Attention Lurkers!

[user_name]

Hello all,

My name is Jason, and I'm a lurker. LOL. I have been browsing the forums for shreveport/bossier and it's quite interesting. I would love to chime in on topics, but it seems as though this is a place for bashing black people. For some reason, I keep coming across this "white flight" thing and bashing on a black mayor.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Jason. I am 24 years old, black, and married to a beautiful white woman. Sorry to rain on your parade! I was born and raised here, but I joined the military immediately after graduating Airline High School. I was Air Force Special Ops for 5 years in Fort Walton Beach, Florida where I met my wife in Panama City Beach (45 min away). I just recently put in to get stationed here (Barksdale), and here I am. My job in the Air Force is Electronic Warfare Systems Technician. I am currently 3 semesters from completing my Bachelors of Science degree in Profesional Aeronautics with three minors; Management, International Relations, and Intelligence. My wife works at Home Depot (Airline) and is majoring in paralegal studies. We purchased a lot in the new Legacy subdivision about two months ago and our home is near completion. Thank god, because everyone knows it's no fun to live with your parents. LOL. Especially with a baby.

Being in the "bible belt", you would think racism would be cured. Apparently not. At the same time, I am open-minded enough to understand where people come from. I mean, it is true that a lot of african american people are in poverty and crime stricken. But the same goes for every other race, just less of that race. There is no excuse and it ashame that some black people feel like they have to blame it on everything under the sun. Can we turn it around, sure we can. Unfortunatley it's happening all too slow. I wish everyone could travel the world as I did and see that there's more to life than that. It surprises me to see how many idiots there are in the world. I've read white supremacist, black supremacist, and asian supremacists sites and they are all equally dumb and true followers lead by a persuasive idiot. Ok, enough of my ranting. Sorry to ruin your day, I could go on and on. Boy, years of speeches and undergrad projects starting to come out.

Anyway, what do you think about the future of the legacy subdivision and swan lake road? I'm hoping to see a great return on my investment. Thanks to the help of the new Target shopping center development.

[dimebag1980]

Jason...........

First let me welcome you to the forum. But I must say I believe you've read too much into the discussions here. Let me explain...

On the subject of white flight, when people move out of the city because they no longer feel safe, in the vast majority of cases it's known as "white flight" because it is the white people who fear a spillover of crime from the mostly black communities. Let's face the facts... black on black crime is the most common in all the United States, particularly in the south, in Louisiana, and in Shreveport. This is an indisputable fact, not racism at all. I'd venture to guess that MOST people on this forum wish the term "white flight" didn't even have to exist, but unfortunately in cities where the crime rate in the black neighborhoods has risen to unacceptable and dangerous levels, it's a very common term and a real phenomena.

Please don't think anyone is being racist... that's the last thing I want anyone to think about me. I can't speak for the rest of these guys, but from what I know about them I'd have to say the same is true for them as well. If you want to see the most inbred, racist group of Shreveport residents on the World Wide Web, try the Shreveport Times forums. The discussions there will blow your mind.

As far as Glover goes, I believe it comes down to the fact that most of the people here who have chimed in on the subject are Republicans, and we wanted to see Jerry Jones get elected. Sure some remarks have been made about Glover, but they weren't without warrant. It's just the same as a die-hard Democrat who didn't want Jones to get elected. He'd have talked Glover up to everyone and said he thought Jones wouldn't make a good mayor. And with Glover pandering to the black special interest when he was first elected, he certainly didn't help himself. I will be the first to say, however, that so far I'm more than pleased with him and am glad that, at this point, he's proven me wrong. Personally, I want what's best for Shreveport... whether it's a white, black, Asian, Hispanic, or Democrat, Republican, Independant, etc.

Seriously, you'll find nothing but a genuinely NICE group of people here who mostly seem to care about Shreveport-Bossier and just want what's best for the area. Please don't get the wrong idea, my friend. I'd love to see you become an active member here, and if you disagree with something that's said, point out where you disagree and debate your point! Afterall, speaking your mind is what forums like this are all about. The economic and social states of the city are important, and I for one would love to hear your input!

But let me point out that you are correct. Whites, Hispanics, Asians, blacks, etc ALL have their ills. It's just bad that, in Shreveport and Louisiana in general, the black population is where the greater ills seem to be. There's such a thing as white trash, and this area unfortunately has its share of that as well.... I'll not dispute that sad little fact either!

