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Old 10-07-2008, 11:32 AM
 
2,781 posts, read 7,186,740 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by orrmobl View Post
When I wrote bad neighborhood I meant dangerous, not poor...
They often correlate.
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Old 10-07-2008, 11:49 AM
 
Location: bethlehem PA
248 posts, read 794,867 times
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i got lost in NE philly once. i got on the express train and ended getting off at the Fern... something stop. cant remember now it i was over 15 year ago... i had NO money to get back home so i was going to walk.......but i digress.

i got off the train some 30 blocks from where i am supposed to be (up near temple hospital i believe) and TWICE i was told i better get out of there. both by African American people. the first time i was standing on the corner with my map out (LMAO!!) trying to figure out how to get home. This guy comes up to me and says "lady you better put that thing away and start walking FAST" the second was a woman at the KFC (behind bullet proof glass i might add) who, when i asked for directions said - "girl you are whiter then white, whatchu doin here??" she bless her soul, gave me money to get on the subway.

when the actual INHABITANTS of the neighborhood are telling you to watch your back - i think it is safe to say you are in a somewhat sketchy neighborhood. they definitely exist and i can see why people would be afraid.

Last edited by FindingZen; 10-07-2008 at 11:57 AM..
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Old 10-07-2008, 12:00 PM
 
8,976 posts, read 21,073,335 times
Reputation: 3784
Quote:
Originally Posted by wowbaby View Post
i got lost in NE philly once. i got on the express train and ended getting off at the Fern... something stop. cant remember now it i was over 15 year ago... i had NO money to get back home so i was going to walk.......but i digress.

i got off the train some 30 blocks from where i am supposed to be (up near temple hospital i believe) and TWICE i was told i better get out of there. both by African American people. the first time i was standing on the corner with my map out (LMAO!!) trying to figure out how to get home. This guy comes up to me and says "lady you better put that thing away and start walking FAST" the second was a woman at the KFC (behind bullet proof glass i might add) who, when i asked for directions said - "girl you are whiter then white, whatchu doin here??" she bless her soul, gave me money to get on the subway.

when the actual INHABITANTS of the neighborhood are telling you to watch your back - i think it is safe to say you are in a somewhat sketchy neighborhood. they definitely exist and i can see why people would be afraid.
Interesting story, glad that you came across a sympathetic soul out there.

Fern Rock, where you got off, isn't so bad itself but once you make your way back towards Broad Street, I'd admit it's not necessarily inviting, especially if you're not from the neighborhood.
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Old 10-07-2008, 12:09 PM
 
Location: DC
3,301 posts, read 11,682,299 times
Reputation: 1360
Quote:
Originally Posted by wowbaby View Post
i got lost in NE philly once. i got on the express train and ended getting off at the Fern... something stop. cant remember now it i was over 15 year ago... i had NO money to get back home so i was going to walk.......but i digress.

i got off the train some 30 blocks from where i am supposed to be (up near temple hospital i believe) and TWICE i was told i better get out of there. both by African American people. the first time i was standing on the corner with my map out (LMAO!!) trying to figure out how to get home. This guy comes up to me and says "lady you better put that thing away and start walking FAST" the second was a woman at the KFC (behind bullet proof glass i might add) who, when i asked for directions said - "girl you are whiter then white, whatchu doin here??" she bless her soul, gave me money to get on the subway.

when the actual INHABITANTS of the neighborhood are telling you to watch your back - i think it is safe to say you are in a somewhat sketchy neighborhood. they definitely exist and i can see why people would be afraid.
I can see that. When I drive through that area if I see a white person walking around I've even found myself wondering "what are they doing here?" That is, unless you wander a few blocks south and west towards LaSalle.
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Old 10-07-2008, 04:23 PM
 
Location: South Philly
1,943 posts, read 6,959,795 times
Reputation: 658
There's a little neighborhood breakfast joint that's about two blocks from my house. It's owned by a black woman and the clientele is mostly african-american. I stop in there maybe once every other week. Not a lot but often enough that the people working there recognize me.

Last time I was there this guy started talking to me as we were both walking out. He seemed really eager to get a white guy's perspective on the Obama campaign. I think he might have been expecting me to be a McCain supporter. Anyway, after a few minutes, and in a round about sort of way he expressed real surprise at how many white people he has seen around the neighborhood in the last two years. He concluded by saying, "that's how I know things are really changing around here." I didn't get the opportunity to tell him but had he walked two blocks from his house he would've found himself in a neighborhood that white people have lived in, continuously, for 350 years.

My point is, I wouldn't assume that the woman behind the bulletproof glass lived in the neighborhood. I also wouldn't assume that she knows much more about the neighborhood than you do.

Before I moved to where I live now people were telling me not to move here, I was going to get shot, the people are terrible, etc. etc. - this from people who live three blocks away. I've been here for almost 3 years now. I can report that it's all hype.
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Old 10-08-2008, 01:39 PM
 
3,210 posts, read 4,595,824 times
Reputation: 4314
I don't doubt crime is a problem, but frankly, alot of the times when people use the word "Crime" they're trying to say "People of Color".

I remember a kid in Fishtown getting his brains bashed out with a hammer by a group of kids for his paycheck (2002? 2003? or so) and guess what? Irish as Irish could be. But somehow, no one asks about Fishtown.......

I remember working at a Bucks Co Shop Rite and stopped a middle aged white guy who was being shady with his shopping cart. Instantly, I got the "Do I look like a criminal?" comment. So I asked "What does a criminal look like?". He stopped, thought about it, and said "You know, like those rap videos". Being mixed race, I simply stared him down right out of the store....
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Old 10-08-2008, 01:44 PM
 
Location: Morrison, CO
34,134 posts, read 18,385,442 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Shizzles View Post
I don't doubt crime is a problem, but frankly, alot of the times when people use the word "Crime" they're trying to say "People of Color".
Unfortunately, the areas with "people of color" are the highest crime areas.

Quote:
I remember a kid in Fishtown getting his brains bashed out with a hammer by a group of kids for his paycheck (2002? 2003? or so) and guess what? Irish as Irish could be. But somehow, no one asks about Fishtown.......

I remember the Sweeney case, it was a strange one and very sad. Pretty much an isolated incident. How many Irish gang bangers are there? I'm not saying Fishtown is totally safe, but its not like North or West Philly.

Fishtown Neighbors Horrified By Details Of Teen's Death - Local News Story - WCAU | Philadelphia
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Old 10-08-2008, 04:30 PM
 
1,623 posts, read 6,508,252 times
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That's why they call Fishtown a ****** I don't think much of that place or Kensington either....

Last edited by FindingZen; 10-08-2008 at 08:27 PM.. Reason: watch the prejudiced remarks
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Old 10-08-2008, 08:33 PM
 
8,976 posts, read 21,073,335 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pilot1 View Post
Unfortunately, the areas with "people of color" are the highest crime areas.
Assuming we're talking within the Philadelphia city limits, there are unfortunately plenty of examples of that. However, there are also reasonably safe and thriving minority neighborhoods - as well as some challenged majority neighborhoods - throughout the city.
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Old 10-09-2008, 07:00 AM
 
Location: Morrison, CO
34,134 posts, read 18,385,442 times
Reputation: 25704
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tone509 View Post
Assuming we're talking within the Philadelphia city limits, there are unfortunately plenty of examples of that. However, there are also reasonably safe and thriving minority neighborhoods - as well as some challenged majority neighborhoods - throughout the city.

Well that's the politically correct thing to say when in reality violent crime happens the most in North and West Philly which is primarily minority.
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