Review Of Elijah Anderson 's ' The Book '

Chapter 1, “Intimate Apartheid”, introduces one to the group of homeless people living on Edgewater Blvd. It dives into the racialized micro-geography of homeless encampments and how segregation plays a key role within the lumpen. However, the authors do reveal moments where the racial hierarchy is trumped by the “moral economy” of street life.

Culture in urban communities, also referred to as inner-cities, are growing increasingly violent. In the article, The Code of the Streets by Elijah Anderson, he begins to take an in-depth look at the root of the evil. He deduces that economic factors, parenting and the troublesome environments largely influence the violent norms within this culture.

South Street Philadelphia’s sidewalk’s safety is not determined by the strangers shuffling in and out of the area, but instead by the local residents and community members who live there. Based on my personal observations, the biggest asset to South Street in regard to safety and overall quality of the area are the locals who reside there. This idea of community investment relating to the safety of a street is presented in Jane Jacob’s novel The Death and Life of Great American Cities and is one of her ideas that is accurately displayed throughout South Street. By examining the various ways people interact in different areas and shops on South Street, I was able to evaluate what aspects of her writing proved to be beneficial to the overall safety of the area.

Stereotypes are born from fear and ignorance. They are used to wrongly judge an individual or group. Brent Staples, a black man, is no stranger to this. “Black Men and Public Space,” written by Staples, he discusses his experiences as a black man; often being mistaken as a criminal because of his appearance. Most people see his universal identity and not who he really is. Living in the city of Chicago as a black man, he is frequently categorized as a thug or aggressor. The purpose of his essay is to inform the readers about how it feels to be the one who is stereotyped, as well as to express his discontent of being type casted. As a result of the negative stereotypes involving black men, Staples has the capacity to negatively alter the space he is in by causing others to fear him. Equivalently, many people also fear cops because of the stigma they have. Because of this, the police negatively impact the space they are in. In the article, “What Happens When Black People Learn They Should Fear the Police”, Jesse Singal discusses how police brutality has affected the black community’s trust in the police.

Men and women alike are often afraid to venture out into the streets at the dark hours of the day. It could be argued that this is a byproduct of the ever-increasing US crime rate, yet it may also be due to the natural fear that accompanies walking alone in public spaces, familiar or not. Although any shifty figures lurking on the sidewalk can be the source of this fear, it is no doubt that the gross misrepresentation of black people as perpetrators of violent crimes has given them “the ability to alter public space in ugly ways,” as so proficiently stated in “Black Men and Public Space” by Brent Staples (205). Through this short essay, Staples uses a variety of rhetorical devices, namely anecdotes, in order to present the fact that these preconceived racial notions can make certain individuals increasingly susceptible to societal scrutiny. This forces many individuals to make concentrated efforts to present themselves as less threatening because “where fear and weapons meet -- [as] they often do in urban America -- there is always the possibility of death” (206).

In “Part Two: The Making of a Ghetto,” Osofsky shifts from a macro-study of Black migration in the United States, to a micro-study of Harlem, a remote neighborhood approximately eight miles from City Hall. He describes how Harlem was once a town sparsely populated by an affluent bunch that wanted to be as far away as possible from downtown. But like most of New York, Harlem’s growth was what Osofsky called “a by-product of the general development of New York City.” He attributes this growth to the annexation of Harlem to New York City and the subsequent developmental projects the city undertook in Harlem, such as filling in marshlands and extending transportation lines to the rural retreat of the aristocrats of New York City.

Elijah Anderson published a novel called “The Cosmopolitan Canopy” where he looks at the “race and civility of everyday life”, as he puts it. He throughout the novel defines the “cosmopolitan canopy” as accepting of people from all backgrounds. In other words, the canopy is composed of a diverse population, lots of people and public spaces. Most importantly it has the spirit of positivity and civility. The best example of this would be Reading Terminal market in Philadelphia. Anderson believes that it epitomizes the idea because of how interactive people of different races, social and economic classes are getting along (10). The novel looks critically at public space in Philadelphia, who is allowed in them and how people interact within them.

