Let's talk about Wilkinsburg! (Pittsburgh, Forest Hills: apartment complexes, crimes, roughest)

[PennHillsNative80]

I've always liked Wilkinsburg, and as I've mentioned before, I believe it has the finest architecture of homes that the Pittsburgh region has to offer. I drive through Wilkinsburg all the time and I never feel unsafe. However, I am cautious if I have to do so at night.

Pros:
Wilkinsburg is very walkable. Streets are sidewalked, and you can walk to the downtown area and frequent the library, businesses, grocery store, etc.

Beautiful Victorian homes.

It has a relatively stable business corridor on Penn and Wood Avenues.

Wilkinsburg has Regent Square and is very near Point Breeze and Squirrel Hill. It's a very convenient place to live if you have to work in the city.

There seems to be a lot of people living there that are very civic oriented that are trying to turn the area around, and they have done so in great strides already. The PHLF wouldn't have invested so much money into the area to restore the homes and apartment buildings if they didn't see a positive future ahead.

Dry Town: Although heavily disputed, if bars were allowed, the area would have turned into another Homewood.



Cons:

Taxes. The taxes are so high. It's not worth owning and investing in property there with such high taxes. You'd never get a return on your investment.

School District: Abysmal. Anyone who had enough sense would never send their kids there. Unfortunately all of the low class residents or renters send their kids there and they bring all of their socioeconomic problems into the school.

Abandonment: The place looks a lot more scary than it really is. There are tons of abandoned, vandalized homes throughout the borough, and code enforcement seems to be completely useless. Nobody would want to buy a house next to a blighted crack house.

Monopoly ownership: Many of the homes are owned by a handful of people that had rented them out and never took care of them.

History: Wilkinsburg was BAD in the 1990's and early 2000's. Very bad! Gangs, Drugs, Shootings, etc. It's not as bad now, but the history still lingers. The name Wilkinsburg has a negative connotation with almost all Pittsburgers.


The biggest obstacle I feel is the school district. No one with any long term investment plans would want to invest in the area with such a bad school district. It's not the teachers, but all of the violence and drama that the student population brings.

I do really hope the area turns around and I think it will, but it's going to take a lot of time. There is hope and promise for the area, but with it being an independent municipality, the funds are just not there.

[wpipkins2]

Originally Posted by aw_now_what

With the nonsense you spout about race on here, ever think you might be embarrassing to the white community?

I think SCR is ignorant. I forgive SCR for he knows not what he do.

Classy black women shop in shadyside, Ross Township, oakmont, downtown boutiques, and sewickley type places.

Middle class black people rarely eat soul food. You have to fit into that haute couture wardrobe .

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by aw_now_what

With the nonsense you spout about race on here, ever think you might be embarrassing to the white community?

What sort of nonsense? Please enlighten me. The vast majority of African-American-dominated neighborhoods and inner suburbs of Pittsburgh are a mess and have been this way for decades. I just want the area or city to have ONE majority-African-American neighborhood with an accompanying business district that isn't a disaster. Is that so much to ask? I think Wilkinsburg is the solution. Nobody else apparently wants to comment on my idea of encouraging Wilkinsburg to serve this purpose.

There is no "white version" of Homewood where nonsensical homicides are happening on a seemingly bi-weekly basis, just as there is no "black version" of hillbilly deep Appalachia where people espouse cruel and racist viewpoints. Even wpipkins2 acknowledged that stable middle-class and upper-middle-class blacks refuse to associate with the black underclass, much as how middle-class and upper-middle-class urban whites tend to shun their rural "Duck Dynasty"-esque counterparts. Educated and rational blacks don't want whites to associate the black underclass as being a part of their race any more than educated and rational whites don't want the blacks to associate our own redneck underclass as being a part of our race. Both subsets of each racial group are embarrassments. The black underclass makes whites think blacks are violent and/or loiterers; the white underclass makes blacks think whites are racist redneck hicks. I think it is in the best interest of BOTH races to work on educating our lower-classes to become more socially acceptable.

Instead of having to cherrypick one store in this neighborhood, one restaurant in another neighborhood, one nightclub in another neighborhood, one cultural opportunity or lecture in another neighborhood, etc. it would be nice to have ONE functional business district that would cater to upstanding middle-class black households instead of having business districts that by and large cater to the underclass black population with Aaron's, Cash 4 Gold places, predatory payday advance loan places, liquour stores, social assistance offices, etc. If there is a nexus of educated African-Americans in car-centric and suburban Monroeville, Penn Hills, Churchill, etc., then Wilkinsburg makes perfect sense to be fully revitalized as their "downtown" much as how Downtown Sewickley serves as the epicenter for upper-middle-class white households in the surrounding townships and boroughs.

