View Full Version : Are many parts of the US like this?
WiredIncorrectly
16-04-21, 03:37
Found a video of a guy walking through the Harrogate section in Philly. Was very interesting but the amount of stores closed, and drug addicts, it's absolutely insane. I've never seen streets littered with so much rubbish either.
How typical is this in the US? The only references I've seen of the hoods are in movies, and the odd documentary. But this video is raw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FD7xxo5ApY
MyNameIsTerry
16-04-21, 03:57
Well there was a news item some time back where a news reporter was photo bombed by a woman (with shopping bags) in the background on a Californian beach who just dropped her trousers and then...dropped something else. When you gotta go...https://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/bad/t2101.gif
I do know Vee comes from California so if it was fox it might have been a very candid feedback about their quality...:roflmao:
I’d say there is a section like this is every major city. It’s no different than the shitty blocks in Westminster/Islington area.
Well there was a news item some time back where a news reporter was photo bombed by a woman (with shopping bags) in the background on a Californian beach who just dropped her trousers and then...dropped something else. When you gotta go...https://yoursmiles.org/tsmile/bad/t2101.gif
I do know Vee comes from California so if it was fox it might have been a very candid feedback about their quality...:roflmao:
That was on Venice. Homeless lady. I saw homeless people when I was in London.
ankietyjoe
16-04-21, 10:11
I’d say there is a section like this is every major city. It’s no different than the shitty blocks in Westminster/Islington area.
It's actually very different in my experience.
I once visited the States and toured the West Coast. We went through a few 'no go' areas, or rather drove by them and it was stark. Conversely, I used to go to school in South London and had to walk through what was considered a very rough estate which really wasn't that bad at all. Yes, there are some relatively dangerous parts of the UK, but nothing close to what I saw in the US, especially in LA.
I think it is in part the 'every man for himself' ethos of US culture.
That was on Venice. Homeless lady. I saw homeless people when I was in London.
Yes, when I used to commute into London every day I saw so many homeless. It’s very hard not to feel a range of emotions when you see them.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It’s the same in every country Scass. Over here we have a shortage of rental properties and a lot more families are homeless,it’s a bit hard not too well up.:weep:
glassgirlw
16-04-21, 11:19
I think you see a lot more of this in the major cities. As you get more into the rural areas it’s not as prevalent (but sometimes it is lol). And yes, we definitely have a homeless population. Not much of an answer for you I’m afraid lol. I’ve not traveled outside the US (yet) so I can’t speak to that. But sure, we definitely have our rougher areas.
I think it's a problem pretty much the world over, and not exclusive to the USA and the UK.
Twas ever thus, and probably always will be.
Also, that 'problem' area of Philly is hardly representative of the entire country.
WiredIncorrectly
16-04-21, 13:30
I'm with Joe on this one. I've lived in rough areas, a portion of my own family were hard drug addicts and ran a crack house here in the UK. I've still not seen anything on this scale. I know homelessness is a problem all over, I've been homeless too, but in this video there was multiple people shooting up in broad daylight like it was a normal thing. Tents pitched up on the sidewalk.
And yeah it does tug on the heart strings when you see people in this situation. The young drug slingers are killing their community with fentanyl. Taking the money straight out of the community and into criminal ventures.
The only areas I think come close are like Vee said, the rough estates in London where kids are working the corners and running drugs back and forth. You can't really walk those areas unless you live there.
I managed to have a chat with this guy yesterday because he premiered a video and was in the chat. Very cool guy.
ankietyjoe
16-04-21, 15:53
Even the estates around London just aren't this bad. I used to walk through the 'So Solid' estate on the way to school. I was ridiculously naive at the time, nothing ever happened. Later I lived in the rough side of Brixton, nothing ever happened.
I think the main difference between the UK and US that fuels this kind of thing are prisons as cheap labour camps. As far as I can see, there is no motivation for the US to clean up the streets because then it would also cut off the supply of cheap labour.
And I have never seen ANYTHING in the UK that compares with what I saw on the outskirts of a rough part of LA. Both in terms of scale and intensity.
