Your neighborhood - black, white or whatever

Take a look around your neighborhood. It something that nobody really ever does, I mean you know what's there but when was the last time you actively looked at what was there? I have done this from time to time, due mostly to the fact that I have travelled alot in my life and often find myself several states (or countries) away from the previous place I called home. I have lived in L.A., Moscow, Tsiblissi, New Brunswick and New York City (where I was raised) and am currently in Binghamton. Those are the bigger cities, of the smaller ones there are dozens, literally, where I have lived.

I have mentioned the above for a clear and specific reason. The vast difference between city and suburban business placement. I was reading an article, Religious differences underscore liquor store proliferation and reflected back on several former residences. I ask you to count how many bars/liquor stores are within a 10 minute walk from your front door step. Now add to that number any business that actively sells alcohol (ie beer). In Binghamton that number for me is 3. I am in a better neighborhood and close to the main street. Take away the gas station (which sells beer) and you are down to 2, the liquor store is the only one I've noticed for about 1-2 miles so it wouldn't be hard to live only a few blocks away and have the number be 1 or very possibly none depending on direction.

Why is that relevant? Well in the neighborhood I grew up in, along a major road in the 'good' part of the Bronx there are 6 in 2 blocks currently. In the past the number was 8 (in 2 blocks only). Walking 10 minutes today the number is 18-19 (depending on the path you take). The difference is 6x for the Bronx. Adjusting for living further from a main street and comparing the two cities you get something like 1 to 4-5. That is absurd.

But to be fair, I'll compare a few other places I've lived. In Manhattan, the lower east side (not a great neighborhood, but alot of college students which compares well to Binghamton a college town) on a main street there were 5 in 2 blocks. Of course the lower east side is a night-life zone. to be more residential perhaps the upper east side of manhattan would be better. More residential, no colleges and mostly working people - though they are mostly white collar workers with middle to upper incomes. From Lexinton Ave on 77th there are in 2 blocks 3 bars. [note that midtown and upper manhattan blocks are 1 1/2 the length of a lower manhattan block, and almost 2x a Bronx block. Also a upper Manhattan block is roughly 3x or more a Binghamton block.] In L.A., living on Hollywood Blvd. there was 1 in 5 minutes, everything else was driving range (as much in that city is setup that way). In Moscow living in a very good neighborhood, about 1 1/2 mile from the Russian 'white house' [a parliment building] there were 3 in 2 miles after that you hit a business and resturant district which I will not count. In New Brunswick, a small college town very similar to Binghamton in block size and student density, in a good neighborhood away from the college dorms there was 0 in 2 blocks, 3 in 10 minutes walk. In the poor and higher Black and minority/student density part of town there were 4 in 3 blocks, 6 in 10 minute walk.

So what does this all mean, besides I drink at bars? As stated in the article there is a major abundance of alcohol in lower income, Black African American, Hispanic and minority areas throughout the nation. I have no doubt that in any town/city you wish to choose the same will be seen, as it has been the same in the roughly 150+ places I have lived. That is an outrage.

"West Oakland has 69 stores supplying liquor or beer and wine. That's 28 more than the maximum number acceptable by state standards for the population..." This is not a new situation, but it is a statement on the value of the individuals in areas like West Oakland, or the Bronx. Applying a variant on "My ultimate test when viewing commercials I think are badly portraying ANY minority is to view them as being white and everything happening exactly the same" rule in this case would be looking at higher income areas. The number of ads for malt liquor, beer, alcohol and the number of places to get it are radically lower. But is that important?

Well history has clearly shown that infusing certain groups with alcohol has had horrendous social and individual results. The american Indians were faced with colonials that expanded the liquor trade to nearly every Indian community from the Atlantic to the Mississippi. The benifit of that, and the spread of alcohol as America expanded west, is the country as it exists today. That is not to say that it was a plan, then or now, to use alcohol but it must be noted that in both cases the promotion and availability of alcohol is unfairly geared towards the poor, Black African Americans, Hispanics and other minorities.

Look at your neighborhood. If you can take a casual walk and see more than 1 business that provides alcohol then you can be sure that the government (local, state, national) believes you are less worthy of the same treatment as those in other neighborhoods. Now that you've been told, what will you do?

This is what I think, what do you think?