Therefore, the city should use the community as a focal point to revitalize the city. Start in building in Miller and continue to expand westward over time. They should do the same thing for Downtown GI. Revitalize downtown and expand further south on Broadway.
Broadway is the Major artery of Gary. Development on Broadway should be a priority!!!! Broadway from Downtown to Merrillville should only consist of mostly nice developments and office buildings (kinda similar to what Atlanta did with Peachtree or Chicago did with Michigan Ave). The same can be said for 5th Avenue and the expansion of the Westside.
The last thing Gary needs to do is revitalize to school system. No families rich or poor are going to move to gary (not even Miller) unless they can send their kids to decents schools. With that said, they need to create a good and safe primary and secondary school (public, private or charter) for smart and/or middle-class kids. I know this sounds wierd, but if they want to draw in more middle class families and keep the middle class families they have then this is a priority. The same thing came be said for advance students. They need a school that's going to challenge them. GI must invest in the youth if they want any chance for revitalization.
SORRY FOR THE LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG POST!!!!
This is EXACTLY the kind of mindset that we need to get things going for the better in Gary! The only problem I see with it is that before any of the building of educational buildings and apartments downtown could start, there would need to be some SERIOUS convincing done in order to receive funding whether it be federal grants, private donations, etc. for this. However, it only takes people talking about improvement in order for it to become reality!
(If I had my way, I would make the whole northern side of gary into a huge lakefront park with adjacent Univeristy, but that is just me lol)...but in all seriousness, I really think that your ideas are great! Now I do not know that Broadway would ever become a magnificent mile(s), but it has the potential to become very nice!
I really hate to say this (and I do not mean to offend anyone), but Gary is in such bad shape right now that we cannot simply move on based on how "Gary used to be"...yes yes we know, Gary used to be all that AND a bag of chips...but simply ignoring Gary is not the answer. IMHO, the city needs to be revamped. Completely (maybe except for Miller Beach).
Gary can be helped by some of the Gary bashers who ran away. Many of the problems resulted from those who "ran" in the 70's for a varity of selfish reasons. Many held on to the jobs in the steel mills. The runners reduced the tax base, business establishments, and health-care facilities of the City of Gary. Gary was no longer good enough for them to live here but was good enough to come back and work. The economic base was decimated because so much of the financial resources were leaving the city. Houses were abandoned or sold by unscrupulouse predators who played the "scare game." Businesses moved to the US 30 corridor to be accessible to those in flight. Gary became less and less diverse economically, socially and culturaly because of the massive flight to suburbia by people who did not stay the course and fight for the city to maintain its reputation as the jewel of NWI. The voids were filled with many unethical, incompetent and selfish politicians and other practioners of greed.
As jobs and pensions were lost because of economic downturns, the criminal elements surfaced and took hold in many areas of the city. There was an influx of people from all parts of the country moving to Gary to work in the steel mills during the good economic times. The loss of jobs and the lack of skills to find other employment opportunities left many residents devastated and impoverished. Those conditions left many, many residents in economic distress, to say the least.
And, so, Gary disintegrated into a downward spiral - into what is is today.
I left Gary after graduating from high school to attend college. After becoming a successful educator in a large urban city, I returned to Gary. Friends and colleagues thought I had lost it and could not believe I moved to Gary, IN. This is my hometown. I was born and raised in Gary. My immediate family live in Gary. I came home to contribute socially and economically to the revitalization of the City of Gary, IN. I live in the Morningside section of Glen Park (across the street from the house where I cut grass as a child). I came back to give back to the city that gave so much to me.
If you cannot come back to Gary to help revitalize the city, give us your ideas, support, and best wishes. We are down, but not out! We moved into the beautiful homes you left and they are well-kept. We have made additions and renovated our homes. The lawns and yards are in top condition. My neighbors are professionas and have great careers. Most people are surprised to see these beautiful homes in this "oasis in the city". Don't be afraid - drive through the midtown area of Gary and see the beautiful homes. There some terrific, some fabulous, homes in the area west of Grant Street from 15th Avenue to 25th Avenue to Chase Street. Drive down Taft Street and look both east and west and see the new homes built in that area. Have you seen the area near IUNW campus to the south abd west? The area around Methodist Hospital is fabulous and well maintained. Don't believe everything you read in the newspapers about the demise of Gary. You will find crime anywhere you live. There are pockets of poverty in every city, town or village. We just have more of it in some areas of Gary. Gary can be the best kept secret. Don't count us out. There is more to Gary than the Miller section. Many of us are living large and loving it. I don't frequent the high crime areas of the city either. And, when I do go there, I know what to do - attend to my own business and get out of there as quickly as possible. The criminal element deals with their own kind. They are fully aware of the distinction.
