Phil Marx and My HUD House

Phil Marx makes some comparisons at his weblog - My HUD House.

He will have you thinking after reading this recent post.

Comments

[Jason Blosser]

Holy crap, man! This is sad and hilarious at the same time!

HUD House Man's neighbors remind me of the book (not the crappy movie) "I Am Legend." Drug-crazed zombies bumbling about around his house.

Thank God the FWPD and Sheriff Department are out here in the drug free (yeah, right) white suburbs the City keeps annexing. I sleep better at night knowing they are way the heck up north here keeping my manicured lawn safe while the city continues to implode into drug-infested neighborhoods and shiny new baseball stadiums.

[Steve Linsenmayer]

That's an amazing post. Say what you want, but the key to any successful neighborhood is remaining socially involved. Mr. Marx has passed that test in spite of some obvious challenges.

[Bob Gaul]

Jason/Steve:
I've been saying THAT (about the 'I AM LEGEND' book/movie) for YEARS where I live (5 minutes from Phil)...no one (in authority) wants to acknowledge it OR believe it...you have to make like Robert Neville, come on down, and "Live the adventure". THEN, and only then will people know. It's good that Phil has his blog (as I do mine) to chronicle this.

You've summed it up marvelously.
((Maybe that's why I play DOOM on my PS at every opportunity...practice, practice, practice...lol))

Being "actively involved" with neighborhoods such as OURS doesn't come "free of charge", either (especially when your neighborhood association is practically non-existent). The FIRST thing it does is paint a nice LARGE "target" on your back...and all for just giving a damn.
Threats...reprisals, intimidation...it's all "part of the show" down here, folks!

Nice, huh?

Phil and I have spoken and I've concluded that in our respective neighborhoods, we're in the same boat...just at different oars.

"We row to serve Caesar...row well and live".

Seems like a good Mantra THESE days.

;)

B.G.

[John Wallace]

When I first moved to Fort Wayne in 1988 it was because a lifelong friend attending Indiana Tech had bought a house on Chestnut Street for $12,000. For an upper middle class white kid from NJ it was an education and adventure living in the "hood." I can relate to his blog. Like coming home finding neighbor kids carting off the TV, or getting a lot more harrasment than help from the FWPD.
We were often pulled over near the house (driving while white in that area is probable cause). Like Mr. Marx observed you get the best neighbors and worst in places like this.
SHortly after I moved out and a few days before I got married I stopped over to visit my friend and the other housemates. I was selling cars at the time and driving my brand new demo. We usually didn't pay attention to noises and lights outside, police lights were common.
This time was different. The FWPD decided to tow my demo. It wasn't parked illegally. No, they assumed it had to be stolen. They argued with me about paying for the tow since it had arrived. I didn't have to pay but had to endure stupid white boy glares from white cops.