Wendy,
I really appreciate your responses, thanks for taking the trouble. Here
are some heartfelt replies to your sharp-witted points.
1 > Moving is always a hassle. But most Americans move many times during
their lives. The rich do it, the poor do it, the folks in between do it.
We can't base the whole city's public policy on condemning the act of
moving. For better or for worse, cities are about movement. That's why
leases have expiration dates: both sides want 'em.
Moving 6 blocks in 12 years is not a terrible thing to undergo. The
entire "University City gentrification" bugaboo hullabaloo is bogus and
has been bogus for the last 30 years. Gentrification is a real
phenomenon that can pose real problems. But it's small beer around here.
In 1948, there were lots of lower-income residents of University City.
In 2008, there are still lots of lower-income residents of University
City. It was a neighborhood of mixed classes then; it is a neighborhood
of mixed classes now. Congratulations then, you Gentrification Police!
We don't seem to have a big problem here, compared to, say, Manhattan.
2 > So since the Sadie school's boundaries obviously aren't big enough
to help every poor kid in West Philly, Penn should aggressively pursue a
policy of helping more schools. People who are opposed to Penn helping
more failing West Philly schools, are not people that honestly care
whether West Philly schools are failing, and they don't honestly care to
see extra educational resources lavished on a working-class Black
community. I disagree with these critics. It's a good thing that Penn is
pumping extra educational resources into West Philly. West Philly needs
all the extra public educational resources it can get.
3 > "Real funding, real help" for public schools can only come from
taxpayers who feel invested in those same schools. As Glenn has pointed
out, there is a tremendous gap between the funding of suburban schools
and inner-city schools. So poor Philadelphia schoolkids need more
prosperous, taxpaying middle-class school-users, as fast as we can
possibly attract them to reject the suburbs and settle in the city. If
you don't want to call this "gentrification" -- call it something else
then. Words are cheap. But how can we possibly have healthy inner-city
schools or any healthy inner-city governmental structures, if they
aren't based on a balance of social and economic classes?
Do the math. Do you disagree with me, Wendy, based on your numbers?
-- Tony West
Well, this was interesting to read.
Tony, I have to reply to this:
Actually, it can be a VERY big deal to have to move because you simply
can't afford to live in the neighborhood you grew up in/bought a home
in/rent in/go to school in - whatever the reason. Moving itself is
not a cheap proposition, finding a place you can afford, especially if
you're on the lower economic scale can be a nightmare.
No, there is no comparing Black Bottom to Darfur. That's beyond
apples and oranges. But one of our neighbors was directly affected by
BB and is still paying for her home - after the one she'd been living
in and raising her children in and was pretty much paid for was taken
out from under her.
As to not wanting to be left out. Of course no one wants to be left
out. But that's exactly what happens most of the time when the
developers/gentrification comes in. Suddenly everything's "luxury"
and even the places that aren't labeled as such are out of reach for
the very people who need them. The school situation is the same.
Not every family can go to the Sadie school. They don't live in the
"right" part of UC, nor could many of them afford to.
I can't say I have a concrete answer to the problem of urban
education. I do think the city and state should be more involved with
funding all schools and get funding out of the hands of private,
special interest groups. I don't know that we need more special
"catchment" type schools. Real funding, real help might just help in
making sure that children have up to date books and supplies without
teachers having to pay for said supplies out of their own pocket, that
their schools are safe places and that our teachers are paid a decent
salary and are treated with the respect they deserve. Parents need to
be more involved with their children, teaching them at home how to
behave, helping with homework, making sure their kids even go to
school, as well as how they're doing in school and what they're doing
in school.
Wendy
On Fri, Apr 18, 2008 at 3:16 PM, Glenn <[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> wrote:
The flower child writes:
"My '60s ideology is about
retaining sensitivity to the voices of change. In other words: the
music
didn't die, so listen to it now! Think like a festival coordinator."
I called Lewis and asked him to book Tony at the 2008 love-in, the
party for the park. Remember his classic and listen to the music!