I lived in Philly for a while and I can tell you, there are areas like in that video where you just don't want to go. I worked for a company in N Philly before they moved to NJ and they literally had a fenced in parking lot and you needed codes to get in. There was a time I worked a 2nd shift and when I left at 11pm, I basically blew through stop signs and lights until I got South of the area because of what I saw on the streets. I drove through areas of Baltimore, NY and other large cities that were similar. There are places like that in most major cities in the US. Homeless encampments, run down slums, dirty, ugly, poor. Horrible living conditions. It's sad :(
There are equally run down, very poor and crime ridden areas in the rural parts of the US as well. Even in the small town I live in, there are homeless and very run down, poor areas. Contrary to what the overall town impression is, there's also a huge drug problem as well. A weekly read of the arrest and indictment records affirm it.
FMP
WiredIncorrectly
16-04-21, 16:22
Thanks for sharing Fishmanpa.
What was responsible for the downfall of these areas (in particular Philly)? Is it the drug problem and the looting/robbery? That entire strip in Philly is closed down but the guy says that only started happening in recent years. Apparently it was a good business area in the past.
WiredIncorrectly
16-04-21, 16:24
Even the estates around London just aren't this bad. I used to walk through the 'So Solid' estate on the way to school. I was ridiculously naive at the time, nothing ever happened. Later I lived in the rough side of Brixton, nothing ever happened.
I think the main difference between the UK and US that fuels this kind of thing are prisons as cheap labour camps. As far as I can see, there is no motivation for the US to clean up the streets because then it would also cut off the supply of cheap labour.
And I have never seen ANYTHING in the UK that compares with what I saw on the outskirts of a rough part of LA. Both in terms of scale and intensity.
Did it feel a bit nerving being a foreigner in the non tourist areas? Did you have an issues while over there being British?
Even the estates around London just aren't this bad. I used to walk through the 'So Solid' estate on the way to school. I was ridiculously naive at the time, nothing ever happened. Later I lived in the rough side of Brixton, nothing ever happened.
I think the main difference between the UK and US that fuels this kind of thing are prisons as cheap labour camps. As far as I can see, there is no motivation for the US to clean up the streets because then it would also cut off the supply of cheap labour.
And I have never seen ANYTHING in the UK that compares with what I saw on the outskirts of a rough part of LA. Both in terms of scale and intensity.
When I visited my day centre in Burton on Trent, Staffordshire for the first time in 2017, I felt a bit of a sense of unease as the 'vernicular' of that particular part of Burton very much reminds me of parts of Handsworth, Birmingham, and I imagined all kinds of dodgy scenarios playing out there.
Even though at face value said area of Burton might look a bit iffy, it's actually fine (at least during normal daytime hours) and generally has quite a good community atmosphere, plus so far (touch wood) I've never had any issues there personally. There is also a virtual lack of graffiti and litter problems in said area aren't really mega serious either. Most certainly far removed from 'bandit country'!
Sometimes it seems that negative perceptions of certain places are actually all in the mind, especially once one gets to know those areas properly.
Let's face it, even 'notorious' areas like Brixton, Handsworth, etc probably aren't always quite what they seem.
MyNameIsTerry
16-04-21, 17:19
When I visited my day centre in Burton on Trent, Staffordshire for the first time in 2017, I felt a bit of a sense of unease as the 'vernicular' of that particular part of Burton very much reminds me of parts of Handsworth, Birmingham, and I imagined all kinds of dodgy scenarios playing out there.
Even though at face value said area of Burton might look a bit iffy, it's actually fine (at least during normal daytime hours) and generally has quite a good community atmosphere, plus so far (touch wood) I've never had any issues there personally. There is also a virtual lack of graffiti and litter problems in said area aren't really mega serious either. Most certainly far removed from 'bandit country'!
Sometimes it seems that negative perceptions of certain places are actually all in the mind, especially once one gets to know those areas properly.
Let's face it, even 'notorious' areas like Brixton, Handsworth, etc probably aren't always quite what they seem.
I can remember areas like Handsworth being a problem for work scheduling (more 20 years ago) as meter engineers had experienced attacks and thefts when out on the job. My dad worked across much of the West Midlands and said similiar.
