Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Any place which has a large populations of Black people will get a lot of negative commentary. This is still the South. Being in "The South" is no excuse.
This folklore mentality concept has existed for many many decades, therefore it is not something one need put much stock into, if they are an individual and respect others as individuals. Yep!
Reality is simple, there are many black communities doing as well and have people with equality and in some cases greater sense of dignity than others who may inhabity communities. Therefore all the negativity because of high black population should not be pushed with the down trend tonality. Because take any area where employment is a challenges, and low income is a reality, the nature of challenges and issues will be quite similar. Not really, I have put in a decent amount of research, and there is a definite disparity between race, and violent crime. Why? I don't know. I'm sure there are many theories, but the disparity exists.
There are bad areas among all ethnic groups, and the worst the employment options the more challenges people face, and this is true regardless of the color of the peoples skin.
Too many comments have too much undertone which is negative because of the high % of black people in the city, many of these pointing to various communities and high praise about it, is indictive of saying these communities are predominantly white.
Fact is people create crime, both black and white, people make madness, both black and whites. There are some white areas that have the "I'm better than you demeanor within their communities",and there are some black communities that have that same I'm better than you demeanor. Equally so its found in mixed communities.
The coded verbiage in a great many comments imply to focus on communities with higher white populations, the comments about Bossier is inmplcating that the white communities are of focus.
The problem is that it's Blacks who are committing a lion's share of the violent crime in Shreveport, even though they are barely over the 50% margin in population. You just can't avoid the facts, whether they are unsavory or not.
There are people who do horrendous things in sterile looking white communities, the same as there are people who do things in pristeen black and or mixed communities. Because its all "people".
Very true.
Areas that are poverty stricken are visible by driving down any main street that runs through it, and within it, there are various areas with a mixture of poverty poor whites, poverty poor blacks, poverty poor hispanic and others. that's the nature of what is poverty. But one can't claim all residents to be bad people. No. I grew up in poverty on occasion, and met great people in those communities as well.
In a low wage environment, there are many communities with poverty deeply rooted in.
There are also many communities that look pristeen, but that does not mean there is peace in the home, nor congeniality among the residents.
In many of these Sanitary Appearing communities, people don't know anything more about their neighbor than in some of the lesser sanitary appearing communities.
I beg to differ. Those snots have their own internet forums. My co-worker lives in one such subdivision, and I read the forum one time "A white Tahoe was doing AT LEAST! 35mph when my street is clearly marked 25mph!" and "Margarette at 3426 won't take her garbage to the street! It sits under her carport all week!" It's absurd. They know their neighbors VERY WELL!, lol!
This is not about imagery from "Commercial TV Advertisements," where everone is shiny happy and just love their neighbors like some close knit family. People go in their homes and may or may not speak to each other as they come out and go about their business in passing.
This concept of trying to re-create or create what is seen in promotional advertisement and movie script settings, is not the standard of communities across many cities.
Often it is Children who bring the community connections with other children in the community. Not the Adults. As with many Adults, between working and being of highly focused discernment, many people have very little to say to their neighbors. This is true. I'd also blame technology. I myself am guilty. I'd rather be in here typing on this forum than meeting most of my neighbors. Why? Well...why meet them? See, that's a bad attitude and I should work on it. I do have some good neighbors.
It takes certain individual within various communities who build community relations within the community.
Old history and its influence within the mentality of people, still carries a segregationist undertone and suspicious flow within many people, which inhibits the connectivity in communities.
It's not the early days of the 20's Centry in the times when tract homes were built and people made effort to be community friendly. That time is not what is the current nature of communities.
Can it ever repeat the model of early tract home development community interactions. Who knows?
People even try and build block parties, and often times a week or so after the party, people are back to their segregationist home style living. Not because of skin tone, but because of many factors that seperate people in the ways of the world and days and time of life.
In some areas the house flipping and transit society, even destablize kids, where they are not in any place long enough to call, make and feel like home.
So there's many things. which impact what and how communities function.
I understand the message of equality. I do not think Blacks commit more crime because of the color of their skin, or any other "genetically inherent characteristic", but it is undeniable that they DO commit more crime here, by FAR, even though they are only a bit above 50% of the population. Is it poverty? Is it culture? Is it...? Who cares. What it IS, is a big reason why there is so much racial tension here, by and large. You can't just ignore it, and you can't pretend it's a lie. What you CAN do, is be sensible, and get to know each person for their own merit, or lack thereof. However, understand that racism in this area is as much based on fact as it is based on bigotry. Plenty of Whites DO "keep Blacks down", and plenty of Blacks DO commit most of the crime here.
