the crossroads
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8/23/2007
The neighborhood in which I live can be described easily as a hood. It is a no-mans land that is laid claim to by no less than 3 separate gangs, who spend more time looking over thier shoulders than in front of them. Oddly enough, there are no open-air drug markets or street serving but there IS a thriving behind door drug trade. Children run the streets while gang affiliated parents watch from the porches of THEIR parents homes. Teen pregnancy among the hispanic and african-american children is out of control. It is hardly uncommon to see 16 yr olds with 2 children but when they have their unwed 30 yr old mothers exhample to follow, it is hardly surprising. Generational public aide continues in the form of WIC and Foodstamps(called LINK), which are freely exchanged for cash (at pennies on the dollar) at local corner store merchants.
All in all, it is the sad tale of typical urban blight, with no forseeable change, for that matter, there is no desire to change. There is no strive for the american dream, other than living off the state and doing as little as possible.
It saddens me, and before you jump to judge me, I work for a non-profit computer training center that has a stream of 2rd and third generation public-aide recipients flowing through, for no other reason than to complete their requirments for continued benifits.
And I get to live in this neighborhood for my troubles.
shawn | Chicago, IL