Full Steam Ahead

"I don't understand the poor."
So we went to learn more.
We knocked on the tenant's door.
Inspectors we are.
We looked from ceiling to floor.
Each room had a family of more than four.
Pests there were.
Even chickens, dogs, maybe a boar.
After we went on a tour,
But first let me tell you what we learned so far.

We woke up later than usual, at a luxurious 8 o'clock. The city was buzzing in some parts with children playing and people sprinting for the subway for work. We left and were on our way to the Tenement Museum, when we missed our stop, due took construction. We began a mad scramble to find another station to arrive on time.

We arrived yet five minutes late as began our journey as an inspector in the dangerous New York tenants during the 1920's. We weighed the stories of the landlady and the tenant to determine what was true. After an hour break or class embarked upon a journey through the 100 year history starting during the 1840's. We took a ninety minute walking tour throughout a couple of city blocks. We heard stories and immigrants, gentrification, and sigmas within the community. Different viewpoints from the city, the citizens, and the immigrants.

While on the subway traveling to the see, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, our group began to discuss the issue as gentrification. Gentrification is becoming more and more of a hot topic issue as more awareness is brought to it. New York tore down a while row of tenements on Allen St. during the 1900's. This displaced countless families as wider and larger roads were constructed. The goal was to improve the community. What does that mean? The ugly truth is countless families were displaced to place roads. What are basic rights?

Des Moines has consistently been ranked during 2014 as a top ranked city. With space limited gentrification has become a huge issue. This is seen within the YMCA, what many consider to be a landmark and the site on Court Ave. scheduled to become a Hyvee. If we take away these areas to build houses we are denying possible housing situations, although providing a different basic need, based on your definition. Question is, is it with it? Does it change with your socioeconomic status? How can we come to understand this issue at hand?

So far during my time in New York I have developed more questions than answers, but I have learned that sometimes the best answers start with questions.

Jake
Christina (Poem)