Ray Rodriguez
Blog: Love Hate or maybe just war
Dear Mr. Barrack Obama
Mr. President Obama I was aware of the problem in my neighborhood when I saw a group of kids run from one side to the other and I was stuck in the middle trying to cross the street. I ran behind a door from a restaurant worried I was going to get clobbered by the enraged kids coming out from school.
Oh no, not another gang fight! I say in a mumble.
As I moved back, a bottle whizzed over my head, I quickly ducked as it hit the floor, but then another was thrown hitting the side of the building next to the restaurant. I was considered one of them; a cold heated platano even though I wasn’t a part of their problem or gangs. The Dominican gang Trinitarios was next to the bridge on South fourth and Havemeyer Street a block away from my house, my only destination after school. Yells of “Patria” was all I heard the gang slur of the Trini’s and on the other side of the bridge was the infamous P.B.G. (Pretty Boy Goons) which is mostly consisted of Puerto Ricans. The hate started all because of territory and pride of my beloved Southside in Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York. Cars passing by are getting empty Snapple bottles found in trash cans crushed on the side of the cars glass all over the floor. They eventually get closer as they start to hit each other with bats and other weapons. A siren is heard approaching and the children scurry like roaches caught in the light. As they leave to their sides of the bridge, I can safely cross the street and run home before they come back for more. I felt relief when I got home but my mom was worried
Are you okay? She says.
Yes I quickly say.
As the good student I am, I quickly started my homework. This is how I experienced the troubles of this gang violence in my community by watching it just so I can pass through in order to get home.
I ask you to please visit my neighborhood. Mr. President, the children in my neighborhood drain the amount of respect it gets every day. Why, because gangs are starting to appear recently as well as white people in the Northside of Williamsburg Brooklyn. The whites are showing fear and animosity towards the people they just view as Latinos. The incoming whites, who are moving into this community, have never been around many feral children who fight almost every day due to gang violence. Dominicans and Puerto Ricans fight over differences which develop into bigger dichotomies of race and ethnicities. Stated in The Ethics of Living Jim Crow, “I never fully realized the ... environment till one day the gang to which I belonged found itself engaged in a war with the white boys who lived beyond the tracks” (Wright X), shows the relationship in my neighborhood but there are no tracks instead there is a bridge. Also “they replied with a steady bombardment of broken bottles” (Wright X) as they did in my neighborhood. The Sky is Grey by Ernest J. Gaines “We should question and question and question—question everything” (The college student 95). They eventually do question why do they hate each other but the pain does not help and makes them seek revenge toward one another.
By visiting my neighborhood, children will be aware they are affecting their own neighborhood, endangering the lives of many, and limiting the amount of recourses they receive in schools. Many actions like fighting cause consequences to many. Recently the life of a Dominican male Lil Rich was cut short at the age of 21 or 22 and injuries have increased creating an increase of the white man’s fear, murders, and the limiting of resources they will receive for their much needed education. In the Brown v. Board of Education, the schools for Black students were not receiving the fair amount of recourses like the children in my community, while the whites get the better and myriad amount of resources in their schools. The fact we are not being noticed as a community in need of knowledge and resources the amount of recourses given is not enough to aid the enduring stay of children in school causing drop-out rates to increase every year because the school cannot afford to pay for programs and items to help children learn. So please visit my neighborhood, the example you set does have an effect in the inspirations of the children’s lives. You are our image of example and as an image you wouldn’t want to set a bad example but embody and give a good memory to the students of my community. Help us regain respect and dignity in order to be competitors as a good well-rounded community. Struggles are constant and they will cause confusions and need for retaliation that is why children look for the only way out which is not school but gangs and the life of a thug or a criminal in order to become someone in their eyes. Let’s defeat the dichotomy of Dominicans and Puerto Ricans in order to create a better Southside in Brooklyn, New York.
Thank you for your time and I hope you do think of accepting the plead I offer. The future and success of this neighborhood depends on your visit and your words to improve the lives and thoughts of many kids who are sick of mind and need knowledge.
Sincerely,
Ray Rodriguez
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1 comment:
Hey Ray!
Nice job on your essay. This is the first piece I've read that has addressed issues from the neighborhood level. And I think that what's happening in your neighborhood is happening on some level and in between different groups all across the country. I like that you made it so personal though, because people are more likely to be passionate and take action and responsibility for issues that are close to them, and that affect their quality of life. These are the types of stories that a president hears daily, and that helps him/her get a real sense of what Americans care about and want for themselves and their communities.
You make a connection between the murders in your community and the declining educational resources in your schools. I think it's a profound connection, but it's not necessarily intuitive, so I think you should explain why you feel that the declining resources in your community are related to the crime levels. You also mentioned the increase of white fear, which I also thought was a fascinating connection, given that much of the crime you described was occurring between people of color based on nationality. I find that white people very often become fearful in those situations, even if they are not the primary targets for violence. You seem to see a connection between white fear in these communities and declining resources. I'd be interested to know what you felt the connection was, if you were to revise this piece.
One thing I also liked about this piece was the anecdotal portion in the beginning. You began as if you were writing a short story, and then used that story as a catalyst for your discussion about gang violence, neighborhood deterioration, and educational disparities. It's a lot of issues to cover, but I think that with some reorganization, you can make this a very powerful piece.
The key thing to remember is that when discussing several issues in efforts to drive home a central argument, make sure that you discuss each issue separately, and then connect them to each other and to your central argument. It may seem a bit complex, and it is, but if you can pull it off, your reader will have a far better understanding of the message you are trying to deliver, and have far more supporting evidence to be convinced that you are correct and that the issues are urgent.
Wonderful job.
Take care!
-D
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