Category — INtake

Kudos to Indianapolis Star reporter Matthew Tully for his piece on the Phoenix (formerly the Meadows) Apartments. I came across this piece the other day, and it gave me something to think about. I didn’t really know too much about this apartment complex until reading his article. I did, however, know that areas like this exist in our city. It’s kind of sad how used to them or blind to them we’ve all become.

So what do we do about something like this? The comments on Tully’s article are chock full of suggestions, one of which is just to close/burn down/get rid of the apartment complex, forcing the tenants to go somewhere else. I guess the thinking behind this is that it will cause them to look for some higher quality of life. Um, yeah – I don’t see that happening. Likely what then happens is the people living there will simply find their way elsewhere, and the crime will find it’s way elsewhere… whether it’s to another neighborhood, someone else’s house, or even to the street. I’ve seen people living on the street that are content living there, because life is about survival for them. And that’s where they know how to survive.

I think the biggest obstacle to the people that live in the Phoenix getting out of there or getting into a different lifestyle is themselves. They’ve grown up there, likely – amidst crime and poverty, where the goal is simply to survive. What do you think happens when a young unwed mother that doesn’t really know how to take care of a baby has one? That baby grows up not knowing any other way of life either, and the situation perpetuates itself, just like any other. Just get through life, any way that you can – whether you need drugs, prostitution, or some other dangerous “aid” to do that. These are the aids that are readily available.

So what’s the solution to the problem? We have crime running rampant in this part of our city. Do we just sit back and let it happen? Do we try to make it go away by kicking these people out of their homes and hoping they “fix it” for themselves? (All the while knowing/ignoring the fact that that really isn’t all that likely.) I don’t think the solution is an easy one, or a fast one. In fact, I think it’s a “one person at a time” type of solution. Changing people’s attitudes about their lives isn’t something that happens just like that. There’s no quick fix to the problem.

The only way for the situation to really change in the long run is for people to make different choices about their lives. And with support, some people will do that. Others never will. But that doesn’t mean they get abandoned to rot in their crime and poverty – because that won’t ever solve anything. The city (as a system and as individuals) needs to stop glossing over problems like this and take them on instead – one step at a time, whether that means revitalizing the neighborhood, cracking down on the crime there instead of fearing it, or just paying more attention to the people there in general. Because they are people – same as those that live in the suburbs. And as people, I believe we all have a duty to look out for each other. Because really – that’s all we’ve got.

If we are truly honest with ourselves, what is the impact that something like the death of Ramirez Smith will have on us? Well, I guess it depends on who you are. Probably for most people where I’m at in life – middle class, living in the suburbs – we’ll probably just read about it in the newspapers, think about how sad it is, and then go on with our lives. And in a way, I think that might be almost as sad as the fact that he died.

It really is hard, and I’m not faulting anyone here, to figure out what should be done about circumstances like this. Finding fault seems to serve no purpose except to point fingers. Instead maybe we should be asking ourselves what we (both collectively and personally) can and should be doing about it.

Maybe there really is no ultimate solution to the problem. Maybe there will always be some kind of violence like this in the lives of Indianapolis teenagers. But I don’t think that should keep us from trying to make some sort of difference. It just might mean saving the life of one or two kids like Ramirez.

It’s really not as difficult as you might think. There are already organizations active in our city to combat things like this by building relationships with kids and teenagers and ultimately teaching them the value of a life with healthy relationships, responsibility, and respect for your fellow man. I’ve seen the difference that organizations like Outreach, Inc. and Big Brothers Big Sisters can make in the lives of children and teenagers. And these organizations can always use more volunteers and more money. If more people cared enough to actually ask themselves “what can I do to help?” when they read articles in the newspaper like the one about Ramirez Smith, and then to take the time to find out and to DO IT – I really believe there would be a difference. It might be hard to measure (because how do you measure the number of violent crimes that DON’T occur?) but the difference would be made.

(As you can probably tell, I’m very much an advocate of volunteering your time to help others. If you’re interested in finding out what you can do to help, one good starting place is volunteermatch.org. If you would like to change the lives of our city’s youth, just do a search for your zip code and select “Children & Youth” as the interest area.)

I think the first time I heard of Gen*Con was through a friend of mine that lives out in LA. I didn’t attend the convention myself, but it gave me a chance to visit with him while he was in town. This year, even though I’m really not a gamer, I decided to go when I found out that I could pick up a little extra cash by working at Gen*Con and also get a free pass for the whole event. I knew at the least, it would prove to be interesting and give me a chance to bond more with friends that I have that were planning on going.

My Gen*Con experience began on Thursday night when I took a trip down to the convention center to be trained in how to do event registration, my job for Saturday and Sunday. Even my walk from my parking spot down there was entertaining. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone wearing a tie-dyed kilt up until now.

I think I get along well with the type of people at Gen*Con because I’m a geek at heart myself. I don’t really get into video games, RPGs, Dungeons & Dragons, or Magic: The Gathering, but I am a self-proclaimed Star Wars geek and, well, you can’t really be a computer programmer and not earn the title. Plus, honestly – geeks are friendly. Working customer service at the event registration and refund booths for a total of 16 hours could normally be something to make you loathe people by the end of the day, but the Gen*Con attendees made it worthwhile. They’re excited to be where they’re at, and they’re excited to share it with the people around them. Any of them would be more than happy to tell you about the games they’re passionate about and enjoy playing.

Gamers are no different than anyone else, for the most part. They may get caught up in their hobby sometimes, but who hasn’t gotten caught up in something you enjoy? The way I see it, people choose how they want to live their lives. And if they’d rather get caught up in swinging keyblades or larping – more power to them. They’re certainly not hurting me none.