ilikebikes

Before you read this please understand that I live in a poor section of Phila. (36 years) drugs are the MAIN problem, and although the police have stepped up to face the problem, theyre doing it for all the wrong reasons that said, please read on: For the past few years Ive noticed that things are changing here, business coming into the area, city cleaning up a bit, or at least a little more than usual, people moving out and "well to do" people moving in. This summer I noticed a guy riding through my neighborhood, all geared up, really nice bike, I never could make out the brand of the bike? but thats neither here or there, everyday Id see him zip by and I started to think, wow! the old neighborhood seems to be coming up a little faster now! So here he is, like clock work, everyday, then 2 times a day,then 4 times a day, then he stops? I see the normal herd of zombies every couple of days, but not the bike guy, havnt seen him for a while? or so I thought, yesterday, I spot him, dirty, eyes as wide as an owls, riding a beat up POS bike, in the middle of the zombie herd I thought Id put this out here for all to see, its been the norm around my parts for to long a time, I think its something that all should know about, as it does affect us all, in differant ways, but it does affect us all.

DodgeRam

huh?

Portis

I couldn't agree more.

pmw

I think I am missing the point/moral of the story... are you implying that his bike was stolen?

Alex

I think he is saying is is a quick path down the wrong road and we should do something about recreational drugs to stop the hurt it causes us and our culture.

wahoonc

That is the take I got too. I have some very close friends that are in a very similar situation. They both have/had decent paying jobs and were solid middle class. He got in to drugs (crack) and it has been a downward spiral for them, he can't keep a job for very long and the financial strain has driven them into bankruptcy. It is really sad to see this happen to someone you care about, and there is little that can be done unless they want to help themselves.

Aaron

destro713

I have a very liberal view on drugs, and even though I have not done any of them in my life (not even weed), I think most of them should be decriminalized and regulated. But meth, and crack, and other drugs that can really ruin some peoples' lives on the first hit... terrifying stuff. Personally I think the government should take all the money they'd make/save by taxing the drug trade and keeping all the petty drug offenders out of the prison system, and invest it in a massive campaign to shut down the meth industry across the nation.

ilikebikes

Thanks, I was begining to think that I was bad at telling stories

MyBikeGotStolen

Would it have been wrong for you to offer the guy $100 for his nice road bike?

ilikebikes

In my opinion that would make me a part of the problem, Id buy his bike, he'd go on and buy drugs with the money, it would make me a part of the problem

frymaster

well, until he's made the colossally difficult situation to stop whichever drug he's on he's going to buy them, with your money or with someone else's. not that i advocate exploiting someone's addiction for personal gain. that's the same thing that drug dealers do! if you offer him a fair price for the bike, sure he would probably spend the money on drugs. but if someone else exploits his addiction by offering him half the value he'll burn through the money in half the time and turn to some other, less pleasant and more damaging way, to come up with the cash he needs.

ilikebikes

I understand you 100%, but I know that in the long run, if he doesnt do whats right for himself, hes going to end up doing what they all do, stealing from everyone including his own family to get drugs, so no, I wont be adding to his drug addiction by buying his bicycle thus supplying him with money to buy drugs, when I was a young kid I would have, but I didnt know then what I know now, all Id be doing is keeping my neighborhood down, no thanks, theres plenty of people around here that are doing that job already.

I-Like-To-Bike

I thought you were talking about this story:

koine2002

I live in a neighborhood like that in Dallas, rundown but undergoing renewal and regentrification. I've seen more than one upscale person in that situation. And I agree, rec drugs will destroy a life--cyclist or not.