I'm sorry that whenever I broach anything like this the "ZOMG! What a racist piece of trash!" remarks start flying. I realize Pittsburgh is trying to become the next San Francisco in terms of being ultra-politically-correct in regards to anything "touchy"; however, if we just pretend that there aren't disparities along racial and/or socioeconomic lines here we'll never solve the root of our problems. For a major urban city we seem to have too much of a black underclass AND too much of a white underclass, too (it's amazing some of the things I've heard old-school yinzers say since I moved here). We all need to work together to make things better. I feel like finally having an epicenter/nexus of vibrant African-American culture, heritage, history, and nightlife in/around Pittsburgh could go a LONG way towards bridging what's left of the racial gap.

[wpipkins2]

I am not embarrased of my people. I come from a down to earth middle to upper middle class black family. We do not judge or look down on others. I help others to better themselves. Thats why I volunteer my time in my community and city. Instead of complaining about the problem we should be part of the solution.

SCR I will challenge you to attend a black mega church service, jazz dinner, black theater, or any function held by a major black organization. You will see a different side to black Pittsburgh.

Pick up a copy of the courier, soul pitt, or the black business times to find a function to attend.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by wpipkins2

I am not embarrased of my people.

You should be embarrassed by the nonsensical violence, foul language, and emulation of "gangsta thug" culture occurring amongst some black youths in this city, just as how I'm embarrassed by the egregious racial epithets and cruel jokes espoused and revered by my rural white counterparts. You should not be embarrassed by law-abiding struggling African-Americans, just as how I'm not embarrassed by law-abiding struggling Caucasians.

[Uptown kid]

Both subsets of each racial group are embarrassments. The black underclass makes whites think blacks are violent and/or loiterers; the white underclass makes blacks think whites are racist redneck hicks. I think it is in the best interest of BOTH races to work on educating our lower-classes to become more socially acceptable.

I disagree with your opinion. I am not ashamed of low income black people. Most people I know are working class income black people. I think some schools, politicians, and juvenile detention centers are the real embarrassments. And not being boegoiuse is nothing to be ashamed of. Would get deep into it, but its not worth it.

[wpipkins2]

Thug is the new word for n!@@3r.

Most black people obey the law and work for a living. The thugs you speak of are a small minority.

I was on penn ave in east liberty this afternoon. I was not bothered at all by all the black people. I did not see one thug or shooting. I saw school age children, senior citizens, and everyday people going about their business. I was not bothered by their blackness. I think you are bothered by it. Why?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

You should be embarrassed by the nonsensical violence, foul language, and emulation of "gangsta thug" culture occurring amongst some black youths in this city, just as how I'm embarrassed by the egregious racial epithets and cruel jokes espoused and revered by my rural white counterparts.

Neither of you should be embarrassed. Nobody should be judged by a small percentage of people.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Uptown kid

I disagree with your opinion.

That's fine. I disagree that neither upstanding blacks nor upstanding whites have an ethical or social responsibility to help rein in their respective underclasses. If a 75-year-old black woman walking to church in Homewood yelled at a passing black youth with his boxers hanging out "pull your pants up and show some respect!" the reception from the youth will undoubtedly be much different than hearing it from a passing 75-year-old white male. Am I correct in this assumption? Has anyone seen Gran Torino?

Likewise a 30-year-old black female telling a 60-year-old white colleague that the racially insensitive joke she overheard him telling by the water cooler offended her probably wouldn't fly as well as a 47-year-old white male telling the 60-year-old male that in defense of the 30-year-old black female.

I believe in society we all need to look out for one another, know our places, and know when we should (or should not) intervene in social settings. Pittsburgh, overall, is a great place in which to reside; however, we DO still have quite a few raging racist old-guard socially regressive white yinzers running amok (cue the "ZOMG! How can you not find yinzers adorable?" remarks) as well as too many unwed young black females raising children on their own without paternal involvement for whatever reason. I have a better shot as a 27-year-old white male of shooting down a racist remark spewed by one of those "old-guard" types than a 27-year-old black male would. Likewise, a racial contemporary would have a much better shot at breaking through to inner-city youth about birth control and condoms than a middle-aged white man who would come off as "talking down" to them.

Along these same lines there's no doubt in my mind that there's still an HIV epidemic amongst gay males, and the proclivity amongst many to live promiscuously is a MAJOR contributing factor. Who would have a better shot at "breaking through" here---a middle-aged straight man who would potentially come off as homophobic or a young gay man who could potentially come off as being empathetic?

[wpipkins2]

SCR we do agree that Wilkinsburg has potential. I attended a lecture series years ago and the subject expressed your view. With the location, traffic, and architecture, Wilkinsburg has a lot of potential to become something special.