biography

Who is observing who?

Ignorance

Subdivisions...a good thing?

Where would you send your kids

letter

Ignorance

After my first full day in South Phoenix, I realized that I didn’t know as much about South Phoenix as I thought I did.  So, I decided to call my cousin to interview her.  She said yes.  I was thrilled since she has lived in South Phoenix for about 10 years.  I figured that I could learn a lot from her, because she used to live in Northwest Phoenix and then moved to South Phoenix with her husband.  I hang out with her a lot, but she always comes to my house, so I figured I would go to her house and really observe.

I asked her, is South Phoenix really as scary as people say it is?  She looked at me with a grin and simply replied, “No.”  She stated that people think South Phoenix is scary, because of the media.  They always portray South Phoenix as a hideous place, where criminals are born, as if they emerge fully formed out of the landscape itself.  Also, people say that South Phoenix is scary, because the population in South Phoenix is mostly comprised of minorities.  For example, Baker (2002) points out that in Phoenix there has been a 183.5 percent increase in minority children.  This is a fact that some residents in Phoenix do not like, because they want Phoenix to have a majority of "White" people living here.  My cousin said that South Phoenix is not perfect, but there isn’t one place that is. 

I then asked her thoughts about the new housing developments.  She told me that there are pros and cons to that.  It is positive, because the new development is raising the price of her house, quite significantly.  For example, the Arizona Republic (2003) points out that the average increase in house appreciation is about ten percent.  Also, there has been a greater effort to keep the streets cleaner as part of the “South Mountain Village and Beautiful” campaign.  However, the best thing, my cousin said, is that new development has run out a lot of the gangs that used to live near her.  Yet, on the negative side, she feels as though the new developers are trying to get rid of the minorities that live in South Phoenix, to make room for White people to move in.  She stated that some of the houses are very expensive, as though they are purposely attempting to keep the people who currently live in South Phoenix from the new developments.  She was referring to the new houses that are selling from $150,000’s to the $400,000’s.  My cousin’s point is supported by Reagor and Hart (2002).  They point out that affordable housing is scarce in phoenix and that approximately 11.8 percent of people in Phoenix lack the ability to afford a house.

The final question I asked my cousin is what she thought about all the walls they are building around the new housing developments.  She stated that those walls are a part of what makes her feel not welcome, as though she is not good enough to see the new houses.  She feels that the builders are trying to ensure security to the new home owners, yet they are secluding them from everyone else in South Phoenix.  She told me that in order for South Phoenix to really be improved all of it must be worked on, not just bits and pieces.  That way, South Phoenix can really be a community that it is safe for everyone.

In closing, my cousin wanted to add that she hopes people will stop listening to rumors.  She wanted us to remember that in order to find out the truth, we must do the investigating ourselves.  I was really happy that my cousin shared her thoughts with me.  I agree with everything that my cousin shared with me.  I am truly happy that South Phoenix is improving its image, but South Phoenix should strive to improve everything, not only the gated communities.