My
conversation with Ms. Ramona…
Prepared by, Akesha Day
On my way to Ms. Ramona’s house to my hair appointment, I thought to
myself, “Hey I should talk to her about her experiences as a south
phoenix resident of 21 years.” While I was getting my hair done our
conversation ranged from her mobile home I would love to take from her,
to how her taxes went up when the building started in her area.
Ms. Ramona has been doing my hair and my mother’s
for over 10 years. Ms. Ramona has done hair, in general, for over 30
years. She has worked in different hair salons, and even owned her own
shop on 15th St. and Washington. Now she does hair in her home in South
Phoenix.
Ms. Ramona has lived in her house for 21 years in the Central
Ave./Piedmont area. She says, “ South Phoenix is a nice place to live
as long as you don’t own property.” I asked her how does she feel about
all the building going on around her. Ms. Ramona said, “ At first I
thought it was going to be good. The traffic is really bad now and the
crime is up.” From what she tells me the residents in the Central
Ave./South Mountain St. area started complaining a while back about the
traffic in the area. The next thing you know the city put a stop light
up on that corner. She doesn’t feel the light has helped very much. Ms.
Ramona also said, “ People from the “outside” are bringing the crime.
People who live here do not want to mess up the area where they live.”
A few other things we talked about were taxes, mortgage, insurance,
charter schools and the Thunderbird Golf Course. Since the building
began in her area her taxes have doubled. The mortgage also went up a
few hundred dollars. Ms. Ramona was told her mortgage went up to offset
the increases in the taxes. The insurance for the blockhouse she lives
in also went up. Ms. Ramona said,” I feel like we are being penalized
because we live in blockhouses. Stucco homes are cheaper, the insurance
should be high for them.”
As far as the charter schools go she said she knew somebody who put
their kids in one of the charter schools, and it ended up closing down.
When the children had to go back to their public school the other
children teased them. They said, “Yeah, you thought you were better
than us going to that “private school”, and now your right back with us
were you started.” Ms. Ramona was not sure why the school closed, and
she did not want to give the name of the school. From what I was told a
lot of people took advantage of the grant money, and free school
uniforms that were offered. Some people were lying on applications to
get more assistance and lying about home addresses. When the schools
found out they cut the people from the program and basically said see
we can’t help this people over here on this side of town why bother.
The Thunderbird Golf Course is literally in Ms. Ramona’s backyard. She
said at first there was a problem with the golf balls going in the
yards, pools etc. When the construction was completed on the golf
course the design of the course changed, so the problem with the golf
balls ended. You have to be a member and pay a large fee in order to
golf at the course. I asked Ms. Ramona do the people in the
neighborhood get an opportunity to golf. She answered, “Of course not.”
After that response about the golf course I thought to myself, I would
be very upset to have something dropped in my backyard and I couldn’t
even use or enjoy it. I think the Thunderbird Golf Course is one of the
many structures in South Phoenix that make you go “hmmm”, and wonder.
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