My advice? Judge each person by their own actions, and not that of those who are not them.
I won't deny the crime which exist. what I do notice is its often centered in these dire impoverished areas, but it is not exclusively there. People do venture to other areas to commit crimes.
I don't know what the fix it for it. But when I read about "shooting", my first thought is, something derived from the ignorance of pointless conflicts. I further detest these crimes, regardless of whom commits it, when people 'shoot and kill their mate, their kids and then themselves". I think if they are driven as such, just 'do themselves, get it over and leave others alone".
There are so many "types of crimes", this is where the numbers become skewed in concept about crime.
As to anyone who does a "drive by", should get the 'death penalty", because they randomly just don't care whom they harm. These types should never be allowed in general public again.
I don't have any interest in the stupidity of gangs- I think its a travesty, whether its kids gangs, or organized criminal organization.
I do think we cannot ignore history, nor can we diminish the ravages poverty has upon some. In this regard, I think it should be MANDATORY, that all young people be mandated to attend and graduate from school. If we factor the cost and loss associated with drop out and the resulting general outcomes. Society should not bear the burden of drop outs, when our public schools are at not out of pocket cost to any young person.
I further think any parents who get any type of public assistance, (IF) their kids does not go to school, then cut the monies they receive, If they persist in having delinquent children, 'drug and alcohol testing" before benefits are dispensed.
I think we should have a more robust Workforce Program, linked with trade and vocational programming; which is mandatory when people get long term housing and other benefits assistance, otherwise there is no way to work the people to a level of self sustainability.
I found a problem a few days ago, or a woman who works more than 8hrs a day, and only earns $8 an hour, and they had the audacity to give her a 12 cent raise. That in and of itself is absurd.
Even when I was trying to get a business going and needed 4hrs help per day, I paid $10 a hour, and this was because the business was not earning money, but it was help needed to try and get it set up and off the ground.
Society looks down on fast food and other workers and try and de-signify it, as well as other service and maintenance jobs, but these are necessary jobs in our society. Everyone is not going to be a tech professional, nor an administrator, and this society can't functions without 'service related personnel". We need to finally accept the value of these jobs to the society in which we live. Everyone wants a clean office, clean restrooms, they want attendants at the fast food eateries and they want all these jobs, that are often performed by people, whom the general public looks down upon.
How we became a society with the silliness to think only the administrative and executive people are important, when truth and fact has shown us time and time again, it is often the executive who make bad decisions and destroy many companies, with over expansion, over leveraging and all the things which bring down fall to both private business and it is certainly a major problem with publicly traded companies. No company can function without the people who 'actually do the hands on work of what is produced or the services provided".
We got lost in the madness of "degree status" so much so, until we became a society that has a disdain for the workers and workers rights, and worker compensations. We saw the executive attack union labor, because they detest seeing people earn a good salary, because people think their degree should have them earning multiple times more for doing less. Often it is these same executives who dismiss the ideas from the people who actually do the work, simply because the executive did not come up with the idea, and they go on doing inefficient things and push back against innovations which the workers bring to the table.
It's quite unfortunate, as so many people work so far outside of their degree, until the degree it irrelevant to the work they do. Therefore in-house training is better suited than to put people in positions which are so far from the claim of their degree.
We have other societal designed problems, such as executive collusion. No CEO should be allowed to be Chairman of the Board and certainly not have a double titles as President of the Company.
European and Asian nations do not allow so much power in the hands of one individual, their companies do not crash at the rate that American Public companies crash. Because no single person can influence over leveraging. Another matter is " get rid of the people who want to be "professional Board Members", and get people on the board who actually understand the business model, the market it aspires to and are not driven by the delusional madness of thinking stocks should break records every quarter. Because the stock market was never designed for that greed aim. It was designed for long term investors to support long term stability and "managed and well calculated growth" not wild growth with a single aim to push of stock prices and then strap the company with stresses greater than its standard ability to service its market shares in a stability and managed profit margin.
America was built by companies who earned 35-45%+ profit, and they worked based on their actual production and sales figures, not the fiction of exaggerated projections by manipulative accounting practices. but with the influx of Chinese and other Foreign Products, companies now expect to gain 3000% mark up which contributes to low quality products and excessive inventory and un-real borrowing against the fictions of these factors.