I LOVE GARY, IN, my hometown!
I was scrolling through the posts, and was amazed at the amount of posts that wanted to tackle the racial issue of Gary Indiana. First I would like to say what has gone on in Gary has very little to do with race, the problem with the city now, and has always been corrupt leadership with no planning, or vision for the future. Instead of aggressively pursuing subsidies to the failing economic manufacturing base in the 1970's and 1980's, corrupt politicians where happy lining his or her pockets. When jobs leave, people leave, plain and simple.
Secondly, to address the racial issue that so many wish to bring up, the question should be what in American society lead so many African American communities into an impoverished state? Why is the number of African American Entreprenuers so low in this country? Why is it that there are very few all black communities that are not plaqued, with drugs and violence, why cant one purchase a new car in Gary, but you are hard pressed to miss a liquor store, or gun shop in a city already plaqued with violence? Could it be this countries fault. Going back over 150 years to the era of Reconstruction, when black families where destroyed, and thrown off into freedom, with no job skills, or support in a racially bigotted society that hate them. Why are there more African Americans in prison, than enrolled in College?
Until we as a nation, and a community address the root causes of the issues Gary face, there can never be hope for lost industrial giants, such as, Gary, and Detroit, they will be fossils of what they once were.
I was scrolling through the posts, and was amazed at the amount of posts that wanted to tackle the racial issue of Gary Indiana. First I would like to say what has gone on in Gary has very little to do with race, the problem with the city now, and has always been corrupt leadership with no planning, or vision for the future. Instead of aggressively pursuing subsidies to the failing economic manufacturing base in the 1970's and 1980's, corrupt politicians where happy lining his or her pockets. When jobs leave, people leave, plain and simple.
Secondly, to address the racial issue that so many wish to bring up, the question should be what in American society lead so many African American communities into an impoverished state? Why is the number of African American Entreprenuers so low in this country? Why is it that there are very few all black communities that are not plaqued, with drugs and violence, why cant one purchase a new car in Gary, but you are hard pressed to miss a liquor store, or gun shop in a city already plaqued with violence? Could it be this countries fault. Going back over 150 years to the era of Reconstruction, when black families where destroyed, and thrown off into freedom, with no job skills, or support in a racially bigotted society that hate them. Why are there more African Americans in prison, than enrolled in College?
Until we as a nation, and a community address the root causes of the issues Gary face, there can never be hope for lost industrial giants, such as, Gary, and Detroit, they will be fossils of what they once were.
This is utter nonsense! Keep blaming peoples problems on what happened 150 years ago and all youre doing is offering them excuses for not trying. Society can offer disadvantaged people all sorts of helping hands. Low interest loans to start a business. Low interest loans to buy a home. Child care subsidies so they can go to work or school. Even preferential admittance into schools that they wouldnt otherwise qualify to go to. But if all youre interested in is chasing the bling and bitc*es, no social program is going to help you. The problems in Gary go far deeper than lack of employment. I dont give a rats a** what color your skin is. If you dont have a job to support a bunch of kids. STOP HAVING KIDS! You want a good job? Get your a** back in school and learn a trade that employers that are thinking about coming to Gary may need. Open up a damn book and put down the pipe. Just because your mom and dad were crack head, malt liquor guzzling lowlifes DOESNT mean you have to be. Yes we do learn by example. But how about learning from your parents' mistakes how NOT to behave. Why do so many people think that just because their parents were rotten parents that they are destined to become rotten parents too? It's bad behavior, lack of an educated work force,no apparent desire to improve that work force, a population that would rather rely on handouts and crime than work, and a corrupt city hall that keeps business and investment out of Gary. It isnt the fault of those who were chased out of Gary many years ago in order to protect their families. Your blaming all of Garys problems on slavery and Jim Crow is more of the problem than a lack of white people in Gary!
