Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

[TarHeelMan]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

There's a neighborhood not far from my house, called Brier Creek, where some homes go for over $1 million. Lotta money in the area; Sidney Lowe has a home there, and I've heard that Phil Ford has a crib there too. A few months ago, there was a rash of break-ins, that got the people all scared about their little utopia. Since where we live is right near the border of Raleigh and Durham, the popular opinion was that it was the thugs (i.e. black) from East Durham crossing the border 10 minutes into North Raleigh and causing all the trouble. Turns out that the people who were arrested were young white kids who lived right there in the community. And most of the breakins occurred because people who lived there were being idiots, and leaving their garage doors up, and the doors to their Jaguars and BMWs unlocked.

[madscientist]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

As a white kid growing up in the Watsonia projects, it really opened my eyes to things at a young age. I learned that the only people you can really trust is family, and even then you can only trust your closest family members. Friends come and go, mostly go. We had shootings and stabbings, but most of the crime was drug related. I had a cousin that used to pay 20 cents on the dollar for food stamps, and you would've thought he was providing a public service or something. I've lost friends over gangs, drugs, jail, and murder. I'm glad to be out of that lifestyle, but lessons learned will forever stay with me.

The good thing about being in that situation is things don't freak me out like it would most people. I feel as comfortable talking to crackhead Willie as Dr. Smith. I don't care what color or ethnicity you are, I will treat you with respect as long as you treat me with respect. Drugs and alcohol can ruin anyone....anyone. Show the people you love that you love them everyday, because they may be gone tommorow.

[stiffarmleft]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

Whenever I hear Cabrini Green I think about

I think of Good Times.

[3rdAnswer]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

There's a neighborhood not far from my house, called Brier Creek, where some homes go for over $1 million. Lotta money in the area; Sidney Lowe has a home there, and I've heard that Phil Ford has a crib there too. A few months ago, there was a rash of break-ins, that got the people all scared about their little utopia. Since where we live is right near the border of Raleigh and Durham, the popular opinion was that it was the thugs (i.e. black) from East Durham crossing the border 10 minutes into North Raleigh and causing all the trouble. Turns out that the people who were arrested were young white kids who lived right there in the community. And most of the breakins occurred because people who lived there were being idiots, and leaving their garage doors up, and the doors to their Jaguars and BMWs unlocked.

Same EXACT thing happened in my neighborhood bro. We didnt get hit cause both of my parents grew up in the ghetto..so they always have us locking our doors and cars and whatnot. I also live in an affluent neighborhood...its Sunset Ridge in Southwest Raleigh....near Cary and Apex.

[mgoblue]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

I respect anyone that came out of Cabrini Green Projects in Chicago; I saw an episode of Gangland on the History Channel yesterday, and it detailed how bad those projects were... Little kids catching stray bullets as these rival drug gangs shot at each other... Cops were getting shot by snipers, and even the EMS was getting shot at when they would come through to help someone who had been shot.... Bananas. And I thought Red Hook projects in Brooklyn was the worst ones I had ever heard of.

I've seen a few episodes of Gangland recently, and that ish is crazy scary. I can't imagine living in that type of atmosphere with people killing each other for the dumbest reasons, etc. Crazy lifestyle, but it's all a lot of people know...plus they join to survive...Doesn't make it right/good, but I understand their motivations.

[TarHeelMan]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

Same EXACT thing happened in my neighborhood bro. We didnt get hit cause both of my parents grew up in the ghetto..so they always have us locking our doors and cars and whatnot. I also live in an affluent neighborhood...its Sunset Ridge in Southwest Raleigh....near Cary and Apex.

It's kinda funny, actually... My mother lives in the active adult community in Brier Creek, so I'm always driving through the area. People with all these material goods, got 'em all exposed in their driveway and in their garage, cars unlocked. It's like they were ASKING to get robbed. Then people start locking their stuff up and not leaving them exposed, the breakins go down... What a novel concept... You'd think all the Ph.D.'s and high powered lawyers over there would grasp such a simple concept.