So obviously you're a homeowner in Legacy. Man, you made an excellent choice! They're beginning site work on Legacy Elementary, which will be yet another draw to that area of North Bossier. People will move there just for the school, and the growth will not slow down. Legacy is in the perfect spot to continue drawing new residents, and for the subdivision to continue to grow. Look across the street at Vanceville Road. That street is building up FAST and will soon be a major residential area. Swan Lake Road will soon be a major north-south thoroughfare... how's THAT for surprising?!?!

Again, you're in an excellent area and the growth potential out there is amazing. You'll no doubt have a GREAT return on your investment.

Welcome again, Jason. And please, understand what I've said to you... I truly don't believe anyone on here is being racist. You see the ills and you understand them. I just truly think you have read too much into what's been said here. I want you to understand that this is a great group of people, and though the discussions have slowed down a bit lately, there is always something to discuss and I hope you'll make yourself at home. I grew up in Bossier, and lived a couple of years in Shreveport. Bossier is the place to be, my friend! I moved back, though I moved to Haughton because Bossier is really getting expensive! I wish I'd considered Legacy when I was buying my home, but I didn't know much about it back then. Shame, too, because I LOVE that subdivision.

Oh, and that Target-anchored center is just the beginning, I can assure you. The North Airline corridor is ripe for some MAJOR developments, as it's very similar to some areas of suburban North Dallas in many ways... particularly demographics.

Brian

Edited February 14, 2007 by SBCmetroguy

[Mith242]

I don't want to get this off topic but I thought I'd share something. I know white flight gets talks about quite a bit. The same thing is happening in areas of south and east Arkansas as well. I'm originally from Pine Bluff in southeast Arkansas. When I was growing up it was probably 55% white 45% black. Now it's predominantly black. My parents recently left Pine Bluff to live further out into the county. But my parents hadn't planned on it. My parents wanted to stay in the home they bought when they were starting their family. Crime had gotten bad in their neighborhood but they stuck it out for years. The last straw was the circumstances of some of the vandalism being done. They noticed their property was being vandalized quite often and none of their black neighbors were having any problems. They finally took it as a sign they weren't welcome in the neighborhood they had lived for decades. Luckily it doesn't seem to have made my parents racist about it. While I now live in an area of Arkansas that is predominantly white I welcome more diversity including blacks.

[fridayinla]

White Flight is a deep-rooted concept in urban planning. It has happened for decades to many inner-urban areas across the country. It's a fact, not a racist comment. Also, I think many people here have had a very favorable first-impression of Mayor Glover.

[user_name]

I thank everyone for helping me understand. Unfortunatley, what Brian said is true about african-americans in the Shreveport area. At least most of them. As I said, it's turning around, but all too slow. You're corect, I may have read into it too much. But you must understand where I'm coming from. I get criticized because I am a certain color. I am pretty much expected to do wrong everywhere I go. At times, I do where "do-rags". I don't sag in my pants to show my @ss (that's ridiculous), but I do where some of the "urban" wear. It's so funny that the word "urban" is used to replace black fashion (urban culture, urban wear, urban this, urban that). Anyway, you can see my dilema. People, particularly whites, see a black guy that is probably up to no good. When I first met my wife, it was surprising to her grandparents how educated I am. Is that surprising to see an educated black person? Anyway, you have to see that I am bombarded with stereotypes and idiots that don't want to take the time to get to know a person or understand that persons situation. That's why a lot of black people are real sensitive on that issue. But, I can certainly understand the census. I mean, it is a fact that blacks are responsible for a majority of crimes in certain areas.

Anyway, I'm glad to see the new Target shopping area. I know I am sick of driving to Shreveport to do any shopping. Brian, I actually live in Dogwood myself. I saw the comment that Dogwood was getting pretty trashy. It's not getting trashy, just old. Though, I see more and more driveways full of broke down cars, boats, and RV's. Apparently the neighborhood convenance isn't strict enough or it's loosely enforced. Another thing that doesn't help is the trashy add-ons people make to their homes. To give you an example, Legacy's convenance states, in layman's terms, that you can't have a "cheap" storage shed in your backyard and if you have a shed, it must be made of housing material. In other words, the shed will probably need to look like a detached room. This is only one of the many strict policies but it keeps property value up.

Thank you guys for the response. I'll being posting on the other forums as well.

-J

[Metlife]

Jason, welcome to UP. As someone, who is a little older (33), let me offer a little advice. You can't please everybody all of the time. You can't worry about what someone thinks about you. Just try to improve yourself as a person... and do you. Anyway, welcome back to the SBC.

[dimebag1980]

Jason, welcome to UP. As someone, who is a little older (33), let me offer a little advice. You can't please everybody all of the time. You can't worry about what someone thinks about you. Just try to improve yourself as a person... and do you. Anyway, welcome back to the SBC.

