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Outline what you mean by "democrat policies". I happen to be from Minnesota, one of the most staunchly democratic states in the country, and nothing of this scale exists.
So?
I wanted to add that I now live in the South, red as red can be, and this type of urban devastation is readily observable.
So?
You need more than socialist policies to create the devestation in East St. Louis.
East Saint Louis has NO hope. Even the 2 kids I know there who attend ESL High school say so. All they do is fight apparently. It's always been a rundown town after the 1960s. Only hope is to divide it up and annex it to Belleville or if it's possible, the city of ST Louis itself.
East St. Louis is extremely polluted from all of the chemicals from Monsanto, Pfizer/Warner-Lambert, and Lanson Chemical. These factories are technically not located in East St. Louis, as they have their own It's basically treated as a superfund site. No one is going to want East St. Louis. Rates of asthma are astronomical here.
You need more than socialist policies to create the devestation in East St. Louis.
What happened with East St. Louis is that the railroad and meatpacking jobs started leaving the city during the 50s and 60s, in combination with racial tensions and other problems. People who could leave did leave. Businesses left the city. Those who couldn't leave ended up with a sad fate.
Also, East St. Louis has been treated like a dumping ground. Pollution is a major issue in East St. Louis. Because chemical plants basically surround East St. Louis, pollution is really bad. Asthma rates are astronomical.
Raze every building and haul the waste away. Hand the long term unemployed shovels to dig a canal, and, make the land formerly known as E. St. Louis a wildlife preserve and estuary along the Mississippi River. Same thing should have happened a little further down river to the town of Cairo, IL last summer too.
And no, Larry Flint's strip joint/casino doesn't qualify as a historic landmark.
Wonder if this is a viable solution for Detroit and Camden also?
But I like this solution (reposted below) - it is specific, meets people's needs right where they are, and if done right - can be accomplished without government involvement - save for the welfare checks - private charities can and do many of these things - and much more effectively than a bloated government bureaucracy could ever dream of approaching.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jetakai
Training. Get some habitat for humanity going on. Get some unions to help by providing trainers. Take a block at a time. Update the homes, fix the broken stuff, teach the people how to budget, cook, take care of their kids, paint, plaster, everything. Even provide mechanics to work on cars. If they are that poor they are most likely on welfare. Pay them and train them. Then move to the next set. There are many people laid off from government positions, and if they had to work to get welfare, unemployment they will be happy to learn. Rotate people through the program. 2 days providing child care, 2 days at book learning, budget, GED, etc. 3 days working (yes...no weekends). Get them on and off the program. Give tax breaks for anyone who puts in a walmart, or whatever else is needed. Get some ideas flowing. Ask them what they need. Be specific. Let the kids take the classes as extra credit in school. Offer scholarships if they have high grades, stay out of trouble. Offer trade school scholar ships. We pay so much for people to do nothing, how about if we keep paying but require people do something for it.
My dad was born in E STL in 1926, I am a STL native myself.
It wasnt always like it is now......
Miles Davis lived about a mile down the road from my grandparents.
I fear its too late for E STL.
-sigh-
Compton used to much different than today, also.
George W. Bush lived in Compton for a while.
But Compton has recently emerged somewhat from the bad era - it is attracting retailers, new residents, and no longer is a consistent entity at the top echelon of "most dangerous cities" lists. It's turnabout has come from people caring about their community - which shouldn't come as a surprise when the city has also become majority Hispanic - and if you will begrudge a positive a little stereotyping - that demographic generally values family, hard work, and community strength.
Why can't East St. Louis do the same? Compton was once a by-word, but now it seems that several out of the area people come to the Los Angeles forum acting like Compton is the same city that it was 10 or 15 years a go and invariably they are "schooled" by the locals. That is not to say that Compton has become "Mayberry" - far from it. It is definitely a place where you want to be extra-aware of surroundings, and not go to certain areas at certain times.
Seems like this problem becomes worse the higher the black population is in a city. I did not know the statistics were this bad, it's actually pretty scary. Sounds worse than the bigger cities that are known for their crime, Gary, Camden, Detroit, D.C. Interesting read though.
East Saint Louis, IL is considered one of the most dangerous places in the USA. Population right now is about 30000.
In 2010, there were 21 murders, pretty high for a town of 30000. I drove through this town when I was in St Louis last time and it is very bad. There are intersections where the traffic lights do not work, most of the roads in ESTL are in very bad condition, the average price of a home in ESTL is $40000.
Population is 98% Black and the other 2% are White, Hispanic and Asian.In your opinion, is there a way to fix a town in this condition? If so, what would it take to fix a town like this?
East of anywhere," writes a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "often evokes the other side of the tracks. But, for a first-time visitor suddenly deposited on its eerily empty streets, East St. Louis might suggest another world." The city, which is 98 percent black, has no obstetric services, no regular trash collection, and few jobs. Nearly a third of its families live on less than $7,500 a year; 75 percent of its population lives on welfare of some form. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development describes it as "the most distressed small city in America."
It is going to take alot to fix East St. Louis. However, I think this is the reality. East St. Louis is poor and predominantly Black, well basically all Black. Because of this, I think alot of companies treat East St. Louis as a dumping ground. Basically, there is environmental racism here.
There are chemical plants surrounding East St. Louis. For this reason, pollution comes from all over. Because the plants have their own incorporated townships where no one lives. This way, the city can't sue the plants because the plants are technically not in East St. Louis. Because of this, they can pollute all they want and no one can do anything about it because they aren't within city limits, but close enough to East St. Louis to where no matter which direction the breeze comes, ESL gets polluted.
East St. Louis is on a flood plain, so it floods easily.
Conclusion? It's worse off than Detroit or Gary. Detroit might be a very poor position with alot of crime, but Detroit could come back. If the corruption in the government is taken care of, things can progress from there. Detroit has some issues with pollution, but not like East St. Louis. ESL is ringed with pollution. Detroit has a few specific places where it happens, and it's such a big city, so the problem isn't insurmountable. Things can be done about it. Much of the pollution is from Zug Island and the River Rouge area. East St. Louis is situation in an area no one wants to live in, and not just because of the crime. Ecologically, it is an extreme hazard. Prone to flooding and extremely polluted.
Why can't East St. Louis do the same? Compton was once a by-word, but now it seems that several out of the area people come to the Los Angeles forum acting like Compton is the same city that it was 10 or 15 years a go and invariably they are "schooled" by the locals. That is not to say that Compton has become "Mayberry" - far from it. It is definitely a place where you want to be extra-aware of surroundings, and not go to certain areas at certain times.
Likely there are plenty of other cheap areas of the St. Louis metro area that don't have the issues of East St. Louis. Why would anyone live there who could afford to leave? There aren't masses of poor immigrants to the St. Louis metro unlike LA.
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