RamzPaul : Into The Heart of Darkness - East St Louis

[CrackSmokeRepublican]

At one point in my life, I traveled to the "Heart of Darkness" quite often...there always was a weird fire burning just off the freeway (car, home, trash, tree, bushes, failed business...)   "618" --CSR  

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Into The Heart of Darkness - East St Louis

[youtube:zi0jj9jl]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XgFPo3uDUo[/youtube]zi0jj9jl]

[michaelangelo]

This guy is funny.


How important is cultural diversity at your school?

http://youtu.be/fonSqHNoWkQ

[pas]

Oooh you racist.... :lol:
The truth is the truth.I'm half brown myself but if I had kids I would definately put them in an as lowest diversity school possible.I've witnessed enough myself to come to this conclusion.

[CrackSmokeRepublican]

Some good music to drive into the Heart of Darkness with -- ESTL driving music (at least it was for me at one point).  Pas here's a drink to you my friend...life is sometimes a weird boat... just turn it way up...    :

[youtube:b5tomgus]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9Y6WgcWFs0[/youtube]b5tomgus]

Mute this one and it is exactly how the CSR experienced it.... this guy must have been from Cahokia:

[youtube:b5tomgus]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkWKxJ8P9Kw[/youtube]b5tomgus]

[CrackSmokeRepublican]

Some melodic ESTL muzik. Not bad actually... "from the 618.. got's the highest murder rate"...
Noel Pointer:
[youtube:3ta4ygmh]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td29cr7w5PU[/youtube]3ta4ygmh]

[CrackSmokeRepublican]

Had to post this:
[youtube:1t0nzrz6]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHB1Jkq3xms[/youtube]1t0nzrz6]

This is, without a doubt, one of the best videos I've seen on Jewtube.

zt76831 1 year ago 3

[sullivan]

I'm not a big fan of Ramsey Paul, but he's spot on here. Turn down the irritating Jazz "music" and these also give a good idea what East St. Louis is like...

[youtube:2f7mrbyh]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0usW0kw2Dw[/youtube]2f7mrbyh]
[youtube:2f7mrbyh]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krT0_n_O6XA[/youtube]2f7mrbyh]
[youtube:2f7mrbyh]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN3yw1xUMOo[/youtube]2f7mrbyh]

[CrackSmokeRepublican]

This will be America before too long unless it breaks up. ---CSR

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With the declining population size the demographics of the city changed once more. It was overwhelming whites who fled from East St. Louis (Washnis 1967). The central city area transformed from a white to a black area. School enrollments illustrate the speed of this transition. In 1955 Longfellow school was 0 percent black and Monroe school was 2.4 percent black; by 1967 these schools were 86 percent and 99.9 percent black respectively (Mendelson and Ranney 1967).  :shock:  In the ten years between 1950 and 1960 alone the racial balance in East St. Louis changed substantially. In 1950 the city was 66.5 percent white but this percentage fell to 55.4 as whites left the city (Evert Kincaid and Associates 1965). The African-American population that was left behind in crumbling East St. Louis was unskilled, economically segregated, and discriminated against. African-Americans were denied union membership and so barred from many unskilled jobs that were available like those in construction. They were also excluded from the apprenticeships and training programs that would have allowed them to gain needed skills. In 1968 of the largest 1516 firms in the area 38 percent had no black workers and 62 percent had no unskilled jobs to offer. The few jobs that were available were often in the surrounding area rather than in the city, and so were unaccessible to those who had no transportation other than an inadequate bus service (Teer 1968).

Unsurprisingly crime became an increasing problem in East St. Louis as an often unemployed population struggled to survive. In the five years from 1963 to 1967 murders more than doubled from 14 to 30, and car thefts rose from 482 to 792. In just the first seven months of 1968 major crimes increased by 67 percent and crimes against property more than doubled. The problematic relationship of the past between black residents and the police translated into widespread disrespect for law enforcement, and the police and courts were in disarray (Teer 1968).

With the falling fortunes of the city came an upsurge in the corruption that had long been a part of local politics. Politicians and gangsters skimmed money whenever possible. A series of demagogues, both black and white, were prominent in local politics. Problems instead of being solved within the legitimate political process were dealt with within the local structures based on power and patronage (Teer 1968).

The exploitation of the city by industry also continued. Large industries comfortably ensconced in their company towns or at sites beyond the limits of the city continued to avoid paying taxes and while demanding services. The demand and need for services was growing at a time when the capacity to provide them was diminishing. These companies also created a heavy traffic flow through the city adding an additional burden (Washnis 1967; Teer 1968). In addition, industries that had once been in the city left behind numerous badly polluted sites and buildings that quickly fell into disrepair and decay.

The increasing crime rate and fear of crime coupled with lack of disposable income led to a severe shrinkage of business and retail facilities in East St. Louis. In 1966 alone 183 small businesses closed with a loss of revenue for the city and facilities for residents (Teer 1968). Large retail establishments such as Sears, Woolworths, Kroger, A & P, National Tea, and IGA closed their doors; by 1970 Walgreens was the only national retail business left in the city. In the six years from 1967 to 1972 the number of retail businesses declined from 860 to 462. From 1960 to 1974 total retail sales declined by 31 percent in East St. Louis at a time when sales in Illinois as a whole grew by 75 percent (Shafiq 1992).