Acquisition and debt should be regulated and firmly regulated by the Commerce Dept, and any other organization which should concern itself with American Industrial stability.
We've seen perfectly good companies driven in the ground by mis guided CEO who rode in on a degree and have no understanding of what the core business is, and they result to crash the company chasing fads.
i.e. Radio Shack... It totally lost the concept of the electronic hobbyist, who made that company strong, and became a Cell phone dispensing entity, where you could barely find any kits or parts for the hobbyist, or the people who have interest to be technicians who fix, and create things.
Under no circumstances would I turn a company over to a 'degree rider" and then give them stock options and exaggerated pay. It just never would happen. It's an insult to the business model, the employees, the public the business serves.. and it certainly would not be a business dictated by the greed of day traders and stock manipulators who push and force over leverage and over expansion based on greed data.
No company should be allowed to have more than 30% of its value in the stock market. Nor should any company be allowed to over leverage itself at the tune of 75-80% of its projected income generation.
We have become a society accustomed by grooming to accept 'disposable products" rather than 'repairable products". the result is we get a cheaper quality product, and waste an excessive amount of raw materials in the process of this madness.
Not one year can you review and find companies like Mercedes who relegated itself to making cheap cars. But we during the late 1970's up to and part of the 90's made cars no one wanted and the durability was so low that they would not even invest in advertising this stuff on TV at Major Sport Events. You almost could not find an America car being advertised during football games. But executive continued to pay themselves at levels so absurd until it was criminal.
there are so many factors as to why American's Industry failed at such an alarming rate, but that is a whole new subject in and of itself,to discuss the multiplex of wrong direction variables. The sad part is as a public we sat idle by and supported this demise via our silence. We even elected politicians who supported the exodus of industry all for a campaign contribution to get themselves re-elected.
We don't have the patience or the mental fortitude to look at and deal with what brought this country down and made it a failure on the Industrial scene. The acts should have fallen under the label of economic treason against the American people and the American Nation.
We went so absurd, until we imported cinder blocks and other building materials, when we had all the capability to make this stuff here in America. Then we began to import laminated particle board in every shape and form imaginable and called it furniture. Now we are faced with a backlash against this garbage, and only have limited number of producers of real furniture made with real wood products.
We have a great deal of "re-learning to do", to become again the American, known for producing quality and durable goods.
I say all that to say - we manufactured the spread of poverty by listening to degree riding economist and those who duped the American public to accept the grand lie, that it was cheaper to produce over-seas.
In doing so, we transferred America Wealth to China in the matter of 30 yrs, in a mass give away of what it took this Nation 100's of years to develop. We gave it away, in 30 yrs. Unaware that the process of give away started in high gear after 1969 when Nixon set up the transfer of Industrial Iron and Steel Production and every other textile followed in the exodus to China and other Foreign Nations.
"Being the South", should not be a issue, but by all national measurement and indicators, it is a very big matter, one of which is comprised of many of the same principles which existed at the point of re-construction. Which is massive segregationist policies, low pay economic models and all the things which it took dire struggles all during the 1960's and much of the 1970's - then by the 1980's the ravages of drugs and stock spins and outsourcing games of the 1990's decimated us.
We are still looked at by many as the "South", with a tonality of being slow to change, and backwards and even cheap in how we do things related to our infrastructure and various other things. We still have massive segregation and we can't hide it behind any elements, because it continues to show itself in community break down, and white flight to further and further pursuits to expand the Southern perimeters of the city's reach.
We are not talking just racial segregation, but there is another form of segregation which involve the poor whites being segregated from the more well to do whites. these two groups are at as much economic odds, as is some of the imbalance in odds when it come to blacks and the more well to do whites or the well to do blacks, who are themselves segregated from the poor blacks.
If you think that's odd, then look even at Churches, there is the same types of segregation within the churches. Poor whites and well to do whites do not attend the same churches, the same as poor blacks and well to do blacks do not attend the same churches.
We have many challenges, but first we have to RECOGNIZE THESE things, before we can even began to figure out how to build a more unified society and bring the bar up from the bottom and pursue some unity growth building.
It may take another generation to do so, but it certainly has to first start in basic education. and that's why I say, we need to make it mandatory for all to attend and complete basic K12 graduation status.
Education is what will help us, and without it, our conditions will remain with the Old South segregationist tonality on so many levels.