WiredIncorrectly
16-04-21, 18:30
When I visited my day centre in Burton on Trent, Staffordshire for the first time in 2017, I felt a bit of a sense of unease as the 'vernicular' of that particular part of Burton very much reminds me of parts of Handsworth, Birmingham, and I imagined all kinds of dodgy scenarios playing out there.
Even though at face value said area of Burton might look a bit iffy, it's actually fine (at least during normal daytime hours) and generally has quite a good community atmosphere, plus so far (touch wood) I've never had any issues there personally. There is also a virtual lack of graffiti and litter problems in said area aren't really mega serious either. Most certainly far removed from 'bandit country'!
Sometimes it seems that negative perceptions of certain places are actually all in the mind, especially once one gets to know those areas properly.
Let's face it, even 'notorious' areas like Brixton, Handsworth, etc probably aren't always quite what they seem.
I worked at a charity shop in Burton on Trent when I was in the D Cat prison. I found it to be a decent area. I didn't venture into the suburbs though. I've been to Handsworth many times. Lots of murders happened on that Soho road. I was going to go to Birmingham City university but opted against it because I'd have to get the bus from Aston to the university. Aston can be a bad place too.
It can be all in the mind. It's like prison, if you keep your head down and you're not involved in the illegal activities nobody cares about you. But many people would instantly be scared of prison thinking it's a place where they're going to be bullied. But, bravo to the officers they always kept me on the induction wings and away from the regular wings where I probably could have had some drama. And yeah, I would be scared to go back to prison because the officers might not be so cushy with me next time around.
I think Moss Side is one of the worst places in the UK. Scotland can be rough too in some parts.
I worked at a charity shop in Burton on Trent when I was in the D Cat prison. I found it to be a decent area. I didn't venture into the suburbs though. I've been to Handsworth many times. Lots of murders happened on that Soho road. I was going to go to Birmingham City university but opted against it because I'd have to get the bus from Aston to the university. Aston can be a bad place too.
It can be all in the mind. It's like prison, if you keep your head down and you're not involved in the illegal activities nobody cares about you. But many people would instantly be scared of prison thinking it's a place where they're going to be bullied. But, bravo to the officers they always kept me on the induction wings and away from the regular wings where I probably could have had some drama. And yeah, I would be scared to go back to prison because the officers might not be so cushy with me next time around.
I think Moss Side is one of the worst places in the UK. Scotland can be rough too in some parts.
Yes, Burton is generally OK, though, like most places, it has its problems, but again, like most places, they're probably concentrated more in specific 'wards'.
Ditto for my own town, Tamworth, which again for the most part, is generally a decent area with a great castle, but like Burton, there are certain areas of the borough that can sometimes be a bit iffy, most notably certain parts of the Glascote and Wilnecote 'wards', though still, hardly 'bandit country' nor 'riot city'!
I live in the northern-most part of the borough.
Hey Wired how's it going my friend?
I drive through a section of Boston fairly regularly. It's called Methadone Mile - and they ain't kiddin. Thousands of (mostly young) junkies up and down the sidewalks. You'll see them sleeping, shi**ing, pissing, fuc*ing, shooting up, fighting, begging...all in broad daylight. That s not an exagerration. It's allowed. Not legal but cops just look the other way. If one comes up to my truck I'll give em 5 or 10 bucks and shoot the breeze a bit. It's the girls that break my heart for some reason. This crisis has been around awhile. It was created by big pharma BTW...in conjuction with the US government that is.
Thanks for sharing Fishmanpa.
What was responsible for the downfall of these areas (in particular Philly)? Is it the drug problem and the looting/robbery? That entire strip in Philly is closed down but the guy says that only started happening in recent years. Apparently it was a good business area in the past.
It was those things plus gangs and the like. Many are on Government assistance etc.
FMP
In LA, there are some really bad blocks of Hyde Park, Skid Row (San Pedro and 5th), 4th and main, some parts of Huntington Park, but I don't think they are bad as the "ghetto" section in other cities. I live in one of the poorest zip codes in my county, but I have a nice house and we have some nice neighborhoods, but we have homeless too. Other places that you see on the news, like the corner of Normandie and Florence, where the riots happened in 1992, it's not all ghetto and scary like it's portrayed. It looks like any other street corner.