[richyb83]

Welcome to Urban Planet Jason. As you can see the forum is blessed to have high quality people on board. Interesting point you make when refering to "urban" this and that. I guess on thats the flip side all the stereotyping with "rich" suburban white kids, soccer moms, etc. I am white and think alot of white people are narrow minded when it comes to this subject. There is good and bad in every color like Brian said. We all bleed red is the way I see it.

The best man at my wedding is from Jamaica and on my H.S. Track team being white I was a serious minority. I work in the EBR Public Schools with majority black. My life would not be the same and would have been much more boring if I had not met all my black friends, acquaintances, etc. But I even ask them why?? so many blacks shooting and killing not getting along with each other. Many of them cannot give me an answer. You don't even want to hear what my family members have to say about the local newscast. But I tell them don't look at life thru a straw.

I tell everybody there are plenty of problems out in "white flight estates"; meth labs, kidnappings/murdreres, child porn, old white men in the suburban parks soliticing sex with police officers,etc.

I just like everybody to get along!

Peace- in the- Middle East

Edited February 15, 2007 by richyb83

[user_name]

Richy, you are absolutley right about the "white flight" areas. It's funny that both the black and white races are known for certain crimes. I can listen to the nature of a crime and pretty much tell if it was a white person or black person. I think that's funny. But I could answer your question about why black on black crime in a number of ways and I guess that's why there is know real answer. First, black people in the impoverished neighborhoods, aka "ghetto" or "hood", are upset that they have to live the way they live. So, like animals, they are protective of everything they own or stand for because it's all they have and most likely all they ever will have. I was at that point in my life where I thought I'd never be able to own a house. Some reading and education and here I am, one of the youngest people in my neighborhood to own a house (24). I beat the odds, and that's my passion. I love it when someone thinks I am one way and suprised to see that I am the other. The problem is, higher education cost money, and black people know that. With most of us being in those "hoods" we feel as if there is no getting out. The military was the best option for me. It opened up so many doors for me and pretty much paid for my education. These days, there is no excuse. But, only the educated know that. If you have a family of uneducated people that know nothing, it carry's on. Afterall, we were told we were free, but we had to survive somehow. Imagine, for a minute, being a slave and then being told you are free with nothing but the clothes on your back. Now go survive, but good luck because we are still gonna hate you and kill you when we see you and do anything to prevent you from being a dominant race. The same goes for the whites, asians, mexicans, etc. that are in those neighborhoods. Now, those that had a chance to live the "american dream" and blew it, I don't feel a bit sorry for. The ones that choose to spend their life savings on rims, and "systems" and think credit cards is free money are just ignorant. I could go on and on, and I'm sure someone could contest. But, I think you get the general point.

To me, no race is dominant of the other. You can run and I can run. You can get educated, so can I. It's just a matter of personal will as to who's better at it. Unless your race can do something that another race can't, then I would say that race is definently dominant. But, as of late, I haven't seen any flying white men, or underwater dwelling mexicans.

Edited February 15, 2007 by user_name

[NCB]

Welcome to the forum, Jason!

I'm Nate, and I'm the moderator of the Louisiana forum and many others throughout UrbanPlanet. If you have any questions or problems, please send them my way!

Happy posting, and enjoy our wonderful forum!

[cindyb1969]

Hi Jason, and welcome!

It's nice to see a fellow AHS grad and Dogwood resident on here. (I lived my best childhood years in Dogwood and have the softest of soft places in my heart for that subdivision.)

I'm sorry that you feel that this forum is a place for racism. I do not consider myself as a racist and hope that I have not said anything that would be offensive to you or anyone else.

I will say that I grew up during a time that Shreveport was the most segregated city in the United States. (See the Book of Lists from 1983-1988.) My parents did not consider themselves racist, but I think that others would disagree. (I don't think they meant to be or saw themselves in that light, but in the strict sense of the word, they were and are.) I do see that Shreveport is a different city than it was back then in good ways and in some bad ways (crime and poverty level).

I do hope that you are like I am and have a love for the city that overlooks the negatives and sees the potential. I feel like you must since you are back! (I wish I were!)

Kudos to you for joining in and posting despite your initial trepidation. Open communication is the key to living together in peace and understanding. Please stick around!!!

Cindy

[user_name]

Thanks Cindy

[UptownNewOrleans]

I post on the Louisiana & New Orleans forums the most, from time to time I post on the Baton Rouge forum and I do a lot of lurking on the Shreveport forum. You already know where I'm from, I don't even need to tell you.