Things Go Together

After reading the New York Times article on the Chicago Housing Crisis I felt enlightened. The article, to me, was a fresh perpective on the topic we are learning so much about. What was so special about it all was that we got to hear about the issue from someone who has lived and experienced the things Sampson has spent years researching. Sampson provides an "outsiders" perspective meanwhile J.R. from the article is more of an "insider." The cool thing about J.R. is that he is also trying to make a difference. His efforts to make a change in his community are inspiring. I also thinks it is great what Sampson did in his research efforts and compiling data still remains important. Both men are contributing some very important things to the way we view community and neighborhood in one the Great American Cities.

From my perspective J.R. seems to be doing at least something. I know, I know in the grand scheme of things people with the money to actually fund projects that J.R. participates in would like to see the facts. A person like Sampson would be able to present information in a logical powerful way, with statistics and numbers essentially data. Yet, even the little that J.R. does makes a big difference to a family. In my eyes, even if one family is able to live in a home instead of spending one more night on the streets that is success. Perhaps, in turn, that family would be moved to help other's when they are in need because of the example they saw in a person such as J.R.

In the article they spoke about tearing down schools. I think this might be the worst mistake a community could make. Families locate themselves in an area where there kids can go to school and in my opinion if they want these areas to turn from decaying neighborhoods they have to build better schools. Provide after school programs for the kids, sports teams, etc. Anything really to keep kids off the streets and busy with school work or sports. Preparing them for their futures and overall making their lives better.

A few years ago I visited a section of Los Angeles that my uncle called "Skid Row." My uncle, who happens to have his masters in sociology, decided to share with us a part of L.A. without all of the shopping malls and happy people. The place was covered in tents, cardboard boxes, shopping carts, tarps. The average person would call it a garbage dump but to hundreds of homeless people these are there homes. It was later in the night and it looked like an urban campsite against the concrete buildings walls. I think that most of these people have either lost everything (money, job, family, etc.) or have given into drug/alcohol abuse. The best thing for these people is help getting back on their feet. They need someone to tell them that all hope is not lost. I have heard of the city actually coming together to take action in the recent years. With projects such as Project 50 trying to change things. If I were conducting research on this area I would attempt generate a roster of some sort. Categorizing the people by their specific needs. Some may require immediate medical attention, others might require rehabilitation, etc.

As I continue to read the assigned text I remember to keep in mind my two discipline's, which are Biology and Spanish. In chapter five I found a section that correlates with with Biology. Biology has a lot do with research and health. In his section, Things Go Together, in chapter five he speaks about the many correlations between social problems and health issues in certain areas in the Chicago area. More specifically the infant mortality rate and teenage birth rate, which are both correlated with the homicide rate. Some of these parts of Chicago suffer from unemployment and poverty. Which can severely affect a persons ability to receive medical treatment. Because my emphasis of Biology is more health care related I always look at how certain issues will have influence on the health of an individual.