By the 1960s what might have been described as fiscal instability became nothing short of financial crisis and disaster. One thing that was partially a result of a lack of funds was the deplorable condition of East St. Louis schools both physically and academically. By 1968 schools were in horrendous physical condition with old, dilapidated, and overcrowded buildings. Many students failed in the first three grades; dropout was a serious problem with 17.5 percent of students failing to complete sixth grade. Even those who stayed in school were getting a substandard education with 58.8 percent of students functioning below the sixth grade level.  :wtf:  Teachers strikes were frequent adding to the problems of the East St. Louis school system (Teer 1968). During the 1960s the city was forced to resort to borrowing money just to operate on a daily basis. The result was a large and steadily increasing debt. Money to service the debt was drawn from property taxes. In 1951 6.2 percent of property taxes went to pay of such debts; by 1966 this percentage was 35.6. Not only were debts getting larger year by year but property taxes collected were declining as housing deteriorated and tax delinquency increased (Washnis 1968). In 1960 the assessed value of property in East St Louis was approximately 187.6 million dollars; by 1972 this value had dropped to 148 million and by 1980 it had plummeted to less than 58.1 million dollars (Shafiq 1992).

East St. Louis in Recent Years

Rather than improving it seems that the plight of East St. Louis deepened in recent years. An increasing number of roads carved their way across the city, fragmenting it, destroying neighborhoods, and requiring services. East St. Louis is transected by more interstate highways than any other city except Chicago. With a police force of just 66 officers personnel are often diverted to deal with automobile accidents. In 1990 as of June 14th and overburdened police department had dealt with over 15,000 calls (Officer 1990).

Industry showed no sign of returning but instead more industries closed. The National Stockyards, an institution in East St. Louis since 1873 and part of a packing industry that had once employed 10,000 people, finally closed its doors in September 1997. At the time of closing they employed a mere handful of people but the symbolism was clear. By 1990 at total of at least 25,000 or as many as 45,000 jobs had been lost (Penry 1990). Those industries that did not close remained firmly entrenched in outlying areas beyond the city limits, not paying taxes but producing a demand for services (Shafiq 1992).

As a result residents of East St. Louis still lacked jobs; in 1990 the jobless rate in East St. Louis was 24.6 percent (Bureau of the Census 1993). This lack of jobs has plunged the city into deep poverty. In 1980 the median income in East St. Louis was $7,710 compared to $16,119 for the county as a whole. The decline in income is clear; in 1950 median income in East St. Louis was 97 percent of the county wide median, in 1960 it was 76 percent, in 1970 70 percent, in 1980 48 percent, and in 1990 49 percent (Saleh 1992; Shafiq 1992). In 1989 fully 43.9 percent of all residents had incomes below the official poverty line (Bureau of the Census 1993). Even banks, it seems, began to abandon the city; Union Bank long headquartered in downtown East St. Louis moved to the nearby city of Swansea taking with it a substantial number of jobs and leaving behind an empty building as testament to the city's continuing decline. The continuing decline in income and the local economy was reflected in the 62 percent reduction of bank deposits in East St. Louis from 1981 to 1996 when measured in constant dollars (Zhou 1997).

Population continued to be lost; instead of the population of 105,000 predicted for 1980 actual population in that year was 55,200; by 1990 the population had fallen to 40,944. As the city entered the decade of the 90s population loss continued apace; by 1992 the population of this once thriving industrial center was reduced to 38,404 (Bureau of the Census 1994). As a 1991 article in the New York Times reported 'The decline of East St. Louis has been so rapid that virtually anyone who can afford to leave has moved away' (Saleh 1992).

Nor did the housing situation improve appreciably. Vacancy rates increased and increasingly people were living in public housing. By 1980 fully 33 percent of East St. Louis' population resided in public housing (Shafiq 1992). Despite a waiting list of over 2000 one third of public housing remained vacant with one half of vacant units being uninhabitable (Sullivan 1990). There was little building of new homes in recent years partly as a result of redlining by banks, although a credit union was established in 1983 to try to counter this practice. In 1985 housing problems were brought home by the actions of HUD who took over public housing putting a private company in charge as manager. The reasons for this takeover were cited as fiscal mismanagement, theft by the local administration, and lack of maintenance leading to building deterioration. In 1991 a block grant to improve housing was canceled because of implementation problems. HUD poured 131 million dollars into the city between 1974 and 1985 seemingly with minimal effect (Sullivan 1990; Shafiq 1992).

Whites continued to abandon the city at such a pace that by 1980 East St. Louis was 97 percent black (Shafiq 1992). In 1990 of the 40,944 residents of the city only 644 were white (Bureau of the Census 1994). Whites were not the only ones to leave; African-American also left the city as it became clear that the economic depression in the city was chronic (Officer 1990).

