Why do people often blame Prince George's for its misfortunes? (Columbia: leases, crime rates)

[TheJetSet]

Originally Posted by pcity

And since you had to drag race into this...

The Pentagon was built in 1943. Prince George's County was 18% Black at the time. (By comparison, Fairfax County, VA was 16% Black.)

There's no doubt that VA was favored (for class reasons, most likely) but to say that race is the reason the Pentagon (and by extension, every defense contractor) is in VA is a bit of a stretch.

LOL nice try, first the Pentagon is in Arlington (who separated to continue slave trade) not fairfax. Even you the percentage was high for Fairfax it still was verly low in comparison to the raw numbers in Prince George's with a Black population 3-4 times Fairfax size. Heck Montgomery had a lower percentage but was still twice the size Black population compared to Fairfax. Today you even see Black historic neighborhoods in Montgomery where are they in Fairfax and Arlington?

D.C.had the largest population by far and most were on the Anacostia side. Governments studied future long-term trend setting then as they do now.

I agree though that class was probably also a reason. We all know what Arlington is about.

Even if you're right, the discrimination still occurs today. There's no good reason why there's more class A office space leased in the city of Falls Church than all of Prince George's County, especially when we have huge government deficits. Or that the GSA/Feds hire contractors from nova to maintain Andrews air force base. And don't tell me the county doesn't have any capable I know plenty.

[TheJetSet]

Originally Posted by RelativelyGruntled

The race card, a final pathetic attempt when you don't have a logical thought to stand on. Since you want to make up ideas and claim I said them I'll play along. I guess since you can't actually prove wrong what I said you will basically change what I said so you can. Okay, I'll bite. How can you possibly think that PGC is wildly successful with the aliens living in the sewers? I know their Bigfoot population surge is partly to blame but there must be some responsibility. Stop blaming the dinosaurs and unicorns who fled for their safety.

Oh gosh, here we go again. This is as old as a fanny pack, having trouble thinking of something new?

Why is it that when white people say something racists and a minority points it out, they always pull out the "using the race card" tactic like its a hanging noose? Some things never change I guess.

Its equivalent to shooting somebody in the leg than blaming them cause they can't walk and on top of that calling the police on them lol. That's always been the trick hasn't it?

I guess since Obama's in the house "its not my fault anymore"

The rest is not even worth replying to, that was just not witty at all. I expected better, how sad and embarrassing that you even typed that.

[RelativelyGruntled]

Why is it when white people never say anything racist and a minority ignorantly tries to claim racism and the white person calls them on it the white person still gets blamed? Obama is just as much white as he is black and whether Nelson Mandela himself was in the white house your failures are still your fault. As for the rest your response is pretty much what I expected since I have such low expectations of you.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by TheJetSet

LOL nice try, first the Pentagon is in Arlington (who separated to continue slave trade) not fairfax. Even you the percentage was high for Fairfax it still was verly low in comparison to the raw numbers in Prince George's with a Black population 3-4 times Fairfax size. Heck Montgomery had a lower percentage but was still twice the size Black population compared to Fairfax. Today you even see Black historic neighborhoods in Montgomery where are they in Fairfax and Arlington?

D.C.had the largest population by far and most were on the Anacostia side. Governments studied future long-term trend setting then as they do now.

So you think that government guessed that blacks would migrate to PG, and then systematically discriminated against them? I don't know about that. It's hard to make the point that government discriminated against blacks by avoiding a county that was, at the time, 80%+ white. There's a logical disconnect there.

Open land and cost of land were probably big factors too. If inside-the-beltway PG was more developed than Arlington at the time, Arlington would have made the more logical spot.

I agree though that class was probably also a reason. We all know what Arlington is about.

This I think we can agree on. NW DC has always been the "favored quarter", and the parts of VA that are west of DC have benefitted greatly from that. Compare the VA outer suburbs west of DC with the VA outer suburbs south of DC and you'll see what I mean. You can do the same with the northwestern MD suburbs compared to the eastern and southern MD suburbs,

My point is that it's more NW vs. everyone else than VA vs. MD or white vs. black.

Even if you're right, the discrimination still occurs today. There's no good reason why there's more class A office space leased in the city of Falls Church than all of Prince George's County, especially when we have huge government deficits.

