Call it wishful thinking or call it just like it is…
people who live in some of most troubled urban neighborhoods want what every
good law abiding person desires… a better
quality of life. They want to live
in a great neighborhood, one that is safe, peaceful, with good schools, high employment,
great shopping and of course filled with good neighbors. However, a high percentage of these urban neighborhoods
are in crisis, decline, and neglected and in need of long term solutions.
The challenges include crumbling infrastructure, dilapidated
housing, boarded up buildings, business flight, underperforming schools, high
unemployment, lack of educational training, high poverty, a disarray of social
services, crime and the list goes on and
on. No one solution can fully
address any of these problems that have only grown over the decades.
It is easy to judge and to make suggestions for
change when you don’t live in those affected neighborhoods. Some people would rather put their heads in
the sand, look the other way and pretend that these problems are not
there. They are glad that the problems
are in someone else’s backyard and so they don’t have to deal with them. And each and every day, the media reports
underscore the tragedies and challenges that are occurring in neighborhoods throughout
the city.
For
those living in those neighborhoods their view and perspective are quite
different, for they often ask... “Why is
this happening?” and “will someone
please help us?” Too often residents are so overwhelmed by the sure volume
of ongoing issues, they don’t even know where to begin in solving a particular problem. Some problems are not quick fixes, due to
their sheer size, scope and complexity. In other words, urban America residents need help
to solve problems.
They also want people who seek opportunities to work
in urban America to also live there, it’s only fair. It is one of the most effective ways to
really understand what it will take to make urban neighborhoods better. We have to remember that residents living in
urban America deserve a chance to succeed, and an opportunity to make things
better. Then here is the deal…. if we can work together… then why can’t we
live together? Let us never
underestimate the power of being on the same page…
No comments:
Post a Comment