Neighborhood Shutdown

[oldlib]

I live in a neighborhood that I believe is typical in most cities. The composition is integrated with about one in five homes occupied by Blacks. I open my drapes to the front at about 5:00am each morning and I have observed that my nearby neighbors never open their drapes. I seldom see people on the street, unless they are walking to their cars. I see children walking to school in the morning and in the afternoon I see them returning home, in a cloud of MacDonald cups and wrappers. I am dismayed by the lack of neighborhood togetherness, and I would like to see us all closer. Is this what we can expect today?

[Chipper Chat]

1. Welcome to Sarah Palin's america.

Get used to it. You betcha.

[sufrommich]

2. What does the OP have to do with Sarah Palin?? nt

[saras]

8. It answers the question 'is this what we can expect'?

The question doesn't have a single answer, and Sarah Palin is a perfectly reasonable representative of Tea Party/right wing puppet values. In this set of values - it doesn't matter who you label them after - then the answer is "yes, that is the kind of community we are trying to build."

Much the same as you might blame the "Bush administration" for something that Rumsfeld did.

[Lars39]

3. Sounds like a block party might help.

If you could, gradually start to get to know a few kindred people that might help you plan a potluck or some type of grilling event for everyone to get to meet and greet their neighbors. Could be fun. :)

on edit: Or try to organize a yard sale for the neighborhood. Those are good ice breakers, too. :)

[Mz Pip]

9. we do that on our street

every year. It's a chance to meet new people in the neighborhood.

We used to have earthquake preparedness meetings where we put together a neighborhood plan and gathered information about who and how many people live in each house; pets, special medical needs, etc. It really helped bring the neighborhood together.

I like the idea of a neighborhood yard sale, too.

[sufrommich]

4. I don't know, I know my neighbors and their kids. I also have a

lot of walkers in my neighborhood so on nice days you could sit on the porch and talk to all kinds of people.

I just looked at the town your in, I was born in Lancaster, although I remember nothing about it as we left when I was 2. I wonder if certain parts of the country are more "neighborhood friendly" than others? Don't really know.

[oldlib]

10. Lancaster is

excuse the term, "the shittiest city that I have ever lived in" This is a high desert city just north of LA and the wind blows constantly except in the summer when the temperature is 110 degrees. We moved here for my wife to be close to her mother.

[sufrommich]

13. Yeah, that's pretty much how my Mom and Dad described it too.

Must not have changed too much over the years.

[patrice]

5. There used to be something at the county level of gov't called the county Extension, which

consists of groups in homes in the county & which can access educational support and public meeting places, or even in private homes in which families decide to organize at the most bottom level, their own neighborhoods. County Extension offices have been around for decades and they used to support all aspects of Home Economics, a subject that used to be taught in public schools.

[onethatcares]

6. to know your neighbors, introduce yourself.

get outa your house and walk up to them and say, "Howdy Neighbor, I'm oldlib and I live in that castle over there. You got some nice flowers"

Trust me, it works.

[Speck Tater]

7. The only time I've seen that kind of community interaction first hand

was after my first divorce when I was broke and had to live in the poorest part of town for a couple years. It was a true community. Everybody knew all their neighbors and we all helped each other with everything from babysitting to shopping to auto repair, and people got together in front yards to BBQ and chat and exchange local gossip and news. Later, when I got back on my feet financially and moved to a "nicer" neighborhood, it wasn't a "neighborhood" at all, just a collection of hermetically sealed houses. In retrospect I was much happier living in the "slums".

[OffWithTheirHeads]

11. Could be up to you. In my downtown San Jose Ca. Neighborhood we

Formed a neighborhood association, got the neighbors involved in local politics, have monthly meetings usually attended by the cops who work our hood, code enforcment, planning comission types and on occasion, our elected district rep. We have block parties, cleanup days, multi family garage sales, etc.

Our hood was just like yours about five years ago. Now the hood is strong, the neighbors are involved and no one dares build anything or tear anything down without going through us first.

I think you might be surprised how many of your neighbors feel just like you but don't know how to change anything.

[oldlib]

12. I lived in San Jose

for the 30 years of my working career. I loved it. The climate at the South end of SF bay is warmer then SF and I knew all of my neighbors. I walk my dog every morning in Lancaster and I seldom meet anyone.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

16. You could do this. Start simple. Print out some flyers talking about

What you would like to see happen in your hood and asking for input and take them door to door for a few blocks around you. Set up a gmail account for people to respond. Then, maybe a get together for Pizza someplace to meet and talk and take it from there. What's the worst thing that can happen? No one responds but even then, you are no worse off than you are now.

If you would like some help, pm me. We, like you, started with squat in a hood that I wouldn't walk the dogs in after dark without carrying. Now, that hood is a political force to be reckond with. I'm convinced the same thing could be done almost anywhere. Again, I think you would be surprised how many folks feel the same way you do.

[nosmokes]

14. Try starting up a neighborhood watch. It's a good excuse to get nosy. ;)

[Maraya1969]

15. It starts with you. Introduce yourself to your neighbors. They probably

will be happy about it. Then introduce your neighbors to your other neighbors.

And the block party sounds great. A smaller start is to grill in your backyard and invite a bunch of them. Hotdogs are not that expensive.