Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama - The deep south, great images.
Thank's Rollin!

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo - Interesting Picture

NYC, Brooklyn and Queens

New York City! i have lived there in the past for years. I especially like the graffiti in the 3rd picture which was taken in Queens (5 points). The first one is from uptown Manhattan (Harlem) and the second is from Brooklyn (Myrtle ave. and London Square). These were submitted by users. Please, if anyone would like to share anything at all, send to ghettoamericablog@gmail.com , Thank You Dustin!

Newark, New Jersey

Newark, New Jersey, i have been there many times. These particular pictures were taken around Clinton and 18th Streets. Thanks Dawn!

Gary, Indiana

These pictures were sent to me by a member, I think they really depict the status of the area and not just the buildings themselves. Thanks a lot Dwayne!

If you have and pictures, thoughts etc... please send them to me at ghettoamericablog@gmail.com

Picutres

If anyone has any pictures they want to send me pertaining to this blog please feel free to e-mail ghettoamericablog@gmail.com

Money

How much money do you have to have to be happy? How much money do you have to have to feel powerful? How much power do you have to have to feel control? How much control do you need to have power and money? What makes you happy?

Lately these questions have been on my mind. Who am I? I am just another living being on this planet trying to get by in this world, for what? Is it money, power, control, happiness, survival (I sure didn't ask to exist)? I am not sure why we as human beings are where we are sometimes in life, although I do know that I want to be happy. I want to be happy as much as I can. I'm sure the motivation for what most people do is to be happy as the end result, however far down the path that happiness may be.

I think this is different in every society, neighborhood, city, country, county, household and civilization. Maybe the more money a drug dealer makes in a poor ghetto type area makes them happy. Maybe someone else is happy just to be able to survive and be with loved ones every day. I know of some people who are happy simply by helping others. Who really knows?

Does living in a "ghetto" or existing in what society calls a bad, poor, corrupt, distressed area mean that you cannot have happiness, power, control or money? I don't think so, I'm sure there are people living in these areas that have money, power, happiness, control and love.

On the opposite side of this "ghetto" world i would guess there are also many people with money, power, happiness, control and love living in rich "nice" areas.
This just makes me think about how "bad" or "ghetto" these places really are. Is it the money that causes this? The desire for power or control? Or maybe corruption?

There really is no answer, I guess it's just human nature otherwise there would be no such thing.
However, I have to question myself on what such a thing should be.

Your Definition?

Of course there are slums in all countries and bad areas etc... however, how would you define a bad area or a "Ghetto" I know how I think of it as. Many people think of such places in different way's. To me these places scare me because of fear of getting shot, stabbed, harassed, robbed etc...

Not by one specific race of people, mainly by people who live or roam around these area's. At least that's how I think of it as because it has happened to me in these very area's. They say the things you fear the most have already happened.

I have never been to slums outside North America and am curious if it is the same way. And I don't mean "slums" or "ghetto's" brought on by war or natural disaster because that just brings up a whole new subject. An example would be this image in the center of Mumbai call Dharavi.

Surprised at slums in North America?

Lately I have been getting many e-mails from people in different parts of Europe and Asia, outside the US. that are shocked at these images on this blog. People are saying such things as

"I cant believe that there is really a ghetto in America because America is a rich country..and i always dream of going there too, that's why I'm very shocked."

And so forth, this got me thinking. Does most of the rest of the world think that North America is a rich country where we all sit around in leather couches, eating expensive food, counting our gold while lighting our cigars with 100 dollar bills? If you think that way you are completely wrong.

Detroit

Someone requested pics of Detroit, although I have never really been there, here ya go "The Birthplace of Motown"...

Cleveland Ohio

San Francisco

East St. Louis

Crime-ridden and still mostly broke, East St. Louis today is a half-abandoned slum of 40,000 residents, perhaps the nation's poorest city.

New Orleans - pre flood

Washington D.C. - Our Nations Capital

Philadelphia

I grew up about 20 minutes south of philly, my whole family descended from there. Just like any other city it has it's good and bad. Some of the worst areas have some of the most beautiful graffiti.