Race And Law In Philadelphia :: essays research papers

RACE AND THE LAW IN PHILADELPHIAIf youre ever impetuous down I-95 through Philadelphia, you will notice an exit for Allegheny Avenue. Allegheny Ave is one of the most dangerous parts of Philly you can drive through. Predominantly black with whatever Puerto Ricans and a handful of whites, Allegheny is situated between the Delaw atomic number 18 River and abandoned industrial complexes. Windows are kept closed and doors are locked as you drive past bums, medicate dealers, scorched abandoned cars, sleazy strip bars, cops and crack heads. You can corrupt cocaine and marijuana on almost every side pass just by driving down with your window rolled down. Corners with wads of shoes hanging from a single telephone poll promote heroin and crack. Once you drive under the L-train, you can amuse yourself by playing the spot-the-prostitute-game. Paddy wagons are never parked to far let ondoor(a) and cops patrol by, ignoring the misdemeanors around them and just trying to make worthwhile arrests. If you go no more than 20 minutes west, youll end up in Manyunk, which is directly on the border of Philadelphia, and to residents, is considered part of it. Unlike Allegheny Ave, the main bridle-path is littered with import stores, hip coffee houses, yuppie bars and colorful banners that incur you to the town. Its a perfect place for happy couples and families to go for shopping, dinning, and entertainment. The environ neighborhoods mainly consist of white people who have grown up in Philadelphia. There are plenty of barking dogs, swing sets and kids who play pathway hockey without a worry besides being home by dinner. The families are mainly blue-collar workers that are able to send their kids to insular schools. Everyone knows everyone else in the neighborhood and you get the sense that people watch out for each other. Occasionally a cop will patrol by but nothing ever really goes on besides the periodic breaking of the noise curfew. All in all, there isnt a sess o f law enforcement there because there doesnt need to be. Youre probably wondering why these two neighborhoods are different. A lot of different elements come into play but I will endeavour to explain it anyway. First, environment definitely seems to be a big factor in the direction a community will take. Allegheny Ave is pretty practically detached from a lot of the city. The schools are seriously over-crowded and are know to be dangerous.