I went searching the web for some good things to say about Davenport. Here's a few I came up with-
Davenport is NOT on the list of 100 least-safe cities in the U.S. To check the website and see who is go
here.
Davenport didn't make the list of top 100 cities with declining populations (2,000-2,002), but there are some Iowa cities on this list. To see who's on this one go
here.
Davenport is also not on the list of top 100 high-educated but low-earning cites, Iowa City is about in the middle, and there are more Iowa cities on this list. Go to another site.
Davenport is on this short list for population growth between 1990-2000. It appears we had the least amount of growth on a short list of Iowa cities. For that list go
the growth page.
Now that's 3 nice things and only one bad. Don't get used to it, I'm just proving a point. You can find the information to support just about any side of an argument. I am not anti-anything, I just like to point out what I percieve as problems to get people discussing the problems and hopefully working toward a solution.
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19 comments:
They have to drive their Caddies to spend their welfare checks. Of course that's only once a month.
We have the largest number of check into cash places in the state.
Or - we have a pawn shop on every corner...
Or - we have a cigarrete and beer mart on ever corner.
we have the most drug houses per capita.
or - we hav the highest number of slumlords operating slum rentals in the state.
Our businesses are really catering to our ever increasing population of poor people and criminals.
Your all on a roll, keep em' coming.
What is the use of any of this crap?
Crime stats at least mean something.
It's called having fun. Doesn't really have a use, I just a laugh every once and a while.
QCI - you can tell you didn;t grow up SOLO and that you are protected in yoru high rise apartment. Those of us who live in homes SOLO and have been victims of the outrageuous crime and blight this city maintains are just having some fun. Because - if you don;t laugh about it you gotta cry. That is how crazy is it. It is so hard to get this city to help us here - we need to help outselves by making a joke every once in awhile. All the while - keeping paranoid and watching for the next city sponsored low income housing project to be proposed on our block. Ot hte next halfway house to be built. Or the next liquor and smokes mart to be plaed by your kid's school. All of this is fine with our city staff and leaders. All you can do is laugh and fight.
Ah come on guys. QCI is one of us now. He lives SoLo too. Like I say, you don't know if you don't ask. Besides, you're forgetting the time of the year. Santa's watching, and you're making fun of someone who lives in a Cookie Factory. He might be an elf. No offense, QCI. Just back to having fun.
Well, I just think attitudes like this are how we end up with much of the city needlessly afraid to venture south of locust.
Perceptions do matter, and while it may be "having some fun" I'd suspect that many of the commentors believe what they said.
Relax QCI and stop acting like Bob Micgivern and the others who want us all to believe we don't have a problem. News Flash - we do !!!!!!!!!!!! Stop sweep it under the table and face it. We have too many drugs, slum properties, homeless guys and prostitues and our staff and policy support that way of life. Those in charge don't live int he bad areas of town and they don;t see what goes on down here. We have a problem!!!!!!!!!! Fac it and deal with it instead of pretending we don't.
QCI embodies a root problem in Davneport. We care too much about what others will think if they know we stink. Stop fakin it, we stink. Take a shower and stop worrying.
I agree - if we would just stop pretending we don't have a problem and fix the problem we would be better off.
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.
-- Dr. Seuss.
I once read that people "Believe what they see, and see what they believe". If you believe that every house SOLO is a drug selling slum, every time you drive by a less than perfect house SOLO, your will believe a drug dealer/gang banger lives there. Relocate that house NOLO and you will believe that the owner has just fallen on some "rough times". Heck, you may even stop and see if there is something you can do to help. Unfortunately, our perceptions and prejudices become our reality. It isn't fair, it's just a fact. Until we are able to identify, and disprove some of our prejudices, our perceptions will continue. Chances are, if your parents were prejudice to a certain group of people, or a certain area of town, you will be too. It's almost hereditary. (It's actually envriomental.) How do we change this? That's the $64,000 question.
Dale
Prejudice and perception does play a large part in our problem. Instead of taking pot shots at each other, we should try to find a common ground. I for one don't believe the crime is terrible, yet. But I also don't want to wait till it gets there to say something. I find it amusing that grown adults have to take sides in a discussion. As I stated, we are not on the top 100 worst crime cities list. If they had a list for poverty level, and services for the poor, I think we would be on it. What I'm saying is, we should have a common goal. Making where we live a better place to live. Be it changing laws, restricting rental properties, ousting city officials,development, whatever. Continued infighting won't get us anywhere.
Dale you must live NOLO. Those of us who live SOLO are able to tell the difference between someone falling on hard times and someone who has done hard time. We know better - thank you. We live here for many reasons and one of them isn't that we are naive. Every black person who lives solo isn't a drug dealer and we never thought they were. We happen to know our neighborhoods - well! Meaning, we know who owns what and which houses are bad rentals and which are just run down. We know each other for the most part. So , when we talk of a slum rental, we know for a fact it is a slum rental because we see it being rented to a variety of people. Some deal drugs and behave badly. We either complain and the city does something or they don't pay the rent and the landlord does. Don't insult me over and over again by claiming that I or my neighbors are racist and classist and that is why we complain and as you thnk "judge". We happen to know because, well, we live here and we care.
Maybe instead of picking a fight, we ought to pick an example. I don't know where posters live, other than I hope this area. But why don't we pick an area and see if we can agree it needs work. Off the top of my head; how about the apartment complex at 14th. and Gaines. To the ones saying we SoLo people are making things up, drive by this lovely brick building. I can assure you we didn't make up the tenants. And not everyone who lives SoLo can spot the troubled areas. I don't know why that is, I just know I can spot them. So maybe we need to help these people know what to look for. It wouldn't be hard. The dealers are easy, 50 cars a day pull up, someone gets out and goes into the house for 5 minutes and leaves. We know the guy in the house isn't the Avon lady. There are different kinds of intelligence. Some learn it from books, others learn it from life. Call it street smarts or whatever, but I'm glad I have a little of both.
There is nothing like eye witnesses. If you live aroudn here and drive by these places daily then you know. I just get sick of being told I am racist when I complan about a bad rental property. I assure you Dale that you would not want to live by these places and you would complain too.
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