This part I'm not going to disagree with, but I do think the cause-and-effect relationship is important. Pentagon went to VA-> defense contractors went to VA -> more educated people went to VA -> more government offices and private offices want to locate in VA to attract said educated people.

It's not a discriminatory thing. It's simply that the workforce the companies/government want to attract are more in VA. I'm not saying that PG or MD in general have a lack of education, because that's not true. Obviously a lot of PG and other MD workers commute to VA to work in these jobs. What I am saying is that VA, at this time, has more of those people. May not be that way forever, but right now it is.

As housing prices, office rents, and commute times continue to rise in VA, there may come a time when PG becomes more attractive for companies and educated residents that don't want to spend all their money on a tiny condo. I think that's just starting to happen now, but it will take a long time for it to progress.

[selhars]

Originally Posted by pcity

As housing prices, office rents, and commute times continue to rise in VA, there may come a time when PG becomes more attractive for companies and educated residents that don't want to spend all their money on a tiny condo. I think that's just starting to happen now, but it will take a long time for it to progress.

I certainly hope so because I'm tired of dealing with the PG stereotype.

And as someone who's looking to change jobs -- I'm also tired of seeing MANY MANY MANY more government jobs in NOVA than PG. And I am not commuting from eastern PG to Arlington everyday -- UGH!

Practically every darn gov't job outside of DC is in NOVA, or Mont. County. PG has next to nothing!!!!

Now, I ask you WHY is that???

[North Beach Person]

I've stayed out of this but have to throw in:
The issues about jobs, housing, etc. have nothing to do with the racial makeup of the County. PG has always been the red-headed stepchild in the area. Thirty years ago when it was majority white it suffered from a blue-collar and red neck stereotype. The same way as I've said about the school problems have nothing to do with the racial makeup but have always been there, so have these other issues.
The County was run for generations by the equivalent of a political machine. The faces and names have changed over the last fifteen or so years but machine politics are still there. The big landowners/investors (or their descendants) are still the ones behind the scenes doing the moving and shaking. And the new generation of leaders like the bennies.

[slowlane]

Today you even see Black historic neighborhoods in Montgomery where are they in Fairfax and Arlington?

You've never heard of the historically-black "Nauck" neighborhood (near Shirlington) or the similar "Hall's Hill" neighborhood at Lee Highway at Glebe Road ? Or "Gum Springs" along Richmond Highway (Route 1), where descendants of George Washington's slaves still live ? (including the distinguished "Quander" family). Dr. Charles Drew, and poet Paul Dunbar lived in Arlington.

See http://arlingtonvirginiausa.com/docs...amer_guide.pdf

[slowlane]

Any time you go to a store's website and see that they have locations in EVERY county BUT PG -- what else is that about BUT racism? And it's so OBVIOUS. They'll have stores all around outside PG -- 2 or three in Mont, 2-3 in Anne Arundel, 1-2 in Howard, even 1 on Charles? EVERYWHERE but PG. That CAN'T be an accident.

It's the same way with doctors and other professionals. Whenever the Washingtonian Magazine does a story as they often do, of the area's "top medical specialists" or "top lawyers", it seems 100 percent of the ones listed, practice in the western half of the metro area. Doesn't anyone realize that people in PGC get sick too ? And why do the other counties have countless dozens upon dozens of movie theaters (Arundel Mills even has a 24-movie complex), but none at all in PGC ? (Oxon Hill used to have some at Rivertown, but they closed).

[RelativelyGruntled]

Gee, I'm sure that the crime rate has nothing to do with it. When someone is robbed they don't care what race the robber was, they just want their stuff back and the person punished.

[selhars]

Yet another PG county generalization that spreads a negative impression.

Crime rate comments are too general unless referring to specific areas. The crime rate in parts of PG is less than the crime rate in parts of either NOVA or Montgomery.

There are parts of PG county that have NOTHING IN COMMON with others -- be they north or south.... or outer edge or neighboring DC -- other than being in PG.

Yet the areas are lumped together like they're right next door to each other.

If someone is robbed in Gaithersburg does that reflect on jobs not going to Bethesda?
I'm sure cars are stolen in Springfield or Annandale, I don't see that affecting the image of ALL of Fairfax.