I've seen a few episodes of Gangland recently, and that ish is crazy scary. I can't imagine living in that type of atmosphere with people killing each other for the dumbest reasons, etc. Crazy lifestyle, but it's all a lot of people know...plus they join to survive...Doesn't make it right/good, but I understand their motivations.

I grew up in the projects, and like to think of myself as somewhat unfazed by violence in the hood; like I said before, I had a dude get shot and killed on my floor. But that stuff on Gangland (I only saw the one on Cabrini Green) had me shook just thinking about living like that. Some apartments would be burned out, and never rehabilitated; just left the way they were. Holes knocked out in walls so the drug dealers could escape when the police would come around, and then they would get other tenants to hold their weapons and drugs for them, since the police wouldn't suspect them. I was just like "WOW" the whole time. From what I understand, the projects were torn down, and they're trying to revitalize that whole area, since there are some high-end developments not far from there.

[Brandwin]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

I grew up in LA, corner of 26th st and Lewis.

[the_future420]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, mainly a block away from the PC's "Prarie Courts" and a few blocks from the Dearborn Projects and some of the Robert Taylor homes. I also spent some time on 79th street near Halsted which isn't a great area either.

Where I lived was very strange, there were several nice apartment complexes literally across the street from the projects. The PCs and Robert Taylor Homes weren't as bad as Cabrini Green, but they were close. Its kinda like that in alot of places in Chicago though, one block is nice, and the next block is grimey as hell.

My experience was perfect, if I say so myself. I was close enough to the projects to see all the bad things that went down there, but never had to sleep,live and eat there. I've seen one person shot, and a bunch of people get robbed. Got jumped a couple of times, but never was in any huge danget. I think its really helped me to be able to deal with all types of people seeing so much contrast in the 3block area where I lived. I wouldn't change it for anything. But I do live in the suburbs now.

[TarHeelMan]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

Yeah, what helped me in that regard was where I went to high school; I didn't go to any of the zoned or "neighborhood" high schools, where you'd more than likely deal with the same cats that you were living with... I went to a school that had kids from all over the city, so some of my best friends were Asian, Jewish, Italian, Indian, African-American, you name it... We were like one of those Benetton ads... It helped shape my view of other people in a way that I don't think I would have had if I had gone to an "around the way" school.

[youvalss]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmVFnhO3A98

Elvis said it all. Personally I've never been to what u guys call a ghetto and I don't think I could survive there. My grandparents lived in a kind of a ghetto (but that's for another thread...)

[bkrich83]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

It's kinda funny, actually... My mother lives in the active adult community in Brier Creek, so I'm always driving through the area. People with all these material goods, got 'em all exposed in their driveway and in their garage, cars unlocked. It's like they were ASKING to get robbed. Then people start locking their stuff up and not leaving them exposed, the breakins go down... What a novel concept... You'd think all the Ph.D.'s and high powered lawyers over there would grasp such a simple concept.

While I agree, it's a shame it's needed. It's a shame that people just can't respect other people's things.

If you want nice stuff, get an education and get a job that pays. Have some self respect and some respect for your fellow man That's also a simple concept.

[3rdAnswer]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

While I agree, it's a shame it's needed. It's a shame that people just can't respect other people's things.

If you want nice stuff, get an education and get a job that pays. Have some self respect and some respect for your fellow man That's also a simple concept.

Young high school kids dont think like that.

[bkrich83]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

Young high school kids dont think like that.

And that's a big part of the problem.

And even young HS kids should know it's not right to rob and stael. Sorry, age is not an excuse.

[3rdAnswer]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

And that's a big part of the problem.

And even young HS kids should know it's not right to rob and stael. Sorry, age is not an excuse.

Certainly they know it's wrong..but they have the mentality that if no one knows that it's them doing it, it doesnt matter if its wrong. They dont have any morals.

[bkrich83]

Re: Folks That Grew Up In "Rough Areas" aka Talkin Bout The Ghetto

Certainly they know it's wrong..but they have the mentality that if no one knows that it's them doing it, it doesnt matter if its wrong. They dont have any morals.

Again that's the problem.