Is Pittsburgh really as safe as media says? (North Versailles, Versailles: safest, housing)

[PghYinzer]

Lawrencivlle has Butler Street, a much greater amount of brick housing, and the new hospital.

At this point, Homewood's best assets may be its open lots and a pretty vocal community. The violence needs to stop though, so they can fix the reputation and heal the community, and then get onto rebuilding the actual physical neighborhood.

[gortonator]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

To be quite frank with you, Uptown Kid, I know one of my biggest personal flaws is indeed my tendency to generalize, stereotype, and, in some cases, dramatize. I've been trying to work on it. I've now drawn a distinction between "yinzers" (brow-beaten and weathered yet honest, good-natured, and pleasant natives with what has just been voted "America's Worst Accent") and "white trash" (beer swiggin', foul-mouthed, chain-smoking, homophobic derelicts who thinks the city sucks). I've also backed off my ageist sentiments blaming Baby Boomers for simultaneous urban sprawl AND urban redevelopment disasters (i.e. Allegheny Center Mall). I'm still a work in progress, though.

[... 1.89 million words deleted for brevity ..]

I've been the victim of socioeconomic resentment-based black-on-white racism here before, hence why I don't exactly feel like the NPR-listening/latte-sipping whites from Point Breeze, Fox Chapel, or even Polish Hill marching into Homewood shouting "put down your guns; we love you" would be so well-received by the "community" as being anything other than condescending, at worst, or patronizing, at best.

I'm glad your 'stereotype' thinking is evolving. This is good, and your posts are improving for it. It'd be much better if this thinking became a victim of your evolution.

I am amused to see NPR listeners enter your categorization scheme though. People who want to get (reasonably) unbiased, broad and in depth news coverage, including local and international issues, are now the targets of your disdain. And if they drink lattes, lordy ... possibly the worst type of people on earth, I imagine. I'm a cappuccino kinda guy, so whether that is above or below latte, I dread to think.

C'mon - tell us what you listen to and drink, so we can have some fun

[DaisyDaisy]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

The Hill District and Homewood in particular being like the Wild, Wild West in terms of violence brings the per capita murder rate up to the point where Pittsburgh often ranks as being a "dangerous" city, which can, in turn, scare off potential entrepreneurs, investors, and the very same "fresh blood" that is needed to sustain the momentum of our current renaissance while those of us who are already here know that this is an overwhelmingly SAFE place to live for MOST.

If there's going to be REAL positive change occurring in places like Homewood or the Hill District, then it has to come from within, and it also has to come from within the African-American community. If there are so many upper-middle-class blacks in Penn Hills, Monroeville, Churchill, etc., then why have they turned their backs on their counterparts in places like Homewood who are in need of guidance, direction, and love?

If whites would be welcomed beside blacks in rallying and championing for a better Homewood and a better Hill District, then that's great. What I'm trying to say is that would it be welcome for whites to take a MORE active role in the rebuilding of these neighborhoods since they're obviously not getting any better with the status quo (it doesn't help that the city council representative for one of these neighborhoods is just awful) while most of the rest of the city is exploding in growth these days?

Originally Posted by RogersParkTransplant

SCR, just two things.
Meanwhile, about how to improve bad neighborhoods, and why some neighborhoods come back faster than others...it just takes time. There's no single reason why Lawrenceville got there before Homewood, but there's no reason Homewood can't improve too. Like you, I'm deeply troubled by the visible links between crime rates, poverty rates, and race in the city, but all I can really do is live in a "transitional" neighborhood, pay taxes on a house, shop locally, ride the bus, keep on voting to improve our public schools, and be friendly to all my neighbors, including the ones up in Northview Heights that are struggling just to get by. I'm interested to see if anyone on here has better ideas, but honestly I think just living in the city and being part of a neighborhood is the first and most important step.

Great post RogersParkTransplant.

SCR, there are other things you can do besides walking through a neighborhood with a "stop shooting" sign. Before many of these mostly young men start shooting at each other, they are children growing up in very difficult circumstances of poverty, hunger, violence, and parent(s) who are addicted, neglectful or unavailable because they are working multiple jobs.

There are organizations - grassroots to large - that support vulnerable kids/families so they have a better shot at a healthy, successful life. These orgs need donations of time, money and/or supplies. Here are just a few...

Kidsvoice - helping more than 3000 children in Allegheny County annually
Reading is Fundamental Pittsburgh
Junior Achievement
Pittsburgh Cares - you can select from many projects based upon your availability and interest
Love Front Porch (Vanessa German)
Big Brothers Big Sisters

School districts have homeless coordinators. I've donated clothes, shoes and other supplies to them and they give to their students.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by RogersParkTransplant

What is your problem with lattes? I don't drink them myself, but it's almost like a drinking game reading your posts and seeing references to "lattes" and "sipping" thrown around as automatic signs of Horrible People. I mean, come on, it's just a coffee drink, and sipping is a normal way to drink hot things. What's the deal?

I've heard from multiple barristas that the whole latte liberal thing is just false. Liberals (at least, people who seem to be liberals) prefer straight-up coffee or expresso. Lattes and especially coffee drinks which resemble milkshakes tend to be drank by conservatives.

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

Lawrencivlle has Butler Street, a much greater amount of brick housing, and the new hospital.

At this point, Homewood's best assets may be its open lots and a pretty vocal community. The violence needs to stop though, so they can fix the reputation and heal the community, and then get onto rebuilding the actual physical neighborhood.

I think this is pretty much false. Most of Homewood's houses are brick, and around half are still standing. The dominant house stile in Homewood North (which is the most intact) are slightly more modest versions of the same style dominant in Friendship, Highland Park, and East Liberty. I'm presuming many are no longer intact inside, but still the historic housing stock could be a real asset to the community.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Coffee in relation to politics is a bizarre concept to me. There's basically two types of coffee drinkers: people who like coffee and people who don't like coffee but like caffeine. The people who love coffee will drink it black and have their espresso as a ristretto or something similar. The people who don't like coffee (but like caffeine) will add as much milk and sugar as possible.

How does this relate to politics or city safety? loldunno

[PghYinzer]

I guess my experience with Homewood would go as far in as Frankstown Avenue, so I always see a lot more empty lots on the southern side of Homewood closer to Penn. You are correct in regards to Homewood North, and the areas around Race Street.

Something does need to be done though to jumpstart the business district, because it might be a walkable area due to being flat, but there isn't much to walk to.

[doo dah]

Timely.

Back in the olden days in the 1970s, it was "quiche".

Oh, and my observation is that people how don't like coffee drink soda for breakfast. Bleah!

[ProFiction]

I drink water like a sane non-addict.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by ProFiction

I drink water like a sane non-addict.

You only think you aren't addicted to water. Just try to stop drinking it and see what happens.

[ProFiction]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

You only think you aren't addicted to water. Just try to stop drinking it and see what happens.

Rep'd.