There are some things you do on purpose for absolutely no reason. (Ironic, considering yesterday’s post.)
I’d like to show you a couple of things. These are lists of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the United States. Take a browse through them just real quick, noting the worst of the worst.
Daily Finance – 25 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods
So… this is that #1 spot, Cincinnati…
I’ve hung out quite a bit in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. And a few other places – either late at night or in broad daylight – where the rest of the world says, “This place is dangerous.” And, for the most part, I’m not being naive to believe there’s some truth to the numbers. But, quite honestly, I’ve never felt so much hostility and aggressiveness as here, Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Now lists of the “Most Dangerous Cities” won’t give you this result. Cincinnati isn’t inherently dangerous everywhere else. But for this single neighborhood, this is my experience. Just walking down Vine Street from McMillan to Central Parkway…
“Keep walkin’…”
“You better not be no cops…!”
I have heard of people being mugged and then their shoes are taken and thrown over a fence or on top of a building. Its so they can’t chase the mugger.
“Oh, you probably don’t want to talk to them…”
I don’t know if you can tell, but something had been drug out of (or into) this doorway and down the hall.
And in the same day a short drive east into the hills of Brown County…
“It is so good to meet you!”
.
“This building has so much history, its good to see it restored and taken care of.”
“I don’t remember when he died, but I can go over into the grave yard and look at his headstone if you’d like!”
“I grew up on this river.” “I’ve worked on river boats my entire life.” “My father was a riverboat captain before me.”
What is it that causes the world to exist like this? Why is it I cannot walk down a street in the United States of America without being harassed or be in fear of my camera being stolen or my car not where I left it… and then I can drive a few minutes down the road and sit with the Brown County Historical Society and listen to a lecture on the history of riverboats on the Ohio River in complete welcome and peace? Why?
They even fed my friend and I the potluck dinner (complete with homemade ice cream) and we didn’t even contribute anything.
Why does the broad daylight in some places shine so much darker on Vine Street when the dusk on a hillside a few miles away feel as bright and cheerful and welcoming as anyplace I’ve ever been?
Never be without perspective. Never forget that you are not everyone. Is it easier to be friendly or easier to be aggressive? Is it weak to be welcoming? Does a gun in your waistline make you strong?
I wonder if the people who live in Over-the-Rhine in Cincinnati ever wonder why it has to be the way it is… or if it is just an acceptance of the hand they are dealt?
Stay tuned…
-Noah D.