Look at Schumpert, it moved to the South End of the City, but by principle if the Governor had supported ACA,then the demographic changes in the Highland and Surrounding areas would not have forced such a move. Because ACA would provide users of these facilities with Insurance Coverages, which represents income dollars for services rendered. but they moved to where people have more employee based insurance coverages.
We have to be able to see these things in a generalized simplicity of how the divides of what is within the city functions.
Go downtown during the day, outside of government organizations, there is a big segregation gap in where people work and the divides which exist in that spectrum.
Even when people are on the streets during lunch, some will pass each other of different ethnicity and never speak and some do all they can to avoid the visual contact with each other as a means to avoid speaking.
Go downtown during the day, outside of government organizations, there is a big segregation gap in where people work and the divides which exist in that spectrum.
Even when people are on the streets during lunch, some will pass each other of different ethnicity and never speak and some do all they can to avoid the visual contact with each other as a means to avoid speaking.
Its really an absurdity.
Very true! Part of why I was so shocked in my new town when the person who motioned me over to sit at his table when the place was full was an older (than me) Black gentleman with his wife and children. Friendly guy, great conversation! You wouldn't get someone of your own age and ethnicity to do the same for you in Shreveport.
There really is segregation here, indeed. It's just...quiet. Both "sides" seem to play "by those rules" a lot of the time.
I'm so disenchanted when I go through Highland, on the North Side of Kings Highways. It is purely sad, to see how those Craftsman era homes and the other homes have simply been allowed to deterioate to an unsightly level. It is very frustrating to drive through there and see the conditions....
I do understand the economic devastation of lost industry, but it is sad, how much clutter is on the porches, the yards, and people flat out ignore the back yard so often and use it as junk storage or its simply overgrown and is an eye sore.
The sadder reality, is these areas will never be 'rehabilitated", they would need to be razed, and unless gentrification come and change and rebuilt these areas, they will become more wastelands, crime will fester, and despair will assault a whole new generation in these areas. There is black and white in these areas, and often the people lives look very "hardened" within despairs grip.
the same condition has ravaged Queensborough, Sunset Acres, and Caddo Heights and a variety of others areas.
Another thing I saw on the other side of the River, If you take Texas St and follow the sign to go to Margretiville, it is a shame they allow those eye sore of homes to line the north side of the street. These things should have all been demolished when this was to be used as a access point into the Casino Area. It is horrendous.
Some of the areas that fell to these levels on both sides of the river, it will take 20+ plus years to demo it and re-develop and that may well extend to 30 yrs, if something does not happen to deal with it now.
I'm so disenchanted when I go through Highland, on the North Side of Kings Highways. It is purely sad, to see how those Craftsman era homes and the other homes have simply been allowed to deterioate to an unsightly level. It is very frustrating to drive through there and see the conditions....
I do understand the economic devastation of lost industry, but it is sad, how much clutter is on the porches, the yards, and people flat out ignore the back yard so often and use it as junk storage or its simply overgrown and is an eye sore.
The sadder reality, is these areas will never be 'rehabilitated", they would need to be razed, and unless gentrification come and change and rebuilt these areas, they will become more wastelands, crime will fester, and despair will assault a whole new generation in these areas. There is black and white in these areas, and often the people lives look very "hardened" within despairs grip.
the same condition has ravaged Queensborough, Sunset Acres, and Caddo Heights and a variety of others areas.
Another thing I saw on the other side of the River, If you take Texas St and follow the sign to go to Margretiville, it is a shame they allow those eye sore of homes to line the north side of the street. These things should have all been demolished when this was to be used as a access point into the Casino Area. It is horrendous.
Some of the areas that fell to these levels on both sides of the river, it will take 20+ plus years to demo it and re-develop and that may well extend to 30 yrs, if something does not happen to deal with it now.
Agreed. It's just a smaller Detroit except its only claim to fame are a few second rate casinos.
Wow... Highland north of Kings was a neighborhood that I actually liked. The people were actually neighborly in the 90s. It was a rather dirty neighborhood but I just excused it as old. That's sad that Shreveport doesn't care to preserve one of its oldest ares.
I have never seen another city where every popular, highly traveled roads are surrounded by slums. It gives off a TERRIBLE impression to tourists.
Tourists don't come here. Some people go to the boats to gamble, but that's not really tourism. Shreveport is just a rough patch in I-20 to tourists.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
