User:Jmklinerr/sandbox

American Ghetto

A ghetto is a quarter of a city in which members of a minority group live especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure. Due to societal differences, American ghettos have developed in uniquely different ways than other ghettos across the world. Analyzing the historical jurisprudence and context of  American history, the creation of American ghettos results as intended and unintended consequences of both governmental legislation and private efforts to segregate the United States of America for political, economical, social and ideological reasons. American ghetto therefore are communities and neighborhoods where government has not only concentrated a minority but established barriers to its exit. Terms such as “inner city” often are used to avoid the word ghetto, but typically they denote the same ideas presented above. In addition, other terms such as “the hood” are used interchangeably at times with ghetto. Geographic examples of American ghettos are seen in large urban centers such as New York City, Chicago, and Detroit.

Overtime, the idea of ghetto has evolved from a political and historical construct into a new, more familiar social culture that represents a different side of America popularly known as the “hood”. This idea of America is completely different from the working class, educated, metropolitan American city life that is usually conveyed in the media. In contrast, this America is the home-base of crimes and drugs, relentless police raids, gangs, violence, loud music and clubs. In this America, hopelessness among those who live there, those who serve as police and first responders, and the journalists who cover these areas is rife. The acceptance of illegal activities is paradoxical at times because the same drug trade that can sustain life, can end it.

Ghetto, in America, can also refer to a modern culture of hipsters and gangsters in Urban America.

There are a few key elements that make a place a ghetto. It has to have been affected directly or indirectly by race-based legislation that was passed in order to segregate. A ghetto has to be made up of a minority either race or class based, extremely poor groups, concentrated in a very deteriorated community. Crime rates, drug problems, and gangs violence could all be indicative of a ghetto area. Historically, violence has also been used to intimidate certain demographics to remain in ghettos. There are other theories about the development of ghettos that blame modern housing segregation on de facto racism rather than de jure segregation. One of these ideas is that centralized racism began the segregation, but with the legal barriers to entry for blacks falling with time, the price rather than the legality of living in certain areas has excluded blacks. While this absolves the government of present culpability for current wrongs, many argue that they have stacked the deck against certain racial minorities and have proposed things such as rent vouchers to push the desegregation of America.

History

In the findings of a study conducted by Brandeis University, the large racial wealth gap in America is correlated to the huge disparities in home-ownership in America. It will be almost impossible to pinpoint the beginning of housing discrimination in America since most forms of discrimination in America overlap, but it is evident that an extension of Jim Crow laws was made manifest in home-ownership and American housing public policies. These federal and state discriminatory policies in conjunction with private sector fear for economic loss, led to the systemic deprivation of public assistance and services to many minorities which were manifested in the form of loans, access to credit, and higher income. This practice is called Redlining.

Graffiti on wall in Chicago Ghetto

Redlining:

In 1933 the HOLC,  federal government sponsored program was create

d as part of the “New Deal” to combat the Great Depression and to help assist homeowners who were in a default on their mortgage and in foreclosure. This assistance was mostly in forms of loans and federal aids that last for over 25 years (cite). President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Housing Act of 1934, which established the Federal Housing Administration(FHA).^{[10][page needed][11]} This federal policy heightened the worsening of minority inner-city neighborhoods caused by the withholding of mortgage capital, and made it even more difficult for neighborhoods to attract and retain families able to purchase homes.^{[12][page needed]} The assumptions in redlining resulted in a large increase in residential racial segregation and urban decay in the United States.

Redlining in America

The HOLC under the NHA and in cooperation with the FHA and the Federal Banking Home Loan Board sent surveyors and examiners to go to these cities and speak with local banks, city officials, to determine the lending risks in different neighborhoods. Factors for determining high-risk sectors include: Geography—where is the city close to a park? Does it have commercial establishments? Is it close to a factory and will pollution be a problem? How old are the apartments or houses? Are they accessible? Is there good road, good school, companies and opportunities to work? The population, the demographics, is it a majority-minority neighborhood? Are the people mostly poor and uneducated? All of these factors plays into determining whether a city is a higher desirable location for the FHA loans or a High-risk or “hazardous” zone. Color-code were used to distinguish different localities based on the findings from these surveys and these findings were put into maps in their various color-codes. “Green” for the best possible location to give loans. “Blue” for a highly desirable locale. “Yellow” for a declining and depreciating area. “Red” for an “Hazardous” zone. This is what is called the “Residential Security” map. Cities that were coded “red” zone had to pay higher interest rates and had significantly more difficulty in accessing federal loans.

Table Showing the "Red" Zone
CITY	HAZARDOUS
Macon, GA	64.99%
Augusta, GA	58.70%
Flint, MI	54.19%

The majority of the people who lived in the “red” zone were mostly blacks and other minorities. Poverty in the black community increased significantly due to lack of jobs, and assistance from the government. Access to credits were based on collateral and locations which automatically disqualifies blacks and most minorities since they were concentrated in deteriorated areas. Many lower middle class and middle class blacks sought to migrate to the industrial Midwest and Northeast and to other places for better opportunities and to leave the mark of the “red” zone. But explicit racial exclusion ordinances that prevented blacks from finding places outside of these “red” zone areas. ^[9]

Even in areas where exclusion laws were not in effect, real estate professionals instilled fear that blacks would invade their communities and eventually turn it into a “red” zone. This led to the “white flight” in …… come Minorities continued to migrate into these “red” zone communities as it back almost impossible to afford living elsewhere. Whites continued to move into these urban neighborhood leaving the suburbia for the middle class. Gradually, the cities continued to segregate. The higher taxes and pricing on homes and rentals in these “red” zones surpassed those of other locality, leaving the economy in the “red” in constant depreciation. In some cases, families will let out some of their apartment to earn some extra money to keep up with the payments. As the lines of segregation became more defined, state and federal government had a clearer vision on where to focus their resources and policies. Safe neighborhood meant white neighborhood, and white neighborhood meant better roads, cleaner water, better schools, better jobs and better economy. Meanwhile, the “red” zone evolved into the American ghettos and slums.

Block Busting:

Racial Influence

Class Influence

Peer Review #1

1) I was a little confused about which section was your lead. I think it's the first one? When I was reading it, it felt like a body paragraph. Something you could consider is changing your lead section to give a more focused overview of the most important points

2) I think your proposed order of sections will work really nicely for your essay.

3) Some sections of the writing, like the redlining in America section, seemed like they might be missing sources.

4) I liked the depth with which you engaged your sources. I'm going to incorporate that into my own Wikipedia page.

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Peer Review #2

- One of the things that I think would improve your article is a table of contents with subheadings in them for a clear structure. For example I liked how you guys explained what are they key elements that make a place a "ghetto" but if you guys make that a "Factors that form ghettos" subheading, it's more organized and easier to read. As well as your other explanations on the causes.

-I also thought that your Redlining section had some gaps in sources.

-Lastly, I liked the table shown, adding images would make it better too (maybe in places like New York and Chicago like mentioned or a redlining map).