Spending some portion of my life in a so-called "ghetto" neighborhood, the reading made clear to me a lot I haven't understood about the people that lived there. My family moved to the Flatbush area in Brooklyn from Trinidad and Tobago and lived there for 8 years before moving to the suburbs. I guess we would be what the author referred to as the decent family in the neighborhood.
The idea of power and respect explains a lot of what I've experienced living there. I used to wonder why young men in the neighborhood would risk their freedom and lives on the streets every day by doing illegal activities, especially out in the open. The reading made me realize that this is an example of the power struggle between police and these men. They'd rather lose their life than look like a "punk".
I've also seen latch-key kids, children who come home from school and are outside until their parents finish their late shifts at work. These kids roam the streets at all hours and would always be in some sort of trouble. I've actually seen a child key my father's car simply because it was something to do.
I've always wanted to find a way "fix" the ghetto somehow. I feel like the only way you can do this is by influencing the "street" children of the ghetto in a positive way. Although these children aren't receiving the positive reinforcements in the home, school, afterschool programs or simply people that care enough to want a change can help in gearing a child for a brighter future than that intended for him.