North LV Blvd/Fremont area in Las Vegas; main street right through downtown Dallas, TX; the Chandler Park area in Detroit...those are much worse in my opinion. Certainly that neighborhood in Philly is...
I've been to Tijuana and Guadalajara in Mexico, and their slums are way worse than ours in the US. Then again, I've also been to Toronto's "slums", and they're a lot better than ours.
Parts of London may not be as bad as that area in Philly, but you all still have your share of homeless people.
I don't think our homeless issue simply comes from the fact that Americans don't care about each other or we want to keep labor costs down. Yes, there are some Americans who think like that, but there are also a lot of Americans that do care and do want to raise the standard of living for people. But the issues are complicated. We have a very broken health and mental health system here. We don't have a fully private system; we don't have a universal system. We have a half-assed combo system that isn't working. Republicans think a universal health care/mental health system will make us all into a socialist welfare state and Democrats think that if we stay on a private system, doctors and pharmaceutical companies will treat our health like a business. And neither side gets anywhere or works together. So where do the drug-addicted and mentally ill go? On the streets. We're also a lot bigger and have a lot more people than you do. California and New York together, just our two biggest states, equal your 65 million in the UK. It's not just about people not being paid enough for a minimum wage.
ankietyjoe
17-04-21, 13:58
I don't think our homeless issue simply comes from the fact that Americans don't care about each other or we want to keep labor costs down. Yes, there are some Americans who think like that, but there are also a lot of Americans that do care and do want to raise the standard of living for people. But the issues are complicated. We have a very broken health and mental health system here. We don't have a fully private system; we don't have a universal system. We have a half-assed combo system that isn't working. Republicans think a universal health care/mental health system will make us all into a socialist welfare state and Democrats think that if we stay on a private system, doctors and pharmaceutical companies will treat our health like a business. And neither side gets anywhere or works together. So where do the drug-addicted and mentally ill go? On the streets. We're also a lot bigger and have a lot more people than you do. California and New York together, just our two biggest states, equal your 65 million in the UK. It's not just about people not being paid enough for a minimum wage.
I certainly wasn't trying to imply that at all, but unfortunately it only takes a small percentage of Americans (or any group of people) who are in control of policy to keep that system in place.
Even if 95% of the population cared (which I'm sure they do), they still can't do a lot about it as they're busy earning a living to pay for their medical bills. Know what I mean?
Pamplemousse
17-04-21, 14:37
Now have a look at the favelas in Brazil - one of the most notorious was divided by the road to the airport in Rio and it wasn't unknown for cars to get caught in crossfire across that road.
Brazil had the second highest number of murders per year (next to India) at one time.
I certainly wasn't trying to imply that at all, but unfortunately it only takes a small percentage of Americans (or any group of people) who are in control of policy to keep that system in place.
Even if 95% of the population cared (which I'm sure they do), they still can't do a lot about it as they're busy earning a living to pay for their medical bills. Know what I mean?
Yes, I understand what you're saying. It's why I have so many issues with our two-party system here. In several areas of our society, it's simply not working. How many people have to die before we start to overhaul certain areas? Covid (like any natural disaster) high-lighted the inequalities in several aspects of our society, but not enough for everyone to be in favor of reform.
Pamplemousse
17-04-21, 20:13
Yes, I understand what you're saying. It's why I have so many issues with our two-party system here. In several areas of our society, it's simply not working. How many people have to die before we start to overhaul certain areas? Covid (like any natural disaster) high-lighted the inequalities in several aspects of our society, but not enough for everyone to be in favor of reform.
Unfortunately Vee, whilst your barbaric and monumentally selfish country remains wedded to ideas of state-sponsored murder, inappropriate levels of gun ownership and viewing ANY effort by the state to help its less fortunate citizens as tantamount to Communism, your country is finished.
My only worry is what other countries the US will take with it when it collapses; because the increasingly stupid British public love aping you...
WiredIncorrectly
17-04-21, 23:33
Now have a look at the favelas in Brazil - one of the most notorious was divided by the road to the airport in Rio and it wasn't unknown for cars to get caught in crossfire across that road.
