With the wildly high murder rates in Chicago and Detroit, will Pittsburgh follow that trend? (Manchester: rentals, townhomes)

[SteelCityRising]

If 33% (1/3) of the city was African-American, then I'd expect it would be most "fair" if African-Americans, on average, were awarded 1/3 of the contracts within the city. I don't believe it should be a 50/50 split because then you're favoring the minority over the majority.

With that being said I'm not a huge fan of affirmative action in general. If there are three applicants for a job, or a contract (or anything else, really), and there are two white applicants and one black applicant, I foresee no reason why the black applicant SHOULD automatically be given an "edge", regardless of credentials, simply due to his or her race. If, all things considered equally, I truly couldn't decide between any of the three candidates because they were all so overwhelmingly qualified I would be more inclined to pick a name at random out of a top hat than to just give the bid/job to the minority applicant to satisfy a specified quota or target (which I'm sure happens a lot these days). You shouldn't disqualify capable white applicants and hire less-capable minorities "just because". I realize the intent is to ensure a level playing field regardless of race after years of minorities being unfairly passed over, but I now feel as if the balance of power has shifted to where the minority is more often than not given the unfair advantage.

[wpipkins]

Originally Posted by simetime

It is quite simple, where would you go? I have lived in Pittsburgh for 20+ years and even own property there, but I would never go back to live. Like many blacks, I moved to Atlanta and seen something that you never see in Pittsburgh, A large number of black professionals. I mean if you think about it, if you grow up and you never see an engineer, doctor or a millionaire that looks like you and lived where you did, how do you think that will effect the children?

Sadly, I have met quite a few people that I personally know who now live in D.C and Atlanta and only go to Pittsburgh to visit and have vowed never to return to live

I grew up in Pittsburgh and like most black Pittsburghers, most of my college educated family members moved out of Pittsburgh for greener pastures. Most went away to college and vowed to never return....

To assume that pittsburgh is void of black professionals is ignorant on your part. Im raising a black family in Pittsburgh and I only associate with other black professionals in this city..... My family doctor and dentist are black. I along with most of my friends who stayed in Pittsburgh own our homes as well. Pittsburgh does not have a large number of black professionals because there are not a large number of blacks over all. The amount of professionals is relative to the population....

The Pittsburgh that you left 20+ years ago is not the city that I reside in today. Corporations are global and have learned to value diversity. All major corporations have programs to entice and retain black talent. Pittsburgh has a fresh crop of young 20 and 30 something professionals who are from outside the area. We can thank BNY Mellon, PNC, Reed Smith, Westinghouse and Shale drilling..... Black churches in Pittsburgh have a influx of black professional families. the ones that I know are in the energy, finance, and the medical field. Many of these new black families are bewildered once here but grow to like it do to COL and the amount of family oriented activites..

Your view of Pittsburgh is circa 1985....

[wpipkins]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

If 33% (1/3) of the city was African-American, then I'd expect it would be most "fair" if African-Americans, on average, were awarded 1/3 of the contracts within the city. I don't believe it should be a 50/50 split because then you're favoring the minority over the majority.

With that being said I'm not a huge fan of affirmative action in general. If there are three applicants for a job, or a contract (or anything else, really), and there are two white applicants and one black applicant, I foresee no reason why the black applicant SHOULD automatically be given an "edge", regardless of credentials, simply due to his or her race. If, all things considered equally, I truly couldn't decide between any of the three candidates because they were all so overwhelmingly qualified I would be more inclined to pick a name at random out of a top hat than to just give the bid/job to the minority applicant to satisfy a specified quota or target (which I'm sure happens a lot these days). You shouldn't disqualify capable white applicants and hire less-capable minorities "just because". I realize the intent is to ensure a level playing field regardless of race after years of minorities being unfairly passed over, but I now feel as if the balance of power has shifted to where the minority is more often than not given the unfair advantage.

Black people make up 27% of the population and recieved less than 10% of the contracts. If black contractors recieved 27% of all contracts, we would have larger black contractors capable of building large projects like The Tower @ PNC Plaza..... Atlanta has many many large black firms becaust of the airport and olympic construction from the 70s to the 80's...

[wpipkins]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

If 33% (1/3) of the city was African-American, then I'd expect it would be most "fair" if African-Americans, on average, were awarded 1/3 of the contracts within the city. I don't believe it should be a 50/50 split because then you're favoring the minority over the majority.

With that being said I'm not a huge fan of affirmative action in general. If there are three applicants for a job, or a contract (or anything else, really), and there are two white applicants and one black applicant, I foresee no reason why the black applicant SHOULD automatically be given an "edge", regardless of credentials, simply due to his or her race. If, all things considered equally, I truly couldn't decide between any of the three candidates because they were all so overwhelmingly qualified I would be more inclined to pick a name at random out of a top hat than to just give the bid/job to the minority applicant to satisfy a specified quota or target (which I'm sure happens a lot these days). You shouldn't disqualify capable white applicants and hire less-capable minorities "just because". I realize the intent is to ensure a level playing field regardless of race after years of minorities being unfairly passed over, but I now feel as if the balance of power has shifted to where the minority is more often than not given the unfair advantage.

Things are not equal and this is why we have affirmative action. If things were equal, we would not need it right?

[wpipkins]

Originally Posted by Uptown kid

I will do a map of safe diverse-majority black middle class neighborhoods (or portions of neighborhoods for that matter). I can think of ten off of the top of my head in the City limits alone (so that excludes the Eastern Suburbs).

Chartiers
Sugartop (Hill District)
Stanton Heights
Manchester
Point Breeze
The non project section of East Hills
Cawford Square (hill district)
parts of crafton Heights

just off the top of my head...

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by wpipkins

If Pittsburgh was majority black, we would have most likely elcted black mayors as well. Atlanta, DC, Detroit, Newark, St Louis, Baltimore, and so on have black mayors because they are chocolate cities....lol

What about Columbus? Sacramento? Seattle? Wichita? Los Angeles? New York? Denver is on its second black mayor now, despite being only 10% black.

Mind you, I know in some cases the Latino/Asian population is mostly nonvoters, so they don't count towards the electorate. But for whatever reason, it seems like majority-white cities in the west have no problem electing black politicians now, even though they are still pretty cool on it in the east.

[ML North]

City council is 22% black, the City itself is about 25%.

[ML North]

Originally Posted by wpipkins

Chartiers
Sugartop (Hill District)
Stanton Heights
Manchester
Point Breeze
The non project section of East Hills
Cawford Square (hill district)
parts of crafton Heights

just off the top of my head...

The Eastern hills of Wilkinsburg also probably fall into that category. I'm reminded of that every morning I see my very comfortably retired black neighbor picking up the Wall Street journal is his bath robe, haha.

[wpipkins]

Originally Posted by ML North

City council is 22% black, the City itself is about 25%.

The current mayor of the city of Pittsburgh vowed to diversify city government. He also increased equity with pay within city government. The city government workforce is more diverse now than at any time in the cities history. Guess who im voting for...

[wpipkins]

Originally Posted by eschaton

What about Columbus? Sacramento? Seattle? Wichita? Los Angeles? New York? Denver is on its second black mayor now, despite being only 10% black.

Mind you, I know in some cases the Latino/Asian population is mostly nonvoters, so they don't count towards the electorate. But for whatever reason, it seems like majority-white cities in the west have no problem electing black politicians now, even though they are still pretty cool on it in the east.

Columbus OH has consistantly ranked high as an ideal city for black professionals. West coast cities are more libral and thus open to change..... LA and New York has always had large numbers of affluent black people. None of the cites that you mentioned above suffered from a total loss of industry....