Come gather round anointed
Wherever you roam
And admit that the billions
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be sucked to the bone
If your district to you
Is worth saving
Then you better kiss ass
And you'll stink like a turd
For the times they are a changin
----- Original Message ----- From: "Anthony West"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>>
To: "UnivCity listserv" <[email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>>
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 1:54 AM
Subject: [UC] Re: GREAT ARTICLE
I'm sorry, Glenn, but you did miss my point.
I owe nothing to Penn. You owe your millions to Penn.
You do have a '60s ideology and so do I. But your '60s
ideology is buried in the past and wastes everybody's reading
time. Your "gentrification" analysis is 30 years out of date
and doesn't help any of us understand the challenges of 2008.
My '60s ideology is about retaining sensitivity to the voices
of change. In other words: the music didn't die, so listen to
it now! Think like a festival coordinator.
The real question before University City is what kind of
economic change is likeliest to improve urban education. You
have shown the major difference between Philadelphia education
and suburban education is economic: more suburban taxpayers
are prosperous, so they can afford to spend more, so they buy
better schools for their kids and everyone else's.
You've published the best argument for gentrification I've
read in 30 years. Inner-city school systems, you say, are
suffering because they lack higher-income taxpayers. It's a
top priority, then, for Philadelphians who care about the
education of their poor pupils to tempt more prosperous
residents to Philadelphia. There aren't enough of them now to
help the poor kids, so we need to entice more of them to move
into town and help this terribly important project. How should
we go about this?
Some UC-list people have written it would be very bad for any
prosperous people to move into West Philadelphia ever, because
their mere presence constitutes a permanent, terrible wound to
poor people. Supposedly the poor suffer agonies because of a
change in local housing prices if, over a 15-year period, they
wind up shifting from 36th & Chestnut to 36th & Haverford,
less than a mile away.
As I see it, this is no big deal. The Black Bottom may or may
not have been justly handled, but it was a far cry from Darfur.
New York City does have major gentrification issues right now
which I take seriously. Philadelphia's worst gentrification
woes are to New York's, as a pimple is to skin cancer. We
can't take any of these UC-list gentrification ruminations
seriously until the ruminators get a perspective on urban life
... which is always about change. Then the community at large,
including all of us, can have a real, useful discussion about
class and education and neighborhood and how it all works out
Until then.....
I don't think prosperity has been as big a threat to the local
poor as you say it is. Those I talk to do complain about it at
times; but their larger gripe is with poverty itself, rather
than with non-poverty. Most of the truly poor don't want to
kill any goose that might lay a golden egg to get them out of
poverty. They like the idea of economic development, because
they really and truly want to get developed. They just don't
want to get left out.
-- Tony West
Glenn wrote:
For the rest ... I read tedious, pompous opinions by
childless experts, wannabee-teacher experts and
Penn-is-bad experts. The usual suspects.
West, am I getting your point correctly? "Shut up, shut
up, shut up! I'm ready to defend my master's backroom
dealings with my usual tactics!"
Melani and I posted the link to the research driven
opinion of the president of the teacher's union. Is he a
wannabee wanker with a sixities ideology like me?
Also, do Ms Nachmias and Ms Goldman know that you are
using their names to support your listserv bullying?
West, the tactics you used as leader of the Fiends of
Clark Park gang don't work as well on a public list.
People can read your efforts to silence, mislead, and
bully. They can read the opinioins and questions posted
by your targets.
As ruler of FOCP and servant of UCD, you had a free pass
to silence and bully anyone you wished. It must burn you
up to know that people increasingly realize the truth!
After years of attacking my character, you failed to shut
me up. Now, when people say, "I didn't believe Glenn's
stories about the FOCP because I heard all about his bad
character. But now it seems that the wanker tells the
truth and the leaders at FOCP and SHCA really do conduct
themselves shamefully."
This must make you furious! I won't condone your conduct,
but West, you have my pity.
The wanker
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