Brazil had the second highest number of murders per year (next to India) at one time.
Woah, you wasn't kidding:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUg0SQJ0bx0
Woah, you wasn't kidding:
No kidding! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcbR1J_4ICg&ab_channel=Bitz-O-Funny)
FMP
Unfortunately Vee, whilst your barbaric and monumentally selfish country remains wedded to ideas of state-sponsored murder, inappropriate levels of gun ownership and viewing ANY effort by the state to help its less fortunate citizens as tantamount to Communism, your country is finished.
My only worry is what other countries the US will take with it when it collapses; because the increasingly stupid British public love aping you...
Please try to have a little hope and not write us off yet, PM. I still live here :p
Unfortunately Vee, whilst your barbaric and monumentally selfish country remains wedded to ideas of state-sponsored murder, inappropriate levels of gun ownership and viewing ANY effort by the state to help its less fortunate citizens as tantamount to Communism, your country is finished.
My only worry is what other countries the US will take with it when it collapses; because the increasingly stupid British public love aping you...
Or much rather the 'increasingly stupid British public' love aping anything that is 'edgy' and 'beyond the pale' simply for the sake of 'attention-seeking' and for their 'fifteen minutes of fame'.
A typical example was the toilet roll stampedes in March last year just prior to our first national lockdown, and that 'craze' allegedly had its origins in Australia, then much of the rest of the world suddenly started 'aping' them!
We also had it with the English city riots within our own shores nearly 10 years ago where pretty much every other major city (and a few 'larger' metropolitan towns) suddenly started aping London within under 2 days!
Typical pack mentality!
WiredIncorrectly
18-04-21, 16:47
No kidding! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcbR1J_4ICg&ab_channel=Bitz-O-Funny)
FMP
Good old Monty Python. FWIW the Python programming language has its roots in Monty Python.
Why is it called Python? When he began implementing Python, Guido van Rossum was also reading the published scripts from “Monty Python’s Flying Circus”, a BBC comedy series from the 1970s. Van Rossum thought he needed a name that was short, unique, and slightly mysterious, so he decided to call the language Python.
Good old Monty Python.
That scene came to mind as it illustrated (rather comically) what would be considered the underprivileged and slums in the Middle Ages. Throughout history, there have always been bad areas that were poor, afflicted and crime ridden. The reality is, nothing much has changed.
FMP
The situation in Brazil is getting really bad. There's not enough vaccines; people are starving; it's of course hit the poor areas and the slums the worst, as people are forced to pretty much live on top of each other. The president is supported by the elite who do not have these problems, and the president is an anti-masker/anti-vaxxer. He won't institute a mask mandate or social distancing policies, and we all know that people won't follow them unless forced to... It's almost like this is a genocide of the poor...a way to get rid of the poor in their nation :/
Unfortunately Vee, whilst your barbaric and monumentally selfish country remains wedded to ideas of state-sponsored murder, inappropriate levels of gun ownership and viewing ANY effort by the state to help its less fortunate citizens as tantamount to Communism, your country is finished.
My only worry is what other countries the US will take with it when it collapses; because the increasingly stupid British public love aping you...Whoa!! Now hold on there Bald Eagle. OK the US has its problems but that doesn't necessarily make the UK a shining beacon of perfection. From my position here on the moral high ground, I can see a relatively poor and possibly considered 'backward' country called Vietnam has 35 covid deaths and just 2781 cases. That's what we would call a damn good thrashing for us here on our Sceptred Isle. Covid exposed us as a nation of headless chickens and selfish oiks.
Whoa!! Now hold on there Bald Eagle. OK the US has its problems but that doesn't necessarily make the UK a shining beacon of perfection. From my position here on the moral high ground, I can see a relatively poor and possibly considered 'backward' country called Vietnam has 35 covid deaths and just 2781 cases. That's what we would call a damn good thrashing for us here on our Sceptred Isle. Covid exposed us as a nation of headless chickens and selfish oiks.
You're not kidding Fishman, especially earlier on in this pandemic!
And we have hissy fits because we can't go to Spain several times a year like we used to pre-pandemic!
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