In his essay, "Black Man and Public Space," Brent Staples describes the discrimination he has had to face due to the stereotypes that go with being a black man in society. In the first paragraph, Staples recalls an instance when he was walking late at night and his appearance caused a frightening encounter amongst a young white woman. The women felt distraught by his presence and ran off thinking he was going to harm her. Staples still remembers this incident that happened more than a decade ago, proving that it still hurts and frustrates him to this day the fact that people falsely judge a person based solely on their appearance. The first paragraph draws the readers into reading more about the authors piece by expressing sympathy for the issues that people suffer due to racism. The narrator is not a dangerous man, he is a fine, respectable person who has a PhD in psychology from the university of Chicago. However, the horrible phenomena that is widely

In the empirical article, by Marcus Anthony Hunter “black philly after the philadelphia negro”, Hunter argues that the Seventh Ward underwent an urban and social change that led to political changes, but all of them coming at their own costs. The account of The Seventh Ward severing as, at one point, the “slum” or the “ghetto” of Philadelphia come from research that Da Bois brought to the table in 1899. Being a primarily African-American populated area with limited resources, the Seventh Ward, as a consequence had poor living conditions in some findings, “insufficient water supply and toilet facilities, defective sanitary equipment, overcrowding, leaky roofs..etc.(pp.4 [pdf])”The political view of these conditions lead to reform, in the 1920s,

The reason this comment stands apart from others is the commentator's claim to have resided in Ferguson, Missouri. This city is mentioned by name in “The Architecture of Segregation” article as being one of the cities most affected by segregation. Shstl’s comment in stark comparison to Gates’ is a profoundly emotional appeal to readers. Shstl offers evidence to oppose the Editorial Board and the research conducted by Professor Jargowsky, claiming that Ferguson is not an isolated “…island from which no black people can escape….” These racially charged words assist in setting the tone in shstl’s comment, which appears to be sincere and true. Shstl goes on to explain the challenges that come as a result of residing near “Section 8” or low-income housing. It is at this point that shstl’s argument becomes emotionally charged. The argument cites personal experience as a method to persuade readers that low- incoming housing quickly becomes run down and crime ridden. In conclusion, the argument that shstl put forth, although emotional, is well constructed and makes a clear statement of where shstl stands on the issue of isolating communities that are perceived to put other citizens at

Thanks to slumming the middle class was provided with a new way to define its own social and moral superiority. It also created reformers that were against slumming, but this produced more amusement as it created more seekers. “the presence of reformers—especially female reformers—on the streets and in the tenements and dives of these districts paradoxically suggested that such spaces were safe for popular congregation, and reformers’ activities in the cities’ slums and red-light districts were often remarkably similar to those of their pleasure-seeking compatriots ” (18). As more people were attracted to slumming it created a mix of social classes that broke the social bounties and chains that keep society in a hierarchy. Heap argues that slumming promoted social mixing and change the racial and sexual system. Many opportunities for slum residents as whites’ interest more in slumming culture grow. Some slums stated to offer tours of the slums to attract more customers. Slumming gave the opportunities to cross over class lines as well as ethic boundaries; but more importantly it gave the opportunity to explore ones sexual identity.

Thesis statement: The upper middle class residents of South End proudly expressed their love for diversity in the community yet romanticized being helpful by controlling and reconstructing the original residential norms. In condemning the routinely behaviors and common establishments in the neighborhood, it became evident that their true intent was to control the population.

My associates and I lived in one expanse where we could simply saunter to each other’s house. Malls, theaters, and restaurants encircled us; everything was neighboring each other. Traveling from one place to another was easy because of the short distances and different means of transportation such as riding metropolitan trains or walking. Although the city had its advantages, it also had its detriments to people’s lives; the city was a precarious place! Living in the city, I was relentlessly hearing about deaths and delinquencies. Growing up in the city, I was petrified for my family and uncertain about their welfare.

In any study of urban sociology one is bound to encounter few scholars that have contributed as greatly to our current understanding of the structure and evolution of society as have Ferdinand Tönnies and Robert Park. Both born in the late nineteenth century and living well into the first part of the 20th century, affording each an opportunity to experience radical industrial growth, political and economic upheaval, and the first great international war. Despite these similarities, each theorist offered unique perspectives on the sociological changes they saw around them. In this paper, I will attempt to explore these theories’ similarities and differences as well as apply each to the issue of social stratification and inequality in

When these members migrate to Canada, those involved in the act of “liming” may be classified as being lazy, deviant and a nuisance. The idea of “hanging out” on the street in Canada differs from “liming” on the street in the Caribbean. Cultural differences can alter meanings of ‘The Street’ as ethnic and racial groups negotiate their experiences and different socialization processes when interacting with the police. In this paper, I will discuss ways in which the street is a distinct form of social life for Black males using a critical race perspective. I will use the ethnography “Enforcing Order: An Ethnography of Urban Policing” by Didier Fassin and “Between Good and Ghetto” by Nikki Jones to further analyze how Black males’ presence are deemed “unacceptable” in public space.