BarracksSi

That sucks. Could you explain the police's intentions?

koine2002

If it's anything like most inner cities undergoing regentrification--they're trying to clean it up in order to draw the young potential suburbanites (usually newly married or fresh out of school with a high paying job) into a place made hip by the "bohemian" crowd (who in turn have to move because they can't afford it anymore) so that the city can get the tax revenue from the inflated property values.

ilikebikes

Dont get me wrong, the Police, like the military, only do what they're told, and a few really want to help, even when the area was still "The Land of Oz" as they so colorfully put it, it was cool that they wanted to help, but when only a handful want to help, it doesnt help? get me? majority rules kinda thing, but now that the area is "undergoing renewal and regentrification" the Police have faster response times, a more prominate presence, they actually keep people off the corners! in all the years that Ive lived here this was never, ever the case, it could take an hour! yes! an hour! for the Police to come to my area! but, and heres the sentance thats going to answer your question, now that the "upscale" citizens are working and starting to move into the area, well now thats a horse of a different color! now we have to "Protect the good citizens of Philadelphia!" I guess we were the "Evil citizens of Philadelphia" before the renewal and regentrification started? The upscales that work in center city used to be happy to commute to the greater northeast, but then the war, then the whole gas thing happened, not to mention rush hour traffic, so now they want to live closer to work, which happens to be "The Bad Lands!" so what happens? Property value in the northeast goes down a bit, all the people in my area say," Hey! I can afford a house in a nice area now!" meanwhile, the upscales are buying there old homes, that didnt sell for more than $18,000, fixing them up bit, then moving in! or re-selling for $250,00 on up! but you wont here the real estate agent telling the poor guy the true value of the home! but that same agent will sell the home to an "upscale" for a lot of bones! So you see, their moving the poor out, and moving the "upscale" in the northeast will soon be the ghetto and the ghetto will soon be "The place to be" Segragation on the highest scale

ilikebikes

There you go! Thats what I was trying to say!

chephy

He was probably riding his beater bike.

ilikebikes

Yeah, with a bunch of other crackhead zombies riding their beater bikes

I-Like-To-Bike

Where exactly in Philadelphia is this "Land of Oz" ghetto that will soon be the place to be for the upscale families from North East Philadelphia and suburbs? Which public schools will be the "schools to be" for the upscale gentry in this Land of Oz fantasy of yours? Which playgrounds will they play at? Maybe you should take it easy on the bong and stop generalizing , oversimplifying, fantasizing and just plain BS'ing about your neighborhood dynamics.

Gentrification of a ghetto area sounds just great for childless couples with loose cash, who plan to cash out in a "guaranteed for ever" hot real estate market when they move out. And if they have children they inevitably will move out when they encounter the reality of their own children dealing with the social breakdown in the schools and neighborhoods of the inner city.

Shavit

I-like-to-bike ... lighten up. He's allowed to have opinions, no matter how bizarre or absurd you may think them to be. Quit being a jerk.

ilikebikes

Dont worry about him, Im not

I-Like-To-Bike

Uh Huh. In your not so humble opinion, it is jerky to point out that bizarre and absurd opinions are bizarre and absurd. Opinions that seem to be over-the-top political rhetoric cut and pasted from the free street tabloids.
Got it.

If the the seemingly bizarre and absurd opinions are not just that, I'm sure the OP will be glad to point out some facts supporting his rhetoric.

wahoonc

I probably shouldn't waste the electrons on ILTB but! I have seen several areas in different cities do just what ilikebikes is describing. Downtown Greenville, SC Haymont in Fayetteville, NC Tillman Homes in N. Charleston, SC Magnolia Hill and Old Fisher Park in Greensboro, NC. All of these area at one time were "nice" areas to live. They took a down turn and became places you wouldn't want to live unless you were a druggie or down and out. Now they are all back up or on their way back up. I have lived in 3 of the places I listed. In the Hamount area of Fayetteville, NC in the mid 70's it was psychedelicville USA, you could buy anything at some of those houses, police looked the other way. We lived on the edges, now those very same houses are pushing the $500k mark, and seldom stay on the market for more than a few weeks at best, they are also tearing down old houses and doing infill building. My parents still live there. Their house sold for about $12k in 1974 it is worth 30+ times that today and the face of the whole neighborhood has changed. The two blocks behind them have changed from crackville to an influx of DINKS wanting to live closer to the city center and their jobs. There are some suburbs in the same town that were decent in their day that are now becoming drug infested and places I would no longer want to live it I were into living in suburbia.

Aaron