A ghetto is born.

Marger, Chapter 7
During childhood, my family’s income would have been considered low. However, we were blessed to live in quaint little brownstones or large beautiful apartment buildings located in very nice areas with culturally mixed neighborhoods. But, by the time I attended school I was bused to predominantly Caucasian neighborhoods. My mom said it was because the schools were better there. I didn’t understand until I arrived and saw that the school buildings were more modern looking than those in our own neighborhood. Little did I know that my mom wasn’t referring to the structure of school buildings. I quickly learned the difference. Those schools had fewer students, more teachers, better lunch menus, newer textbooks, gym and sports equipment was functional, and a wide range of curricular programing. The bottom line, when the opportunity to access better educational programing was given, most parents took full advantage.
Many refused to have their children bused to other school districts. Some feared it was a set up for failure, thinking the kids would be treated differently, looked down upon. Some didn’t like the idea of a predominantly Caucasian neighborhood/school.
Housing issues caused the same torn reactions. Our culturally mixed cozy neighborhoods were considered the inner city. Housing, churches, synagogues, schools, bridges tended to be old pre-war era structures, ornate, gothic, architecturally magnificent, but old. The skill required to maintain that type of masonry had pretty much disappeared. Funding for education and many city/county programs were consistently being cut or diverted. As a result the inner city, as it were, was beginning to crumble. Landlords couldn’t afford the upkeep of the buildings and began abandoning them along with its tenants. And just like the bussing issue…
Some people were able to take advantage of housing funds and moved to better neighborhoods. Many wanted to leave, but didn’t qualify for assistance. Many no longer cared and it showed in their lack of cleanliness, poor treatment of the properties, increase of vermin due to the strewn about garbage, etc. The formation of ghettos has to do with much more than just class and/or race. The above was the type of ghetto that I watched develop as I grew up. Many others around the globe are carefully planned as a way to force assimilation, segregation, and/or migration.
S. Ramos, Post #8