Norman Street, Culture of Poverty

Introduction

The book presents a different introduction addressing the changes that have taken place since the book was originally published. The main focus being on the demonstration of the impact of political and financial that is economic changes within the neighborhood in their everyday lives. While the focus may be on a specific area, it showcases the challenges faced by industrialized cities in the nation. Showing the ethnic and racial differences, the different landlords and their impact on housing among other issues.

Essay 1

The book presents an emigration of industries from the region, with the result being a great effect of deindustrialization hitting the community. Deindustrialization here is felt through a shift of employment with a majority of people now looking for work within the unskilled labor force. As companies moved their operations from the area meant that the largest employers were moving meaning that there was a record high rate of unemployment. As presented in the book, the cycle in the neighborhood is looking for a job, having temporary employment, losing a job and looking for a job again.

The options presented being in the industries as unskilled laborers, work programs that are state sponsored which makes employment dependent on an individual’s political usefulness and or enlisting in the military. With industries closing up, most people opt for enlisting in the military as a result of scarcity of jobs. For instance, the three men from Brooklyn as presented in chapter 3 of the book two of them enlisted because they lacked other options. A majority of the people here live within the low income life making welfare assistance a crucial aspect of their lives. As in the government sponsored job projects which call for government connections, the welfare assistance showcases the constraint when it comes to an interaction between the people and government institutions.

A majority of the housing apartments in the neighborhood as presented in the book were industrial lofts but with the industrial emigration, most of them have been converted residential. There are three types of landlords presented here, the absentee landlord who have contributed to a deterioration of the some housing areas, the residential landlords and the City Housing Authority. All of them with different interests, influencing the distribution of population according to wealth and therefore affecting the economy of the neighborhood.

Essay 2

The effect of absentee landlords to some of the areas in the neighborhood brought about a community apprise in form of a block association. The block association was a way for the people to influence their environment, inflict direct democracy. The association provided outsiders with a look into the neighborhood social body, while at the same time providing a way to form networks. While the involvement of these low income earners within their environment was infrequently successful, it was a significant part of their lives.

The different landlord categories also showcased a difference in class, with tenants having a sense of insecurity. For instance, for tenants in housing owned by absentee landlords had poor living conditions but could not present complaints as they owed money. Most of the people here could not make their rent on time therefore making them indebted to their landlords. With the discrimination against these low income earners and the inability of the tenants to bargain only led to further deterioration of the housing. There was a clear difference between the two classes which was far from elimination because of the financial constraints of the people in the neighborhood. Racial and ethnic division are especially presented in the homeowners’ category. White working class homeowners inducing strict rules to people from different ethnic groups to push them away from renting apartments. In one case, a house owner increased rent, put difficult restrictions and downright lied to tell off some tenants she deems unfit.

To deal with most of the challenged faced here, the people in the neighborhood operated in high cooperation, forming kinships and friendships for support. Issues such as the always fluctuating employment and welfare systems, which affected food and rent prices. A showcase of interaction is presented in the example of three households that form a network while they each interact with other households, the Sanchez family, Elizabeth Brock and Sharon Bianco in chapter 9.

References

Susser, I. (2012).  Norman Street: Poverty and politics in an urban neighborhood . Oxford University Press.