Crime and corruption continue to be problems that plague the city. In 1986-87 the crime rate was 9587 per 100,000 inhabitants a figure almost twice that for the county as a whole (Saleh 1992). By the early 1990s this rate had risen to over 11,500 (Slater and Hall 1994). Local newspapers such as the Belville News-Democrat and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch are filled with stories of violence, drugs, and crimes against property in East St. Louis. There also seems to be no end to stories of corruption. One recent example concerns the theft of a very substantial amount of money from the school athletic program by the director (Belleville News-Democrat 1997a). This from a school system that is in dire trouble. City government appears dysfunctional; rather than effectively running the city some people in local government seem to view providing jobs to relatives and cronies as their primary role. The city has employed seven city managers in the last five years. A new city manager hired in July 1997 was fired in October for trying to curb the system of patronage and nepotism that permeates the city government and other institutions in East St. Louis (Hafemeister 1997a; St. Louis Post-Dispatch 1997). City government is in such disarray that a state oversight panel is in place in an attempt to oversee finances and improve the functioning of city institutions. In December 1997 the state panel recommended laying off thirteen percent of the city workforce in an effort to balance the city budget and combat nepotism (Hafemeister 1997b).

The legacy of an insufficient tax base to meet service demands remains; between 1987 and 1992 the city could not even provide garbage collection (ESLARP 1997). Factories remain located outside the city, while straining services and polluting the environment. East St. Louis has had the highest tax rate in Illinois for the last three decades. In 1990 a person owning a $60,000 home would incur an annual property tax bill of approximately $4000 (Wallace 1990; Saleh 1992). Insurance costs are also high and delinquent taxes are an increasing problem (Officer 1990; Saleh 1992). In 1969 4 percent of taxes went uncollected; by 1983 this rate was up to over 21 percent. Approximately half the property taxes collected go to pay off past debts. Despite an influx of revenue from river boat gambling the city of East St. Louis has horrendous debts, 43.8 million dollars in 1989, and avoids bankruptcy only because of infusions of state and federal money. In short the city is in fiscal chaos and cannot provide basic services or maintain infrastructure and buildings. Pollution also remains a serious problem. There is a great deal of vacant land throughout the city, much of it polluted with contaminants such as lead, arsenic, mercury and steroids (Kozol 1997). There are 10 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) superfund sites, 21 sites listed with the EPA, 41 landfills, 9 surface impoundments, and 40 active sites with special waste handlers (Saleh 1992; Slater and Hall 1994; Lugge 1997). Along with industrial waste the city has suffered from numerous incidents of flooding and the backup of sewers into basements, homes, schools, and public areas. The effects of environmental pollution can be seen in the health of city residents especially the children; for example East St. Louis has one of the highest child asthma rates in the country as well as high rates of fetal and infant deaths (Kozol 1991).

Many of the problems of East St. Louis come together in the school system. The state financial oversight panel is not only involved with monitoring city finances but is also charged with trying to improve the function of school district 189. The schools and standard of education children in East St. Louis receive can only be described as abysmal. Over 70 percent of students fail to meet state standards (Sorkin and Smith 1997b), and less than 56 percent of adults over 25 have graduated from high school (Bureau of the Census 1993). Recent newspaper articles chronicle events such as teachers sleeping in class and cursing students, students playing cards, and classes being taught by janitors and sixth grade students. Physical conditions at schools include leaking roofs, buildings riddled with asbestos, floods of untreated sewage, broken furniture, roaches, locked fire doors, filthy restrooms, lack of books and equipment, students standing in class because of a lack of desks, and even the absence of basic necessities such as toilet paper (Kozol 1991; Maty 1997; Sorkin and Smith 1997a). Residents on the fringe of the school district have successfully petitioned to be detached from the district (Maty 1997), and it is a measure of the problem that the American Civil Liberties Union is suing to force the state to abolish the school district. Lack of money is by no means the root of the problem since a majority of dollars to run the schools come from outside the city. It seems corruption and crime permeate the school system. Equipment and money 'disappear' and the school board appears to follow the lead of city government functioning to protect and perpetuate a system of patronage and nepotism (Parks 1990; Sorkin and Smith 1997a).

The overall picture of East St. Louis in the 1990s is bleak. Yelvington (1990) and Flood (1990) describe a landscape of abandoned cars, railroad tracks, overflowing trash dumpsters and piles of garbage in the streets, polluted air, soil, and water, trashed vacant lots, crumbling and burned out buildings, gang graffiti, failed housing projects, and collapsing sewers. A city in severe distress with no attraction for business or residents. The human landscape is one of poverty, ill-health, premature death, lack of education, crime, corruption, unemployment, resignation, anger, and despair (Kozol 1991). Some see the problems of East St. Louis as rooted in poverty and unemployment (McGaughy 1990), others point to problems of leadership (Carson 1990; Kassing 1990), fiscal management (Wallace 1990), crime (Costello 1990), the poor school system (Lazerson 1990), or racial discrimination and distrust (Baricevic 1990; Officer 1990).  


http://www.siue.edu/~wshaw/esl.htm