Interesting post, however, if you read my post, I do agree with you on the greedy politicians, and the great white flight, however, what was the cause of the great white flight of the 1970's? It was easier, to run, than to stay and fight for ones community. Yes, I agree, I would not live in Gary now, or probably ever, at this point. That is sad considering what Gary used to be.
However, what does interest me is the fact that you did not answer any of my other questions in my post, try those, or maybe take it away from the African American population, and then answer, this question, what can be done with the American Indian population, despite government assistance and programs, this group of people, have a high rate of violence, drug and alcohol addiction, and violence within this populations. There is a high correlation between historical injustice of yesterday, and the results one can see today. Until we all take a look at the real problems, and find workable solutions, I stand by my original post.
You quoted all these favorable government programs, well yes they exist, however, when ones community descends into utter hopelessness, and one is raised to admire the neighborhood hero who is a criminal, can we really blame these individuals for choices made, or do we all as a civillized society, who champion ourselves as the savior of freedom, and democracy around the world, have a burden in this ongoing struggle, and are morally imposed a responsibility to find solutions to these sociological problems facing communities like Gary?
Interesting post, however, if you read my post, I do agree with you on the greedy politicians, and the great white flight, however, what was the cause of the great white flight of the 1970's? It was easier, to run, than to stay and fight for ones community. Yes, I agree, I would not live in Gary now, or probably ever, at this point. That is sad considering what Gary used to be.
However, what does interest me is the fact that you did not answer any of my other questions in my post, try those, or maybe take it away from the African American population, and then answer, this question, what can be done with the American Indian population, despite government assistance and programs, this group of people, have a high rate of violence, drug and alcohol addiction, and violence within this populations. There is a high correlation between historical injustice of yesterday, and the results one can see today. Until we all take a look at the real problems, and find workable solutions, I stand by my original post.
You quoted all these favorable government programs, well yes they exist, however, when ones community descends into utter hopelessness, and one is raised to admire the neighborhood hero who is a criminal, can we really blame these individuals for choices made, or do we all as a civillized society, who champion ourselves as the savior of freedom, and democracy around the world, have a burden in this ongoing struggle, and are morally imposed a responsibility to find solutions to these sociological problems facing communities like Gary?
No body makes any body admire the neighborhood pimp/pusher more than they admire the neighborhood minister. They choose to admire them more. So yes, i can and do blame them! And comparing the plight of modern day blacks to Indians is apples and oranges. We TOOK the Indians from one place and forced them to live on land that was useless to us. The people who left Gary left behind a government,infrastructure, a budget, a fantastic location on a navigable waterway and a [at that time] pretty darn good school system. No sir. The problems facing Gary and its remaining population are self inflicted. We put the Indians in the mess they are in!
All I can say sir, is read your history books, when one is placed into forced bondage, and relocated to a land that is unfamiliar, have one children sold, and all human dignity is taken away, and one is reduced to a breeding schedule similar to farm animals, beatings, torture, and rape I think that would constitute pretty bad position to be in, if you look to the era of reconstruction, one can see that this government, and society, did very little for the slaves, that had freedom thrust upon them, leading to further degradation of self, and families. I am by no way alleviating any individual for choices that one makes, and yes, it is true, each individual is responsible for his or her choices in life, however, one has to ask the question, of why does this segment of our population, have so many problems that this particular to deal with it? To just automatically say it is because of laziness, or lack of will, or effort would be naive.
Finally sir, I would have to say, that there would be many sociologist, psychologists, and historians would argue the point that there is significant parody between the plight of the African American community, and the American Indian community, both segments where destroyed, by the ruling elite, that committed major historical injustices, that these communities struggle with the ramifications to this day.....
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. The university could build traditional and apartment-style dorms as well as off-campus student housing. Also any of the unviersity sport teams can utilize the baseball stadium and the convention center. All of this would definately draw in businesses to cater to the young crowd and urban professionals
. This could also draw in companies looking to recruit students. 
(a much better location too me than Peotone). This will definately draw in businesses, hotels, retail, restuarants and other possible tourist attractions. Also, with it being adjacent to I-90 leading right to the Chicago Skyway and I-65 as well as the Southshore railline going towards the Loop, it would be a definate magnet for all the major airliners. Hopefully this would bring down that $8 to $9 toll cost on the Skyway, wich if flat out highway robbery!!! (pun intended
). This should be a priority!!!
Yes!
Gary and Race
